I joined the dark side about four months ago when I switched out my iPhone for a Galaxy Note 8. It has been an absolute blast, split screen apps, amazing camera, and that stylus for… Well I don’t quite know its best purpose but it makes coloring fun again.
I left iPhone after it was announced that getting the flagship X would cost me around $1200. Apple, if I give you $1200 it will always be for a computer and never a phone. Naturally I took a look across the aisle and checked out the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, I loved the hardware after playing with it a couple of times, and my only concern was that switch to Android. Let me be perfectly clear; iOS works better than Android every time. The iPhone X is a thrilling phone, good friends of mine have it and love it, I would too if I could wrap my head around that colossal price tag that interferes with a new MacBook.
The Good;
“It won’t be easy to transfer photos and contacts”, they said.
Dead wrong, the transfer was flawless and took about two minutes via things being backed up by google.
“The phone is too big and light weight, you’ll drop it all the time”, they said.
Well, it fits in my hands just fine, I can wrap my fingers around it even with a case on, and it being lightweight is awesome.
Everything works, it still has a fingerprint sensor, and the huge screen is to die for. I thoroughly enjoy my experience with the device, the new features like facial recognition and the buttonless front have been a fun way of interacting with the phone. The expandable storage is a staple and for good reason, the battery life is sufficient, but people only want to know the negatives.
The Bad;
The bad parts of the phone begin with Android and Samsung’s need to make Android look like their own. The skin Samsung throws over Android is fine, but underwhelming and definitely not iOS in terms of simplicity and function. It feels clunky at times which brings the fun of that massive display down a little.
The battery life is fine, it could be way way better if the phone wasn’t paper thin, and thinness isn’t really a feature I would be sad to see go. The battery will absolutely get you through a medium usage day, but if you are having to use your phone constantly throughout your day it will need a charge without a doubt.
The Ugly;
The absolute worst thing about this device is undeniably Bixby, and that button on the side that initiates it is enough to drive people insane. Similarly the worst part of the iPhone is Siri, (maybe the notch now) but the phone makes up for it by also having google assistant which works like a dream.
The Verdict;
Overall, it is the best phone I have ever had, I plan to run it into the ground for a couple of years, but after that I will likely return to Apple simply for iOS, barring a major shake up in Android. The phone is worth a buy especially if it gets a nice price drop after the Note 9 comes out. It is plenty future proofed as both an amazing camera and as a capable work machine because maybe the only thing Android does better than Apple is notifications. If you catch this thing on a price drop or thinking about an upgrade immediately, buy it.