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Hello there
I have been trying to decide between the Galaxy S4 and HTC One for quite some time now that I am actually getting tired. I am the type of people who like to do a lot of research before buying a product just so I can avoid being disappointed by a certain issue after dishing out so much money. I used to be an Apple-fanboy but then I saw the light and switched to Android when I got the HTC One X, which was a MAJOR disappointment for me in terms of battery life, laggyness and OTA updates which we (in the Middle East) always received like three - four months after everybody else. I then switched to the Galaxy S3 and I am very pleased with it but there are a few things I don't like about it:
1) Camera in low light conditions isn't that good
2) It gets hot rather quickly, but mostly when playing games or when you've just installed a new ROM and are setting it up, installing applications and such
3) It is just so weak even with the flip cover 'protecting' the screen.. my device fell on its side from a very short table before and onto a carpet and the LCD started producing weird colors and eventually the screen died (the same day). The outside screen didn't crack, but of course I had to replace the whole LCD with the digitiser and such which cost me an arm and a leg.
4) The device is quite laggy when opening/closing applications and just a little bit laggy (sometimes) when swiping between screens, even though I make sure I always clear the recent applications page and "Clear Memory" every now and then.
I like the whole Air Gestures thing about the S4 but I consider myself a practical guy and therefore I am most likely going to turn them off as soon as I get the phone. I am more into customization and such and so air gestures aren't a deal breaker for me. I read A LOT about the S4 and I concluded that there must be an overheating issue with it even with very minimal usage (I usually browse, use whatsapp, try new applications from the PlayStore and listen to music from time to time but not a lot) and those used to heat up my device sometimes, up to 55 Celsius at one point, so I was wondering if the S4 suffers from the same problems? I also read that that issue was resolved in the latter shipments of the S4 and it was only in the very early ones, but I am not too sure. Battery life has been a pain in the butt for me with the S3 even though my usage is pretty minimal, as I stated before. I have tried dozens of ROMs (and I make sure I take all the precautions to getting a good battery life, like setting brightness to Auto, turning off unnecessary junk constant notifications, reducing the volume, turning off haptic feedback and keyboard tones) and I have never gotten a good battery life out of the phone. When I used BetterBatteryStats for a while and started comparing stats people posted online, I realized that the partially poor battery life is normal with some S3s. So I was wondering if the S4 suffers from the same problem?
I am so sorry for the long ass post, but anyway I am going to sum it up in a few sentences to make it easier if you don't want to read through the whole crap:
1) Are there battery issues?
2) Are there overheating issues?
3) Are Air Gestures actually useful? I know that's opinionated but practically speaking, did you turn them off or do you actually use them everyday?
4) Does the IR Remote integrated in the WatchOn application actually work well? I have a Sony Bravia and a two other LED TVs which aren't popular brands, would it work with them or are there specific models?
5) How weak is the device? And is the material still subpar like the S3's?
6) Does it actually feel different from the S3 or would I just be updating to a bigger screen with supposedly better display and camera?
Thanks guys!
1) yes (for me, but i had all features turned on, i'm pretty sure with a custom ROM and bloatware removed it wouldn't be as big a problem)
2) yes (i've had some situations where it becomes very warm, but that was only when i first started using it, haven't noticed it recently. again, a custom kernel with UV will probably alleviate this)
3) maybe, i use them when i'm trying to read emails and stuff while having lunch, don't have to touch the screen with my greasy fingers
4) works perfectly for me. i have a 2 year old panasonic, took 20 secs to setup.
5) who can say. I'm buying a tempered glass screen protector to protect the screen, i did drop my SGS3 from about 1.5m up onto stone and the screen shattered, but I think it would have happened to any phone, dropped it onto carpet a million times and never had an issue. I would guess the weakness is on par with the SGS3, so about average.
6) it's pretty much the same, but the sides are flat, whereas the SGS3's sides were curved. still pretty slippery, the menu and back buttons are a bit lower now due to the screen impinging on on the real estate, so I will occasionally hit the screen instead of the back button when i hold the phone with my left hand and wrap my pinky around to press back, but otherwise i haven't noticed much difference. It is _slightly_ larger - I had an HTC desire dock that i chiseled out to fit the SGS3, and it fit it pretty snuggly, and now the SGS4 doesn't fit. but i imagine it won't take much chiseling to get the SGS4 to fit.
