What is the Deal with the Samsung Hate?

[DivideBYZero]

Kim Jong Il has steak in Samsung...

I has steak in Steakhouse.

 

[tommo123]

ok, my gps is about equal to my desires at 1st try, so not bad

damn quick at everything else too!

 

[runawayprisoner]

Samsung hate? I think more along the lines of disappointment. My old Captivate was met with smaller issues that required multiple hours to fix. Most were software-related. I'd think Samsung phones are so moddable not because they are well-loved but because it takes that many modifications and development hours for them to work right.

Ultimately scared me off of Android for a while. I may get back later, but for now, I am at a point where I need a phone that can take calls, send texts, snap photos within seconds, not one that I have to get into Clockworkmod to use.

That's not to say I absolutely can't use it as a phone. But realistically, it isn't that much of a smartphone. At least to me. Some functions I just can't get no matter how many hours I spend on XDA a day. I'm still keeping it as a point of reference for Android programming, but that's that. Of course it's possible that I can write what I want to have on the phone, but... I don't see the point of that when the other platform already has some of those functions that I want.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Used to hate Samsung when I had a Moment. Anyone with a Moment would. It was a piece of shit phone, data would lock up for no reason and could only be fixed by restarting, GPS never worked ever, battery life was poor despite the small screen, occasionally put itself into airplane mode that you couldn't get it out of without pulling the battery, and it took way too long to get a 2.1 update. At least it got 2.1! Earlier Samsung Androids never got any updates.

However I ended up getting an Epic to replace my Moment and... well... they've redeemed themselves in my eyes. The Epic is super fast, screen looks super great, data never locks up, GPS is not great but it does work when I'm outside (can't lock from inside a building though, even from the top floor), and it's still getting updates. I have no major complaints, and it's a very easy phone to hack as well. Even the battery life is okay.

Still, Samsung's high end phones may be good but their low end phones are still to be avoided. Heard nothing but bad stuff about the Moment, Intercept, and Transformer. If I were getting a low end Sprint smartphone, I'd get the LG Optimus S.

 

[finbarqs]

it is rumored that kim jong il's son, sam and sung, maid samsung.

 

[s44]

Samsung Galaxy S line was great but it still puzzled me how a company can get away the entire line GPS mostly not working.

They were built for Skyhook, which Google forced them to rip out. Later models (Fascinate, revised Captivate) did have working GPS.

The basic answer to the OP is that they went through their Android growing pains later than the other major manufacturers.

 

[finbarqs]

so now, sam and sung can rejoice the benefits of having this awesome company that makes fantastic t.v.'s, LCD panel's, and definitely Home appliances!

 

[Red Storm]

Samsung's openness to the modding community gets them major points in my book compared to Moto, and HTC phones - while nice - always seem to skimp on the battery.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I've never understood the Samsung hate. Sure they have made some mistakes but HTC and especially Moto have their share of those as well. Plus Samsung always offers the fastest hardware available and is the only manufacturer aside from Apple that actually puts top of the line displays in their phones.

 

[zerocool84]

I've never understood the Samsung hate. Sure they have made some mistakes but HTC and especially Moto have their share of those as well. Plus Samsung always offers the fastest hardware available and is the only manufacturer aside from Apple that actually puts top of the line displays in their phones.

The difference is that HTC and Motorola didn't release multiple phones without major things not working like data lock-ups, GPS not working, airplane mode randomly turning on, etc, etc, and never fix it.

Oh and Motorola puts top of the line displays in their phones. The Droid line-up has the best color reproduction of any smartphone.

 

[runawayprisoner]

I've never understood the Samsung hate. Sure they have made some mistakes but HTC and especially Moto have their share of those as well. Plus Samsung always offers the fastest hardware available and is the only manufacturer aside from Apple that actually puts top of the line displays in their phones.

Top of the line is very debatable in my opinions. AMOLED has problems displaying very low shades of grays and any color that is close to black. Color accuracy goes out of the window very easily on those displays.

 

[CVSiN]

Top of the line is very debatable in my opinions. AMOLED has problems displaying very low shades of grays and any color that is close to black. Color accuracy goes out of the window very easily on those displays.

