Mate 10 Pro or Note 8?

[sansnom]

Hi guys

My trusty phone slipped out of my hand today, fell onto concrete and shattered the entire display. It is not economical to repair it so I have been looking at a new phone and I was hoping someone could help me decide between a Mate 10 Pro or a Note 8.

I am thinking with the price of the Mate 10 pro now being 300-350 new from CPW and even slightly cheaper other places, this is probably a no-brainer especially with its specs and that awesome 4000ma battery

However, something keeps drawing me to the Note 8. I don't know if its the stunning screen or the S-pen. But the cheapest I can find online is 4gadgets "pristine" condition pre-owned for 440 or 509 "new" from Empire which is a UAE import according to reviews online. I definitely do not want to pay 600-850 for it from an official source like CPW.

I've literally spent the entire day watching youtube videos comparing them both and tried both in my local CPW and I'm still at a dead end.

Have any of you owned both and which one would you pick? And if it is the Note 8, are you guys aware of any good deals?

p.s. I am aware the Mate 20 pro is coming out in a couple of weeks but it will be priced at about 900 which is too rich for my blood. I'm really looking to spend 300-500 max

 

[siumatfung]

Have you considered the p20 pro?

 

[lmfy2k]

Mate 10 pro sounds ideal mate.

 

[kaktus]

having owned both the Note 8 and the Mate 10pro (albeit only for a few days on the mate10) my observations were that:

Mate 10 has a great battery but if you're charging your phone once a day, it really doesn't make much of a difference. I guess if you were going for a hike and needed to have as much juice as possible then the mate 10 is your phone.
Mate 10 feel more like an S8 in the hand, the note 8 is considerably larger and more blocky
Mate 10 interface is slick straight out of the box, no stutters or random slowdowns
Mate 10 screen is not very crisp/sharp which is frustrating on an otherwise super phone
Mate 10 camera is average imho
Mate 10 is 128GB storage as standard
Mate 10 comes with screen protectors, case and fast chargers all included

Note 8 screen is sublime, it really is. It's just so wonderfully sharp, refined and rich
Note 8 S Pen should not be underrated, I think once you start using it it is hard to go back to tapping with your fingers. It's so precise and just makes using a phone a different experience altogether
Note 8 camera in real world use is better. It just works without having to fiddle around with it like the Mate 10. Image stabilisation on the mate 10 is awful
Note 8 battery is much smaller, but in reality it isn't vastly inferior. You're looking at about 1 hour less with intensive usage otherwise about the same with normal once a day charging
Note 8 supports wireless charging if that's a thing for you
Note 8 interface is junk and it stutters / lags straight out of the box. In my experience, this gets worse over time and sometimes you just have to format the phone to get it nice and crisp again

So in summary this is a bit of a toss-up. If it were me, personally, if both devices were the same price or within say 100-150 of each other I would probably opt for the Note 8 because of a better display (much better), S-Pen and camera. However, looking online, it's tough to find a Note 8 much less than 750 from a reputable source whereas the Mate 10 as you say can be had from lots of official retailers for 300-400 and in my opinion, the Note 8 does not justify being double the price of the Mate 10. Not even close.

 

[_Jimlad_]

having owned both the Note 8 and the Mate 10pro (albeit only for a few days on the mate10) my observations were that:

Mate 10 has a great battery but if you're charging your phone once a day, it really doesn't make much of a difference. I guess if you were going for a hike and needed to have as much juice as possible then the mate 10 is your phone.
Mate 10 feel more like an S8 in the hand, the note 8 is considerably larger and more blocky
Mate 10 interface is slick straight out of the box, no stutters or random slowdowns
Mate 10 screen is not very crisp/sharp which is frustrating on an otherwise super phone
Mate 10 camera is average imho
Mate 10 is 128GB storage as standard
Mate 10 comes with screen protectors, case and fast chargers all included

Note 8 screen is sublime, it really is. It's just so wonderfully sharp, refined and rich
Note 8 S Pen should not be underrated, I think once you start using it it is hard to go back to tapping with your fingers. It's so precise and just makes using a phone a different experience altogether
Note 8 camera in real world use is better. It just works without having to fiddle around with it like the Mate 10. Image stabilisation on the mate 10 is awful
Note 8 battery is much smaller, but in reality it isn't vastly inferior. You're looking at about 1 hour less with intensive usage otherwise about the same with normal once a day charging
Note 8 supports wireless charging if that's a thing for you
Note 8 interface is junk and it stutters / lags straight out of the box. In my experience, this gets worse over time and sometimes you just have to format the phone to get it nice and crisp again

So in summary this is a bit of a toss-up. If it were me, personally, if both devices were the same price or within say 100-150 of each other I would probably opt for the Note 8 because of a better display (much better), S-Pen and camera. However, looking online, it's tough to find a Note 8 much less than 750 from a reputable source whereas the Mate 10 as you say can be had from lots of official retailers for 300-400 and in my opinion, the Note 8 does not justify being double the price of the Mate 10. Not even close.

Gotta agree with that post. The note is better but at double the price it's not!

 

[Columbo]

Ive also owned both and one thing missing from the above is the fingerprint sensor. Its much better on the Mate 10, its faster, better and more naturally placed.

I got rid of the Note becuase of the contast 'finger not recognised' message, also on the battery I think its much better on Mate 10. I get about 5-6 SOT hours on the Mate, 4 was pushing it on the Note.

 

[tek2k]

Can't imagine what the point of buying either of these would be at this time?