Hello TarekElsakka,
my answers are pretty the same as omniwolfs:
1.) Yes there are battery issues like on any bloated android rom, but i'm sure it can be solved (like on any other android device) with the right kernel / rom / app setup. I remember when i got my SGS2 i was shocked by the battery consumption but now with the support of the community it runs 3 days and longer.
2.) Yes there is an (over)heating issue. When you have a 1.9 Ghz processor running on full speed you need a minimum voltage to achieve this. The current flow will produce heat wich is a physical rule. As we dont have (and dont want to have) a moving cooler in our phones this issue will allways remain until the chip architecture changes (again) or we invent a better passive cooling technology. :fingers-crossed:
3.) Air Gestures are sometimes usefull but how it is now implemented its more a gadget then a feature. Same for Air View wich in my opinion is a cool thing but sloppy implemented. I hope for software updates for both functions but i'm sure most updates will not come from samsung but from our nice community! :highfive:
4.) I would say it works sufficiently. WatchOn is a nice app but also need some improvement (at least the remote ui needs more customization). Its a nice idea and i hope it will be further developed. The thing that satisfies me is the knowledge that the hardware is there and as most points above it needs the right software to utilize it correctly. I'm curious waiting for more ir apps to come.
5.) I would say most build aspects are same with the SGS3 except the faux-metal trim circling edge of the phone. The bigger screen is of course another thing, bending damage possibility is higher, maybe therefore also the metal trim was introduced..
6.) as i didnt have a SGS3 i cant tell you the feel difference
hope this helps a little bit and greetings!
Thank you very much for the information, guys. I went ahead and bought the phone a couple of days ago and I am extremely happy with it, especially the design and the flawless Sense 5; well, realistically speaking, it's not flawless but it's a huge improvement over the Sense I had on the HTC One X; so far I have not experienced any sort of lag both with 4.1.2 and then with 4.2.2 (Android Revolution HD 10.1 then 10.2); I must say, though, that 4.2.2 is a lot better than 4.1.2 and has some much needed features. Battery life has been great, at least compared to what I got from the Galaxy, but then again and as you said, the battery life you get from Touchwiz or Sense-based ROMs will never be as good as that from an AOSP ROM or a different kernel. Regardless, I am really happy with the device and I cannot wait for the next model!
And how are you adapting?
Is the lock bootloader bothering you?, and how about the size of the phone?
is the development what you thought it would be?
And what made you jump ship?
thanks for the feed back!
chefb said:
And how are you adapting?
Is the lock bootloader bothering you?, and how about the size of the phone?
is the development what you thought it would be?
And what made you jump ship?
thanks for the feed back!
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Click to collapse
i came from the nexus and yes I am a bit sad that i cant flash whatever I want. But i am thankful at least we can flash roms.
Honestly, i bought the note 3 without doing any research, it wasnt until a few days after I found out that the bootloader was locked...which took me by surprise.
I dont regret it at all. To me, the galaxy nexus on verizon was probably one of the worst phones ever built. I am so glad to be done with it you have no idea. Living day to day with the nexus was painful. No amount of tweaks could save that crap phone. I am in heaven with the note 3 and its battery. Its actually kind of nice not having to flash something everyday in hope of improving my phone so its usable.
I also had the Galaxy Nexus, and while in general I liked it a lot, the battery life was pretty poor, and 4g/3g reception wasn't nearly as good as my wife's S4.
I debated upgrading for a while, but over Black Friday week-end, found a deal I couldn't refuse: Verizon lowered the price to $199, Comcast had a promotion giving a $200 PrePaid VISA card with the purchase of a new Verizon phone/Upgrade, and then I sold my Galaxy Nexus for $105 through Craigs List. Even with the upgrade fee and taxes, I netted $60 in the deal (assuming the $200 card comes in 4 weeks).
I never had the need to root/flash ROM's, etc., so my experience might be different from yours. But the GN3 is much, much smoother/quicker over all. The browsing experience is night and day better. Chrome works fine, and is incredibly quick. Battery Life is much better as well.
The screen size is much nicer for me, and yes the overall phone size is big, but not problematic. I use the basic TPU Case/Holster, and just put on the JLG Nano screen protector yesterday. Adds minimal size/weight, and keeps it protected and easily portable.
Radio reception remains to be determined as I haven't traveled much since getting it. Where I have been, it's been fine. Just took the OTA update yesterday, so can't yet evaluate what impact that had.
