The notch on phones became a huge controversy when the iPhone X released in 2017. There were so many different reactions to the huge design change that Apple made on their phone. Some were extremely tired of the previous design that stayed relatively similar for 4 years. On the other hand, there were people who liked the compact design of iPhone 6, 6s, 7, and 8 and were disgusted by the new design of the iPhone X. Although it did feature a larger screen with a smaller body, there was a big notch that cut through the screen. As a result of this, there will always be this black, rectangular box that covers part of the screen and ruins the full experience.
Yes, the notch does ruin the full experience, especially while watching videos, but there were so many phones that came out with a notch after the release of the iPhone X. The main reason, I believe, for this is that a unofficial competition started. By this, I mean that nowadays, a higher-quality phone means having as small of a bezel as the company can make. Since the technology in most companies limit them into using a bezel, there are so many phones that have a bezel now.
There are a few people that would rather have a greater screen-to-body ratio with a notch over a thick bezel without a notch. This leaves companies with three choices: a nearly-bezel less phone with a notch, thick bezels without a notch, new technology that has nearly no bezels and no notch but can be not fully developed.
1. Notch with nearly no bezels
A few phones that fit into this category would be the iPhone X (Xs, Xr as well), Galaxy s10 (s10e), and the LG G7 (and the phones that came after). Of course, there are a lot more phones as well that have some sort of notch. Some pros of this design is that in 2019, there are a lot of apps that take the notch into consideration and are redesigned to work with the notch in between. In addition, the rest of the phone will be nearly bezel-less, allowing more screen with less weight and size. One major con to the notch is how it disrupts the full viewing experience. First of all, as for the iPhone X, the screen size is 5.8 inches. The size is determined by measuring diagonally from one corner to the other. However, what we have to put into consideration is that the notch takes up around 1/2 of the top horizontal area, which means that there is nearly a complete bezel at the top. As a result of this, the actual screen size should be smaller than 5.8 inches. In addition, when we watch content on a phone with a notch, there will be problems since if we want to get immersed in the video by watching it with full screen, the notch will be in the way. However, if we choose to not cut any parts of the video up, the video will be much smaller, hence there will be no reason for a bigger screen.
2. No notch with thick bezels
By thick bezels, I don’t necessarily mean iPhone 6 thick because there are other phones with small bezels that do not come with a notch. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 that I own has relatively small bezels without a notch. However, when compared to the s10+, the bezels seem much thicker and the phone feels a lot bigger although the two phones have the same screen size. I personally am fine with my Note 9 since the screen-to-body ratio is still really high and there is no notch to get in the way of the full experience. However, since nowadays, bezels are getting much, much smaller, it’s harder to say that the Note 9 is nearly bezel-less. The pro of having a Note 9 sized bezel is that it’s like a compromise between having thick bezels and nearly no bezels and so there is not much problem with it. However, if the bezels get as thick as previous iPhones and Galaxy phones, some cons follow. For example, the phone may get pointlessly heavy, not because of the screen size but because of the huge bezels. Also, there will be a less satisfying viewing experience since there are such big blocks on the side. Although having bezels aren’t really a problem, it just feels outdated and unimpressive.
3. New technology with nearly no bezels and no notch
This is the most risky choice, at least as of 2019. An example of a phone that meets this criteria is the Samsung Galaxy A80. This phone has almost only screen in the front and includes no notch watchsoever. There is one camera that is placed at the back, but when you want to take a selfie, the camera at the back would twist over to the front. This type of technology is amazing since it basically solves all of the previous problems. The problem is, however, that new problems arise. There can be so many problems that occur during the process of flipping the camera over to the front since it’s not a technology that has been fully developed.
As a student who was the one to preorder the Note 9 last year and got it on the actual release day, I am aware that the next Note will come out in around two to three months. Due to this, majority of the device will have been manufactured and probably they are just testing for the remainder of the time. As a result of this, some of the changes that I want made may not be present in the Note 10, but the following are changes that I want made in the future models. This will include my experience with the Note 9 and what should be improved in order to benefit the user experience of the people who purchase the next model.
Camera
I’ll start off by saying that the camera is above average. So many of my friends want to take photos with my phone due to its outstanding quality both during the daytime and nighttime. However, there were a few things that I wish would change in the camera category; if these changes are made, many more people will be willing to switch over to Samsung.
1. Shutter Speed
Due to not many professional photos being taken on smartphones, the cameras that come with these phones are normally used for point-and-shoot scenarios where you just click the shutter and move on without putting in so much time and effort into making the photo perfect. I noticed, however, that there is a slight gap between the time when I press on the shutter button and when the photo is actually taken. As a result of this, I end up moving before the photo is actually taken, meaning that the photo ends up being shaken. This problem is the worst in low-light situations so I need to keep my phone still for at least 3 seconds in order for the photo to come out decently. Due to this, I’m hoping that the future Samsung Note models will have this problem fixed and decrease the gap that exists with the shutter so that the point-and-shoot photos come out well.