You havent been reading about the new screen.. its awesome.. even from the Iphone biased Edagadget..

The Galaxy S II's screen is nothing short of spectacular. Blacks are impenetrable, colors pop out at you, and viewing angles are supreme. This would usually be the part where we'd point out that qHD (960 x 540) resolution is fast becoming the norm among top-tier smartphones and that the GSII's 800 x 480 is therefore a bit behind the curve, but frankly, we don't care. With a screen as beautiful as this, such things pale into insignificance. And we use that verb advisedly -- whereas the majority of LCDs quickly lose their luster when you tilt them away from center, color saturation and vibrancy on the Galaxy S II remain undiminished. It is only at extreme angles that you'll notice some discoloration, but that's only if you're looking for it and takes nothing away from the awe-inspiring experience of simply using this device.

Whether you're pushing it to its limits with movie watching or just tamely browsing the web, the Super AMOLED Plus panel inside the Galaxy S II never fails to remind you that it's simply better than almost everything else that's out there. For an instructive example of the contrast on offer here, take a look at our recent post regarding the LG Optimus Big's upcoming launch in Korea. The pattern on that handset's white back was so subtle on our desktop monitor that we completely missed it, whereas when we looked at the same image on the GSII, it looked clear as day. Maybe that doesn't speak too highly of the monitors we're working with, but it underlines the supremacy of the display Samsung has squeezed into the Galaxy S II.

We'd even go so far as to say it's better than the iPhone 4's screen, purely because, at 4.3 inches, it gives us so much more room to work with. It's almost impossible to split the two up in terms of quality of output, they're both top notch. Notably, however, that was also true of Samsung's original Super AMOLED display, the one that graced the 4-inch Galaxy S, and by now you must be wondering if there's actually anything significant enough in the new S-AMOLED technology to justify appending that "Plus" to its name. The short answer is yes, and it's all in the pixels.

The one major downside to the original Super AMOLED panel was to be found in its PenTile matrix subpixel arrangement. It employed an RGBG pattern, wherein you got two green subpixels for every pair of red and blue ones, but the overall resolution was counted on the basis of green subpixels. Ergo, a PenTile 800 x 480 resolution wasn't as rich at the subpixel level as your standard RGB screen (768,000 versus 1,152,000), which resulted in slightly grainier images than would otherwise have been the case. Well, that "otherwise" scenario is now with us, because Samsung has switched to a Real-Stripe RGB array in the 4.3-inch Galaxy S II, which means it packs the full 1.152 megasubpixel count and, as we've already noted, the display looks delectable for it. A lesser criticism of the original Galaxy S was that its colors were a little blown out and oversaturated, but that's once again rendered moot on the successor device -- a software setting called Background effect allows you to tweak saturation, so if you're feeling a little melancholy, you can tone down the intensity of your handset's colors to match your ennui. Basically, if we haven't made it clear already, this is everything that Super AMOLED was, minus the bad parts and plus an extra .3 inches in real estate. A triumph.

 

[A5]

You didn't read this... They are saying significantly worse battery life than the EVO..
that in my eyes and the camera issues make this a no go for me..


Which brings us to battery life, or the lack thereof. After topping off the EVO 3D, it only took 14 hours and 44 minutes to drain the beefy 1730mAh battery down to 7%. We barely used the handset during that time -- we made a 15-minute call and slept 6 hours. The rest of it was spent taking a half-dozen pictures, and occasionally checking 3 email accounts plus one Twitter account with all the radios enabled (save for Bluetooth). This is particularly surprising when you consider the Sensation's stellar battery life. 3D photography is particularly taxing on the battery. We saw the charge level drop from full to 60% in about an hour and a half during which we snapped about 80 photos and captured 4 short videos (about half of this content was in 3D). So, whatever you do, be prepared to bring a charger along with that EVO 3D.