Bottom line - I am extremely pleased with this phone vs the GN I had - no regrets whatsoever (would feel the same even if I had to pay for it!).
I'm coming from the g-nex, and the N3 is far and away an incredibly, insanely superior device. Speed of the device, in general, is easily 3-4x faster, and with 3x the RAM, there's no comparison when it comes to multitasking. Features like multi-window and pen window put this phone light years ahead. Not to mention, the s pen features and technology are just amazing. This is the first time I've ever updated a device and felt like I've actually advanced 4 years in tech instead of 2.
Reception and the radios are vastly better - I haven't missed a single call yet whereas I'd miss calls pretty frequently with my gnex, and the 4G speeds are much better...but by far, most importantly, battery life is almost triple of what I could ever achieve on the gnex. I've regularly gotten 2-3 days of uptime on my N3 and can easily get 6-8 hours of screen on time. Insanity.
As for ROMs, the only reason why I installed ROMs on the nexus was to mod the nav keys, make the nav key background transparent, and a few other mods. With my N3 I feel absolutely no need to even install a ROM. Every single mod I ever wanted I've installed though xposed.
And I really though I'd hate not having nav keys (soft keys) after having them for two years, but now I actually much prefer NOT having them! The extra screen real estate is very nice, allowing full use of this huge display, and with xposed you can mod the capacitive keys, so my back key is now also my menu key when long pressed...no need for soft keys at all. Not only that, I have it so the keys are never lit so it's a very streamlined look, almost all display.
Hopefully on the Note 4, Samsung will finally ditch the physical home button and make it, too, capacitive. Then the device will look even that much more slick.
TL ; DR version: The N3 is light years ahead of the gnex in every imaginable aspect. A no-brainer; even at $300 it's WELL worth it coming from ANY previous-gen device.
All interesting. ...keep Em coming!
chefb said:
All interesting. ...keep Em coming!
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Click to collapse
bumpity bump
I too came from a Verizon G'nex, and I pretty much agree with everything that's been said so far. Don't get me wrong, I loved the Gnex...still do, as a matter of fact, but this phone is just superior in so many ways. I used to have to use 2 batteries just to get through a single day. Nowadays, I still have two batteries, but I've gone for entire days without ever having to switch them.
As far as development goes...I bought the phone, in large part, because of its stylus, and the various apps that come with it. Seeing as flashing anything based on AOSP would mean the loss of pen window, action memo, screen write etc, I would be unlikely to flash anything other than a Touchwiz-based rom in the first place, so SafeStrap is acceptable. Ideologically, of course, I hate the idea of a locked bootloader, but in practice it's not really that bad. I've flashed Beans' rom, and it looks like that's where I'll probably stay for a good long while. It's certainly nice, though, that the only reason I wanted to flash a new rom in the first place was to remove bloatware and take care of a few aesthetic concerns...flashing roms on the G'nex was more of a survival strategy to keep the phone working than a luxury. I felt like I was changing roms every two or three weeks on the G'nex due to some sort of performance or radio issue, and there's none of that with the Note 3.
Overall...it's a lovely, lovely phone, and an improvement over the G'nex in every possible way except for, perhaps, the locked bootloader. Some may gripe with its size, but I watch a lot of videos on my phone, and the screen is amazing for media viewing. The processor is good enough to handle literally anything you throw at it, with any codec, up to 1080p. I've come to expect that MX Player with the custom codec pack will play nearly anything, but I was sore amazed to find that the native video app can play most (not all, but most) MKV files, which allows you to do cool things like floating video. I've never had the phone slow down or stutter, even with multiple parallel app downloads going (which used to KILL the G'nex), and almost everything I didn't like initially can be patched with a few quick Xposed tweaks. So yeah...if you're hesitating about switching to this phone from a G'nex...don't. You'll love it and never want to look back.
there is a sticky for this discussion here ... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2466108
I have noticed quite a few Galaxy Note II users online that are close to pulling the trigger on a new phone. I have been in that camp for a few months and finally did. I really don't have and major complaints about the Galaxy Note II but rather small quibbles about the device. So you have a basic idea of where I am coming from I'll let you know what I like and dislike about the Galaxy Note II.
GNOTE II Pros:
Good Specs - The phone has specs that are still considered above mid level and should still be a viable phone for at least a couple more years if properly updated...if.