2. Color
Although the quality of the camera itself is good, there is a problem that exists within not only the newer phones, but most of the previous Samsung phones as well. The problem is that the photos tend to be very unrealistic and very different from the actual scene. The photos turn out to be more yellow-toned and brighter than what we see with our eyes. I do not want to make the direct comparison, but iPhone tend to have very realistic colors, which is one of the reasons why many people opt for iPhones. Due to this, I hope that the future models will have better camera optimization so that the photos come out more realistic.
3. Live Focus
The Live Focus was one of the main reasons I wanted to Note 9 and is also one of the greatest disappointments of the phone. The same problem is present in the Note 8, s9+, and the Note 9. First of all, in situations where the lighting isn’t very good, the Live Focus mode has a terrible HDR, and so turns the entire background white. This is when I just choose to turn the HDR off and use my normal Auto mode. Even when the lighting is good, sometimes, the edge detection is terrible and may sometimes even tell you that Live Focus mode isn’t available. There are a few moments when the Live Focus mode works, which makes the photo turn out amazing, but since there were so many disappointments that came with using the Live Focus, it is something that I want to see improved. The main improvements should consist of better edge detection and HDR.
4. Social Media
Social media may seem like it’s out of the blue, but I noticed that the quality is significantly worse when using social media on Samsung devices (almost all android devices in fact) than an iPhone. Using Instagram as an example, whenever I post a story using my Note 9, all the details are gone and it’s just not very pleasing to see. Also, when I send photos through the messaging app or through Instagram DM, the details are all gone and the picture gets sent looking very grainy, which is very uncomfortable when living in a world filled with interaction. I’m not exactly sure what the problem is, but there must be a way for these photos to be sent with a better quality.
5. Skin blur
The skin blur problem actually shocked me although I heard many problems about it. The main reason is because when I’m taking the picture, the photos look very detailed and nothing seems to be blurred. However, when I click on the result, I see that the photo turned out to be much more smooth compared to when I was clicking the shutter. I feel like Samsung planned to optimize their camera that way, but honestly, it brings more discomfort to the users and if anyone does want their face to be smooth, there are apps out their that they can use so don’t bring that feature to everyone.
Spen
The Spen is a very, very, very useful feature for a student like me. After I purchased the Note 9, I used the Spen so much that now I can’t imagine having a phone without it. It can be used to take notes, draw in my free time, and save paper. Some people may never use it, but it was such an important tool for me. The changes that I want made with the Spen is not the functionality or the usability, but more towards its design and durability.
1. Durability
In order to effectively utilize the Spen into my daily lifestyle, I need to use it very often. This means that I’d need to take it out of my phone and then take notes on my phone or do whatever I want to do with it. However, taking it out often means that there is a greater chance of dropping or bending it. The Spen replacements are not cheap. This means that we need to try to keep the original one as nice as possible. However, the Spen is so weak that it is just so easy to snap it in half. Honestly, there is a such a big gap in price between the Galaxy S models and the Galaxy Note models. However, the only major difference between these two is the Spen. If the user chooses not to replace the Spen, they will just have wasted a couple hundred dollars. If they choose to replace it, another $50 will be needed to be spent, but even then, that replacement Spen may break again, so money will be spent repeatedly. Therefore, for the next model, I’m hoping that there will be an improvement in the durability of the Spen by changing the material being used to build it or use any other solution that could help with the durability.
2. Secureness
The major reason people break their Spen is because of how insecurely the Spen is placed in the phone. I have a case in my Note 9 and all of my family members do as well. However, every time one of us drops our phone, our phone is perfectly fine due to the case, but the Spen almost always falls out. I’m not sure why it constantly falls out, but it could do with the clicky button and just its inability to endure impact. Since the pen just falls out when my phone is dropped, it can end up bent or broken. Therefore, for the next model, I’m hoping that the Spen will be placed more securely into the phone. Other than that, the Spen is such an useful tool that improved my life as a whole.
Design
Photo from Mashables
I honestly, really like the minimalistic design of the Note 9. There is no notch, hole, or anything that gets in the way in the screen and nothing gets cut off. Although it may seem outdated, I personally enjoyed it. However, I know that I must let go of having a clean display because future models are probably going to come with the Infinity O display (at least for a period of time until they figure out the best way to have a full-screen display). I do enjoy the Note 9’s design, but I also found that the s10’s design is very stunning so I’m sure that the complaints about the hole punch display will die down eventually. However, there were a few aspects of the design of the Note 9 that I found to be very uncomfortable that I hope would be changed in the next model.