If you leave the 4G on all the time, yeah. Wish my Evo would last 14 hours with 4G on

 

[Dulanic]

If you leave the 4G on all the time, yeah. Wish my Evo would last 14 hours with 4G on

4G is a major offender. However, a giant screen does a crap load of damage. You look along the phone charts for battery life and they commonly follow sceen size almost directly. If the SGS2 had a 3.5" screen I dare say it would be pretty even /w the iphone.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

4G is a major offender. However, a giant screen does a crap load of damage. You look along the phone charts for battery life and they commonly follow sceen size almost directly. If the SGS2 had a 3.5" screen I dare say it would be pretty even /w the iphone.

But the SGS2 does 2 days no problem according to Engadget. I'd say the iPhone 4 is at 2 days charge too.

 

[runawayprisoner]

You havent been reading about the new screen.. its awesome.. even from the Iphone biased Edagadget..

Engadget is no longer iPhone-biased. Its iPhone-biased staffers have all left to create thisismynext.com. They are now a site that advertises for anyone AOL receives money from.

I actually don't read much about things that I purchase. I read about them, try to weigh and imagine, then actually purchase them to see what is reality.

And the reality is that the screens on Galaxy S phones prior to the S II, which I haven't used, just suck at reproducing accurate colors or anything too dark.

 

[gorcorps]

But the SGS2 does 2 days no problem according to Engadget. I'd say the iPhone 4 is at 2 days charge too.

I get a good day out of my iPhone 4. When I first got it it was 2 days (or close) but ever since the first update my battery life has been all over the place. I have to charge every night or I'd be screwed the next day most likely.

 

[finbarqs]

oh where for art thou Dell Venue Pro?

 

[ponyo]

Engadget is no longer iPhone-biased. Its iPhone-biased staffers have all left to create thisismynext.com. They are now a site that advertises for anyone AOL receives money from.

I actually don't read much about things that I purchase. I read about them, try to weigh and imagine, then actually purchase them to see what is reality.

And the reality is that the screens on Galaxy S phones prior to the S II, which I haven't used, just suck at reproducing accurate colors or anything too dark.

You have the option of picking up Moto Droid if accurate color reproduction is that important to you. That's the beauty of having choice and option.

But I do agree with you Engadget is definitely getting paid by Samsung for favorable reviews. Of course I can't prove it but the fluff flattery reviews of Samsung products scream paid bribes. I would be vary wary of trusting positive reviews of Samsung products on Engadget.

 

[finbarqs]

yeah seriously, sometimes, I feel that the mod community gets tooooo picky sometimes...

 

[A5]

I get a good day out of my iPhone 4. When I first got it it was 2 days (or close) but ever since the first update my battery life has been all over the place. I have to charge every night or I'd be screwed the next day most likely.

Yeah this is pretty much what it comes down to. If the battery lasts me long enough to get through a typical day of use from when I take it off the charger in the morning to when I put it back on the charger when I go to bed (which is usually ~14 hours), then it's fine with me.

 

[QueBert]

If you leave the 4G on all the time, yeah. Wish my Evo would last 14 hours with 4G on

I wish my EVO would last 14 hours with 4G off, apparently it will if I don't use the phone at all.

 

[Dulanic]

But I do agree with you Engadget is definitely getting paid by Samsung for favorable reviews. Of course I can't prove it but the fluff flattery reviews of Samsung products scream paid bribes. I would be vary wary of trusting positive reviews of Samsung products on Engadget.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

The Samsung hate comes from the US where half the fault is the carriers. Custom firmware, custom handsets, etc. The euro models didn't have GPS issues and nor are they as slow with Android updates as Moto is worldwide.

Different markets I suppose. Moto is fast in the US but slow as hell worldwide. Opposite with Samsung.

 

[gorcorps]

The Samsung hate comes from the US where half the fault is the carriers. Custom firmware, custom handsets, etc. The euro models didn't have GPS issues and nor are they as slow with Android updates as Moto is worldwide.

Different markets I suppose. Moto is fast in the US but slow as hell worldwide. Opposite with Samsung.

I don't know how different markets would affect GPS accuracy. :hmm: I can see how the carrier stuff would affect general UI speed and such, but a borked GPS is a borked GPS.