Well, before the Note II, I used an iPhone 3GS for 3.5 years. I was trying my hardest to make it last as long as possible, because I like making things last as long as possible -- it's a win win because technology gets better every month and your cost of ownership declines. But the battery was giving out and it wasn't worth it to spend $80 replacing the iphone battery.
When I surveyed the field I basically narrowed it down to the Note II and the Nexus 4. I didn't want to wait any longer since I needed a phone now, so I got the Note. At $199 for a 2yr contract upgrade on Amazon, you're getting a lot of value for the money. There's a video out there of a guy hooking up the Note II to a TV and easily using it as a desktop computer. It's quite powerful. And LTE is great ... I speed tested it at 48 mbps the other day, and this was 12 miles from downtown.
The delayed updates are indeed a downside. Samsung's keyboard and predictive text are crap compared to the iPhone's (yes, you get Swype, but I don't always want to do the swiping).
If you're a heavy mobile user, lots of apps and media consumption, get the Note II. If you're a moderate user, mostly phone and email, I'd say do nothing, wait a year. The longer you wait, the better the products get, and you experience more "wow factor" when you finally do make the switch from your old dinosaur to the newest offering.
When I surveyed the field I basically narrowed it down to the Note II and the Nexus 4. I didn't want to wait any longer since I needed a phone now, so I got the Note. At $199 for a 2yr contract upgrade on Amazon, you're getting a lot of value for the money. There's a video out there of a guy hooking up the Note II to a TV and easily using it as a desktop computer. It's quite powerful. And LTE is great ... I speed tested it at 48 mbps the other day, and this was 12 miles from downtown.
The delayed updates are indeed a downside. Samsung's keyboard and predictive text are crap compared to the iPhone's (yes, you get Swype, but I don't always want to do the swiping).
If you're a heavy mobile user, lots of apps and media consumption, get the Note II. If you're a moderate user, mostly phone and email, I'd say do nothing, wait a year. The longer you wait, the better the products get, and you experience more "wow factor" when you finally do make the switch from your old dinosaur to the newest offering.