1. Weight
The Note 9 is around 200 grams. Honestly, just carrying my phone for a short period of time is fine. However, if I need to use it for a long period of time, I start feeling pain in my wrist and my arm. The phone itself being 200 grams is not too bad. However, we have to remember that most of the people use cases on their phone; they normally use bulky, protective cases to protect their thousand dollar phone. With these cases, the weight of the phone becomes unbearable so I hope that Samsung can adjust the weight of the phone (although I know that it’s going to be made of all glass and the size is probably going to get bigger) so that there is less fatigue in the arms even with a case on.
2. Edge Display
Although the majority of the people have problems with the edge display, I actually was fond of it. Since I’m not an expert in terms of screen quality and so, I didn’t really notice many cons to having an edge display. In fact, when I was watching videos, I found the edge to let me be more immersed into the video and focus better. In addition, the edge display panel was very useful for me, especially for the quick call feature. However, the problem, at least for me, does not come with the phone itself; it comes with the accessories. Because of the phone’s structure and design, it was just so hard to find good accessories. Firstly, there is a huge restriction on the screen protector that I can use. I previously used many glass screen protectors with my older phones, but due to the curved display, majority of them did not stick properly with my Note 9 and so I had to settle for a liquid screen protector. However, the problem became that since my screen was less protected now, I needed to find a protective case. However, due to the edge display, so many cases come with very minimal lip for protection. I’m not exactly sure this problem is going to be solved, but unless there is a way to make better accessories for the newer phone with the curved edge, I’d say it’s a better idea to go for the flat display for a while.
3. Aspect Ratio
The aspect ratio of this phone makes the phone much easier to grip due to it having skinnier sides and a longer length. However, I found a few problems with this. First of all, when I want to watch my videos in full, parts of it get cut off. Another problem is that since this phone has a different aspect ratio as other phones, such as the iPhone, many America-based apps have the ratio aspect that matches the iPhone. As a result of this, whenever I’m using a social media app like Instagram and my friend with an iPhone sends me a photo, since the photo is sent from their aspect ratio, the photo comes to me by cutting the sides off. Because of this problem, I asked my friends multiple times to resend the photo for me but by backing the camera a little so that even if the sides are cropped I can still see all the necessary parts of the photo. I’m hoping that in the future Note model, although the aspect ratio may stay the same since the phone needs to get bigger, there is a better way found to interact with other non-Samsung models.
Final Words
I was fond of the Note line ever since the Note 2. There were many changes that were made since the original Note that allows the Note to be one of the most feature-packed phone present-day. There are many useful tools that come with the phone that drastically improves user experience. However, there are some downsides that may interfere with the usability of the phone. In this post, I discusses some of the problems that I noticed while using my Note 9 that I wish would be changed in future models. If these changes are made, I am sure that a wider spectrum of people would be willing to spend their hard-earned money on this phone.
Samsung has recently been setting the new standard for 2019 smartphones. Apple has been losing lots of money for their failure with their 2018 lineup of iPhones. That’s what every tech reviewer has been saying online. However, as a student who lives in an area surrounded by many high school students, I did not see a single galaxy s10 smartphone at school. In fact, I saw so many more people holding iPhone Xr, Xs, and older generation phones. This is what made me wonder…why do so many people choose iPhones over Samsung phones? Why do people gravitate toward the more practical phone over the one that offers so many features? Is it just bandwagon?
image from Android Authority
1. Airdrop
As a student, I see many people living busy lives. They have so many things to take care of such as extracurricular activities, grades, tests, and sports. In the midst of their busy life, having features that would be beneficial in terms of saving time is welcome. The Airdrop feature is extremely useful and comes in handy if photos, videos, or documents need to be sent to one or multiple people. As a result of this feature being so widely used, people who do not own an iPhone or Apple products are unable to “fit” with the others, causing them to start wanting to get an iPhone for themselves. Even I, who owns a galaxy phone, think that Airdrop is extremely handy when sharing photos and documents with each other.
2. iMessage
This goes hand-in-hand with Airdrop, but there are just so many features that Apple products come with that goes along with interaction with others, which appeals to many people. For example, iMessage is something that many students want. Now, if a “blue message” doesn’t pop up for the person, Android users are made fun of. Honestly, there isn’t much more benefits to iMessage. Rather, it’s more of a feature that people want than need. Since majority of the people use iMessage, the other students want to fit in, causing more people to want to own an iPhone.
3. Camera
Yes, Samsung phones also have great camera that is able to capture moments very well. However, there are very big flaws that the galaxy phone cameras have which the iPhone cameras do not. For example, there is so much motion blur and skin blur with Galaxy phones that makes the photos look less realistic. In addition, the colors do not match with the actual object; it makes it brighter or more yellow-toned. On the other hand, iPhones are able to produce very realistic photos that resemble the actual object that is being taken a photo of. In fact, the amount of details that iPhones are able to include with their camera is amazing. Since we live in a time period when social media is so widely used and camera quality is so important, the camera quality plays a huge role in the reason why people purchase iPhones.
