New unused Note 4 from Fry's vs used Note 4 from swappa (or other online vendor)

[blankslate]

Title says it all.

Getting it from Fry's has the advantage of it being factory new.
And returning it if there is an issue doesn't involve shipping.
Presumably there is a 1 year Samsung warranty

But it's more expensive than Swappa


Getting one from Swappa is up to 50% cheaper.
but you have to wait.
If there is an issue after 30 days I may be SoL.

I also realize that Marshmallow will most likely be the last version update of Android for this device. Assuming Samsung pulls it off without much issue I think that it will be fine for my needs.

Some might say get a new phone which valid but I don't want a Note 5 with a sealed battery.

I might consider the LG V10 as an alternative.

While I may be an enthusiast I don't need the latest and greatest and it seems like the Note 4 will fit my needs for quite a while even if it is almost 2 years old. I don't play many games and the most I do is watch videos or listen to music.

If I were to try gaming the most demanding might be a Baldur's Gate port or something similar in an RPG genre.


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[GTRagnarok]

I bought my Note 4 over a year ago on Swappa, and it's been fine. It was listed as New (Resale) condition. It was new as far as I could tell. As for the Note 4 itself, it's still a good phone as long as you don't care about the swipe fingerprint reader. It's the only real complaint I have about my Note 4 at this point. If it wasn't for that, I would probably keep using it indefinitely. But I'm going to see how the Note 6 is and maybe upgrade to that.

 

[DefDC]

I'm still using my Note 3. It's starting to bog down a bit, even after quarterly factory resets and fresh installs, but it still does everything I want. No apps run too slow, once they launch. I was considering getting a Note 4 for the VR, but I'm going to update to the Note 6 when it's available. (And taking a day off work to pick it up and play with it!)

I've only heard good stories about Swappa purchases. That's where I had been keeping an eye on the V10 and Note 4 myself.

 

[gorcorps]

If you plan on having it for a while (which is sounds like you might) then I'd look at new, and possibly the V10 since it's even newer and will have a more up to date version of Android.

However, if you don't plan on having it for much more than a year before moving on to something else (even if it's another 2 year old phone at that point) then there's not much reason it getting one new.

 

[sm625]

I was thinking of buying one when it finally drops under $200. Looks like that wont be until november though.

 

[Compman55]

To answer your question, I would personally get the cheaper one. I have had dealings with Frys;s over the years and they are awesome. Maybe even a bit better then newegg from my own experience.

However, I really have a bad taste over Samsung with their lack of caring to update. They are paying developers / programmers / engineers to work there, freaking keep the products up to date and fast!.

After owning LG phones, although sammys have the brighter screens, I would take a LG V10 any day over any Samsung.

 

[monkey333]

Still kicking myself for selling mine on Swappa, such a good phone. I'll muddle thru on my Nexus 6 now..

 

[holden j caufield]

If you use GSM get a tmobile note 4. Very easy to root, bootload is not locked, lots of rom support. Rapture ROM makes this phone fly and it's the most stable ROM with double tap to wake and double tap to turn off screen.

 

[dainthomas]

If you use GSM get a tmobile note 4. Very easy to root, bootload is not locked, lots of rom support. Rapture ROM makes this phone fly and it's the most stable ROM with double tap to wake and double tap to turn off screen.

I haven't seen any roms that support t-mobile's wifi calling and voice mail to text.

 

[blankslate]

Thanks for all the input I settled on getting the one from Fry's

It was pretty much an instant gratification thing.

I just put Nova Launcher and a custom icon and desktop theme to use with it on the phone.

The swipe fingerprint reader doesn't bother me much as it has been extremely reliable in my experience so far missing 1 out of 10 times so far at most. Better than not having one. I guess I'm easy to satisfy as far as that goes.

It flies compared to my older phone (of course). To answer a previous question I do plan to keep this phone for a while unless there is a sea change in mobile devices that I cannot ignore (kind of doubt it, but you never know).

It doesn't seem like there has been much of a leap in the cpu/soc since late 2014 on the Snapdragon front (2016 may change that with the 820)
I don't know how the Exynos processors stack up but I'd have to jump through hoops to get one of those unless I was looking at a newer phone.

I'm not looking to install custom ROMs right now but I'm keeping an eye on swappa for T-Mobile Note 4's to see if one pops up at an exceptional price.
I'd probably just put in a prepaid SIM if I find a deal on a T-Mobile Note 4.

I'm looking to get a Trident Aegis case or one from Spigen for the phone.
Does anyone have any good experiences with these or other Note 4 cases?

Thanks for all the input and advice.


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