*Mate 20 Pro is due out in two weeks: should tank the price of the Mate 10 pro even more
*The Note 8's you have found online at 450 or whatever are grey imports and your warranty will be with whoever sold it to you which is not worth the paper it is printed on outside of the initial return period. Do you really want to spend 450 quid+ on a phone that could be an expensive paper weight in a couple of months??? And if you are buying a Note 8 at RRP it is utterly ridiculous. 850 odd for 1 year old tech when the newest version costs 100 quid more. Why on earth are you even looking at this as an option?
*Galaxy S10 is due out in 3-4 months which is set to be revolutionary according to leaks

Other than the battery I don't see any reason to buy the Mate 10 pro. Camera is total rubbish (could not believe how bad it was until i tried one out on a vacation) and kirin is decent as a processor but falls woefully short on gaming.

Other than Stylus i don't see any reason to buy a Note 8 as battery is awful, its awkwardly large and really its only selling point is the display which is higher density on the S8/S9

Am i missing something here? both of these choices are very poor.

IF IT HAS TO BE ONE OF THESE....I would go for the mate 10 pro. At least it's cheap'ish and you get a proper UK warranty. But honestly, you're probably better off just buying a Pocophone F1 for 300 quid and using that till the note 9 is 500 or so then pick one of those up

 

[sansnom]

Can't imagine what the point of buying either of these would be at this time?

Blimey... now I'm really confused

This sucks

 

[tek2k]

Blimey... now I'm really confused

This sucks

No need to be, I think the answer is obvious. The note 8 is old, stupidly expensive and has a dreadful battery for its size. I honestly wouldn't pay more than £350 for one. It is criminal that it's still on sale from Currys, Carphone and Samsung.com for £869-£900. I challenge anyone to tell me that this is an appropriate price tag for this phone given what else is available at a fraction of its price.

The M10 Pro is much better value for money but I personally wouldn't pay more than £250 for it.

Either way, both of these phones are expensive, old tech and will have little resale value and longevity. Why not just get a cheapo chinese phone and sit tight for a year? You might even see a good black friday deal much sooner

 

[sansnom]

No need to be, I think the answer is obvious. The note 8 is old, stupidly expensive and has a dreadful battery for its size. I honestly wouldn't pay more than £350 for one. It is criminal that it's still on sale from Currys, Carphone and Samsung.com for £869-£900. I challenge anyone to tell me that this is an appropriate price tag for this phone given what else is available at a fraction of its price.

The M10 Pro is much better value for money but I personally wouldn't pay more than £250 for it.

Either way, both of these phones are expensive, old tech and will have little resale value and longevity. Why not just get a cheapo chinese phone and sit tight for a year? You might even see a good black friday deal much sooner

I hear what you're saying and I can appreciate where you're coming from but I really don't want a chinese phone. It just isn't worth all the hassle of getting one and then having to figure out what to do with it if its faulty, breaks etc

ugh, hate shopping for phones

 

[Columbo]

I hear what you're saying and I can appreciate where you're coming from but I really don't want a chinese phone. It just isn't worth all the hassle of getting one and then having to figure out what to do with it if its faulty, breaks etc

ugh, hate shopping for phones

I wouldn’t touch a Chinese Phone either. They are largely not regulated by the same limitations with regards your data or parts quality and I’ve had one catch fire in front of me while on charge due to garbage components in the power brick.

Xiaomi have also just announced that they will not be providing Global Roms anymore due to Chinese legislation and their ban on Google which means no more Play Store on their phones and likely means more will have to follow suit.

One other handset to consider is the Honor Play, its got the same Kirin 970 chipset as the Mate 10 Pro but is £279 and looks to be a bit of a bargain, also just noticed that Carphone Warehouse are selling the LG G7 with the latest SD 845 chipset for £459 sim free which again looks like a decent price.

 

[sansnom]

Guys what about something like this? never bought a phone off Ebay before but it doesn't look like a private seller and claims to have a 2 year samsung warranty?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SAMSUNG-...hash=item214857e27f:m:mlNqYgUQ_sTNE_6yiiP5utg

 

[Columbo]

Looks fine, a good deal actually but you said you didnt want to spend that much in your 1st post?

 

[sansnom]

Looks fine, a good deal actually but you said you didnt want to spend that much in your 1st post?

I don't...but what choice do I have? Tek2k basically ripped the mate10 and note8 in pieces for me and now I'm totally confused on what to get.

I can buy a Mate 10 pro from carphone warehouse for 339 + 15 (sim contract 1 month) so 354 total. New UK, single sim version.

OR I can buy a Note 9 from ebay, new sealed, European dual sim version for 750. Double the price, but at least it has the best of the best specs. When I think about it, the chances of me buying a mate 20 pro or Samsung S10 are slim because I will never pay release prices for phones. I usually wait 6-12 months to get it if i like it ans buy it for half price or so.

 

[sansnom]

Just an update - I bought a Note 9 from CPW and traded in an old Iphone 6 and got it for it 630 in total. I wanted the dual sim version but Samsung is having supply issues and delivery was due for two weeks or more which I didnt want to wait for.

One thing I have noticed about the Note's display...even on the smallest zoom settings in display, icons and text are much larger than the S8. Is there a way to make everything smaller and sharper??

 

[GamingDaddy]

Just an update - I bought a Note 9 from CPW and traded in an old Iphone 6 and got it for it 630 in total. I wanted the dual sim version but Samsung is having supply issues and delivery was due for two weeks or more which I didnt want to wait for.

One thing I have noticed about the Note's display...even on the smallest zoom settings in display, icons and text are much larger than the S8. Is there a way to make everything smaller and sharper??

Resolution is probably stuck at fHD+

 

[Ben Cole]

You were always going to buy the Samsung, you said it yourself “I really don’t want a Chinese phone”.

That kind of rules out the Huawei

Hope you’re happy with the Samsung, I really miss the S Pen from my previous Galaxy Notes. However after a couple of months with Samsung software the only thing I’d be using the S Pen for would be to stab myself in the eye.