Camera - I get pretty fair image clarity from the phone and when I need something better I'll break out a DSLR or my Galaxy Camera.
Voice - Very clear and loud.
S-Pen - Oh how I'll miss thee.
Capacitive Buttons/Physical Buttons - Well thought out for one-handed use.
Weight Its a bit heavy but I actually like the weight of this phone and could probably use it as a throwing-star analog to get the drop on somebody if I hit them square in the temple. But that really is not a concern for most people.
Hardware - Its well made and very resistant to drops with a simple TPU case.
GNOTE II Cons:
Updates - I'm on T-Mobile which has taken any chance it has to kill the possibility of future updates. Occasionally an errant voice on a messageboard out of T-Mobile Customer Support stating they have seen this in the works wafts across my screen but I have yet to see it come to fruition.
Samsung Ideology - Samsung products are good for a year then they release a new one as if you really need a new product from them. Samsung makes great products but rarely do they fix glaringly obvious mistakes after a year past its original creation. I currently am working on a Samsung monitor with a color calibration issue that has been reported and known by the company for years but never fixed but they fixed it on the new model of this monitor. My Galaxy Camera, while nice, suffers from insane Touchwiz lag and could use an update on fixing that but we won't see it because they released the Galaxy Camera 2. I am in the game for technology to last a minimum of 3 years running well. I realize the market is bleeding edge but the edge has gotten far less bloody than the G1 days. I shop for phones like I do TV's or computers now.
S-Pen Manufacturing - I've been through four S-Pens. I use it a lot for taking notes throughout the day as it feels more natural than typing on a computer screen. The S-Pen tends to randomly stop working without provocation. Then if you order a "100% OEM Samsung Factory S-Pen" most likely its a Chinese knock-off. I can't find true S-pens anymore which is a concern for owning a new Note.
Lack of Stable ROMS - Nearly everything I have tried causes issues with NFC or Bluetooth. I use bluetooth all the time for music to various speakers, headphones, or my car.
Knox - It does its stinking job too well. SU can run but it can't hide. I have lost SU so many times on this stupid phone it is ridiculous. Let alone the every 10 minutes my phone lets me know that Triangle Away is being activated. I don't do a lot of coding or tinkering but I do like finding ROM's with good utilitarian purposes. I remember swapcache back in the G1 days and enjoyed finding the next cool thing to do with my phone! We are past that time now, honestly, but if it isn't Samsung branded then Samsung doesn't want you to do it.
Samsung Services - "You have started S-Voice" NO I DIDN'T. "Saving contact to Samsung Contacts" Bad Samsung, stop it! I insanely dislike...nay..HATE how Samsung will not let you get rid of its version of things. My contact list was a thing of beauty running in the 100's with every person I needed to work with (I'm a teacher that does coordination work and administrative work for a school of 600+), their room numbers, email addresses, and everything you could think of until I bought a Samsung product. I have some names with 20 duplicates due to the way this beast handles contacts. I eventually just had executive function overload and decided to give up on being organized. I might bring that back to life soon.
Now that you have an idea of where I'm coming from this is what I think of the Nexus 6....
I like it!
The first thing I really enjoyed about this phone was the speed. I'm running it Stock, Rooted, and Encrypted (for now...maybe forever...I work at a school where my kids know how to build robots and get linux running on projectors so I wouldn't mind encryption on my devices) and loving the heck out of it. I was so impressed by simple things at first such as animations from opening folders as soon as my finger touched the screen whereas my Note II would lag for a good time without animations. In fact, turning on the device is so overwhelmingly stupidly simple to turn on. I can check the time by just pulling it out of my pocket without touching buttons where if I wanted to check the time on my Note I would have to wait 5 - 10 seconds after pressing the power button while pondering the ever present question, "Did I press that button?" which inevitably leads to "#$&(*, I pressed it again and turned it off!"
The next thing I noticed was the size and weight. It is a bit harder to use than my Galaxy Note II with one hand. I think if they reversed the capacitive Back button it would be a lot easier to use for us right handers. I may look in to figuring that out. Honestly, I almost feel like this thing is too thin and light. It feels well built and solid. Even with the SUPCASE I bought it still feels a little odd in my hands but that may be due to the weight being very centered in the deep area of the curve opposed to being consistently weighted. As a personal aside this is the first phone I have ever put a screen protector on WITHOUT BUBBLES....I..AM...A ....GOD!!! Well..maybe demigod. Needless to say, Spigen makes a fine screen protector.
