Upgrading from a Note 9

[Astraeus]

My Note 9, after four years' service, is on its way out.

The compass has 'reversed' so it thinks North is South and vice versa, it often can't find a 3G or 4G connection in city centres and some interesting gremlins are finding their way into the system. Its obsolescence has also been amplified by me seeing what my wife's new iPhone 13 is capable of, particularly the cameras.

I tried out a pal's S22 Ultra a few weeks ago and noticed very little real-world difference in that websites and commonly-used apps opened at the same speed, although scrolling was marginally improved on account of refresh rates. In my view and for my use, there was certainly nothing that would persuade me to part with £1k.

So I've been looking at the likes of the OnePlus 10, the Oppo Find X5 and the S21 Ultra. And my question is this:

Will I notice an improvement on the Note 9?

 

[Astraeus]

P. S. I should add that I'm concerned about stepping backwards in terms of battery life too.

 

[prking]

The S22 Ultra (Exynos version that’s sold in the UK) has a lot of problems including lag, so probably not the best example of current handsets.

You can compare handsets and see battery tests in the in-depth reviews on GSMARENA but I like to see the handset in person before deciding.

 

[BM08]

I would not worry about taking a backwards step in regards to battery life, with pretty much any half decent new-ish phone, compared to an old Samsung, that i would presume has a badly degraded battery by now!

 

[finbaar]

I would not worry about taking a backwards step in regards to battery life, with pretty much any half decent new-ish phone, compared to an old Samsung, that i would presume has a badly degraded battery by now!

Very much this. I had the Exynos Note9 and even early on the battery life was crap, Astraeus won't be disappointed by any of the phones they mentioned.

 

[Squirty]

I think the Note9 was one of the best phones I've ever had. I had to replace mine with a Note 10+ a couple of years ago and I've just managed to destroy that one now

After hours of fruitless research regarding prices/features/performance etc. I came to the conclusion that I'm actually quite happy with the Note10+ and have bought a near perfect refurb from GiffGaff for a fraction of the price of the S22 Ultra that I very nearly bought for well over a Grand!

I agree with you that there's nothing fantastically worth paying all that extra for on the new models.

 

[Astraeus]

No, that's definitely my conclusion.

I think I'll end up going second-hand again, keeping the price differential between selling mine and the new one to around £350. That I can live with as a bit of a luxury outgoing!