4. Protection
iPhones, unlike Android phones, are very good at preventing viruses. Its long-term usability is amazing and it ages very well. Since it’s not very affected by viruses and other factors that could harm the phone, it makes usability much better, and more appealing to people who want to use their phones without worrying about it slowing down too much over time. In addition, the iCloud setup is so complex and there is not many ways a person could hack into an iPhone, allowing the users to feel safe carrying their phone around.
Conclusion
Yes, Samsung phones have gotten a lot better compared to the past. Yes, they are able to create new forms of technology that would shape the future smartphones that are being released. Yes, they have a lot of features that give the users a lot of choices when using their phone. However, the one factor they were unable to cover is one that is most important in the 21st century. They didn’t put as much emphasis on interaction and ways to improve it. Since online interaction is so important nowadays, Apple got it all covered, but there are still many flaws in terms of the messaging systems and just usability in general of Samsung phones. Therefore, if Samsung can improve in that area, many more people would be willing to purchase their devices.
The Galaxy Fold was able to draw lots of attention due to it being a form of technology that no one has ever seen (well there were folding phones before but they were all too lacking). Since Samsung, a huge company, took a huge leap forward, there were many expectations for this nearly $2000 smartphone. However, some of the review units broke after only 2 days, although some of them were caused by human errors. So do the changes made for the Galaxy Fold matter?
photo from TechRadar
Price
$1980. That’s how expensive this smartphone is. Remember when the iPhone X came out and $1000 was considered expensive? Well, the Fold exceeds that…by nearly double the price. I do understand that developing this form of technology would have taken a lot of workers, ideas, planning, materials etc., but how many consumers will be willing to purchase this device just for the new technology? I believe there are better options than to purchase this phone.
For example, purchasing one Galaxy s10 ($849.99) and Galaxy Tab s4 ($649.99) will be around $1500. As for the phone, the s10 is much better and advanced in terms of screen quality. The Galaxy Tab s4 also has a bigger screen for improved video consumption compared to the Fold’s tablet screen. In addition, there are more ways to lessen the amount of money spent by purchasing the s10e instead of the normal s10 and Galaxy Tab s5e.
There are more options if Apple devices are an option. If a person was to purchase an iPhone Xs ($1000) and iPad Pro 2019 ($799.00), it would be around $1800. This is still cheaper than the Galaxy Fold, but if a person didn’t need all of these bells-and-whistles, the iPhone Xr, iPad Air 2019, and iPad 6 are still available for a cheaper price. These cheaper devices still offer more than the Fold so I believe it will be more worth the money to just purchase a close-to-perfection smartphone and tablet.
Quality
photo from Trusted Reviews
The phone screen of the Galaxy Fold is 4.6 inches, which is definitely not a small size. However, the bezels are extremely thick and not fitting in 2019. As a person who owns a Note 9 with a 6.4 inch display and relatively small bezels, I don’t think I’d be able to go back to a screen size so small with thick bezels.
For the tablet portion, the screen size is 7.3 inches, which is smaller than all of the tablets mentions above. I feel that the Fold is too small to be a phone or a tablet. There is nothing about the Fold that will bring full satisfaction to the consumer.
The weight of this smartphone is 263 grams. Considering the fact that the iPad Pro 2019 11″ weighs 468 grams, the Fold is substantially lighter. However, in comparison to the Galaxy s10e which weighs 150 grams, the Fold is like a brick phone. Remember, phones are used for its compactness and comfort when carrying it around. Carrying the phone for too long will cause wrist pain and bring discomfort.
What’s the catch?
Innovation. Although I can’t recommend anyone to purchase this 1st gen Fold, it is a huge turning point for future smartphones since this “beta” phone will serve as a foundation for other companies and Samsung. This new form of technology is why people are praising Samsung regardless of the fact that the phone still has lots to improve on.
photo from The Verge
Conclusion
I am very glad Samsung made this bold move to trigger the world of smartphones. This move will force the other companies to develop other forms of technology that would actually benefit the consumers. However, this isn’t the phone to get. There are still many changes that need to be made for it to actually be integrated wisely into people’s daily lives. I understand what the purpose of a folding phone is, and if the perfect folding phone is to be developed, it would truly be beneficial. However, Samsung has not reached that point yet and there are better deals elsewhere since there are still many problems with the phone that need to be discussed.
So back to the question: Do the changes made for the Galaxy Fold matter?
No. However, since the idea is amazing, after a few refinements are made, its successors would be a huge success.
Rachel’s Reviews 