Unlocking and rooting this thing was a breeze. Once I get paid in a couple of weeks I plan on donating to @WugFresh for at least a case of beer for his amazing Toolkit that will even walk you through setting up Windows 8 drivers! You can find that at http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/development/toolkit-wugs-nexus-root-toolkit-v1-9-8-t2947452
The camera is better than my Note II by simply being clearer which I'm assuming is to the better camera sensor. I haven't messed with it that much.
The screen and adaptive lighting are by far my favorite thing on this phone. I am probably in the minority on this but adaptive lighting is brilliant. I have seen a lot of people talking about how AMOLED is causing the reddish/purple/yellowish hues to blacks and grays at low light levels. I do not believe that is the fact. It seems like they are using some sort of blue light filtering for this in low light. As an insomniac I tend to send the wee hours of morning which I consider night perusing XDA, Twitter, and various other odds and ends of the internets and am so happy the screen actually gets dark. My Gnote II on the lowest setting was annoyingly bright. I thought I was a genius one day when I thought to use a blue screen filter and made it darker but lo and behold the backlit capacitive buttons attached directly to the stinking hardware on the Gnote II. Its like having someone flash their brights at you when you use one of those programs on the Note. Its annoying. The Nexus 6 takes no part in this and I would 100% recommend it for fellow insomniacs. It has helped me to get sleep a little bit quicker over the last couple days which is a nice benefit. Lets see if that keeps up though. I'm pretty immune to sleep.
Also the screen is really nice quality and reproduces blacks amazingly well. I'm an art teacher and art history buff so I usually check out different high quality images on my phone to see how good it looks. It seems to work very well at recreating the color and light of some of the paintings. My favorite to use for this test is Van Gogh's Starry Night Over Rhone. Eventually my phone gets used in the classroom when a student needs to look up an image and put on an easel (or kickstand case but haven't seen one I like yet) to display when my tablet or laptop is in use.
Battery life and charger! Its great. 'Nuff said.
I think the biggest negative so far is the volume of calls. My wife said I sound quieter than usual. I also can't hear people as loudly as I used to. The speakerphone does not travel as far as the Note when it absolutely should seeing as the speakers are fairly decent for a cell phone. I could see someone fixing this pretty easily in a ROM.
The other negative is the lack of some multitasking programs that Samsung had and of course the lack of S-Pen. I use a Huion H610 Pro at home for digital art and graphic design so I loved the fact that Samsung phones used similar tech but I absolutely abhor using capacitive styluses (styli?). I'll have to figure out something I can carry with me that will work like that with a similar feel.
Anyway, as of right now I'm extremely happy with this phone. I have had no issues as of yet and luckily no burn in however I do not like my phone to cause sunspots when I look away from it so I'm not expecting to have a huge problem with it. If you have some similar issues with the Galaxy Note II (which T-Mobile amplifies) then I would suggest jumping ship especially if you have crackflashing tendencies because there is no Samsung product without a Nexus name attached to it that will be as easy to deal with as this.
-Travis
Let me go ahead and apologize for the poor grammar and lengthy sentences. I'm sitting home from work sick today (XDA fun time does not happen between the hours of 7am to 5pm at work normally) with bronchitis. The medicine(s) I'm on must really like run-on sentences after I re-read that wall of text. I hope it helps someone after deciphering it, haha.
From one educator to another (I'm a school administrator and former classroom teacher), let me say 'well done!'. Before the Nexus 6, I was a proud Note owner for the last three years - Note 1 and Note 3 to be exact. After finding out that the Note 4 would be even more locked down than the 3, and deciding that I was getting really really tired of TouchWiz and truly loved what Lollipop's UI brought to the table, I made the jump. And I am just as pleased with my choice as you are. No more crazy contacts lists or S-Voice intrusions, amen. ......I do miss my old S-Pen though....
I'm using the Note 2 atm and I "really want" the Nexus 6 (64gb infact, hard to come by in Australia otherwise I probably would have one by now).
Using SlimKat now because the stock ROM was absolutely dreadful!! (Laaag!) The S-pen does not work out of the box on the current rom and I'm not missing it either... I'm ready for the Nexus and looking forward to using "modern speakers" on a phone.
PerthSGS2 said:
I'm using the Note 2 atm and I "really want" the Nexus 6 (64gb infact, hard to come by in Australia otherwise I probably would have one by now).
Using SlimKat now because the stock ROM was absolutely dreadful!! (Laaag!) The S-pen does not work out of the box on the current rom and I'm not missing it either... I'm ready for the Nexus and looking forward to using "modern speakers" on a phone.
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I also came from the note2 on tmobile and like the OP said, there was a lack of ROMs for the phone.
i ended up pulling the trigger on a white 32gb nexus 6 (i was looking for a 64gb but they were hard to find) the other day and like it very much. I think i rooted and unlocked the bootloader within 30mins of having the phone.
just trying to enable tethering on it right now is the only obstacle for me.
simplyTravis said:
Let me go ahead and apologize for the poor grammar and lengthy sentences. I'm sitting home from work sick today (XDA fun time does not happen between the hours of 7am to 5pm at work normally) with bronchitis. The medicine(s) I'm on must really like run-on sentences after I re-read that wall of text. I hope it helps someone after deciphering it, haha.
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I had a Note 4 from T-Mobile for a few days and I didn't care for it at all & I was coming from a S4 before getting the Note 4, So I decided to return it and got the Nexus 6 which is way better. I'll also be paying less then I would of been with the Note 4.
How does the screen brightness compare between the two?
How's the focusing speed compared to the note 2?
I'm trying to decide between this and the HTC m8. I have small kids so I need something with a quick focus and overall good durability. (I'm not really concerned with megapixel count.)
Thanks!
lschuman said:
From one educator to another (I'm a school administrator and former classroom teacher), let me say 'well done!'. Before the Nexus 6, I was a proud Note owner for the last three years - Note 1 and Note 3 to be exact. After finding out that the Note 4 would be even more locked down than the 3, and deciding that I was getting really really tired of TouchWiz and truly loved what Lollipop's UI brought to the table, I made the jump. And I am just as pleased with my choice as you are. No more crazy contacts lists or S-Voice intrusions, amen. ......I do miss my old S-Pen though....
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I plan on getting things back to normal now thankfully. My contacts are so much easier to get through now. Right now I'm in the midst of dealing with starting up after school programs for our school and will be editing Google Docs with this thing next week so I'll get a real test of how it works. I work at a charter school (part of the biggest charter school system in Texas: Harmony Public Schools) and since we don't have a bus system our after school clubs tend to be in the hundreds daily. I run around circles making sure everything is going right and people are in the right place so its helpful to be able to pull up a list on a decent size screen to find information on the go. Our school has been around 7 years and I've been there 6 years of that with only 2 people there longer than me so I tend to be the guy to ask about anything.
Tubgirl said:
How does the screen brightness compare between the two?
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With adaptive brightness off the Nexus 6 is noticeably brighter with better black levels and a warmer tone (not yellowish.) I keep it on most of the time and haven't had any problems seeing things. It has been raining here in South East Texas since I've owned the phone so if it ever clears up I'll let you know how it compares outside but I'm assuming it will be a bit better than the Note II.
anrkee said:
How's the focusing speed compared to the note 2?
I'm trying to decide between this and the HTC m8. I have small kids so I need something with a quick focus and overall good durability. (I'm not really concerned with megapixel count.)
Thanks!
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Ok, I did a couple of tests. First from picking it up off of a black countertop and letting it autofocus on its own in a decently lit room. The Nexus 6 won by like less than half a second to a second.
The next test was when I would tap the screen to set white balance and autofocus in a decently lit room. From the tap the Note II won by less than half a second.
The last test was in a dark room looking then picking it up to focus on a computer screen to test white balance setting and autofocus. The Nexus 6 won this hands down by a bit over a second. I think it simply achieves much quicker white balance but autofocus is slightly slower. I'll try to do some comparison shots tomorrow when I get home from work if you want.
Thanks for that. No need for test shots. You answered my question perfectly.
Totally off-topic from the Nexus 6: if you enjoy the extra duties in addition to your classroom, please consider administration! Keep up the good work for our kids.
Hi folks. I've been on a T-mobile Note 4 for a long time now, and love it- no problems yet and an 8000 maH battery keeping me quite happy.
Thinking forward to buying a new phone soon. Lots of new stuff coming out soon, but the V20 still looks attractive to me (being able to get a 10,000 maH zerolemon battery is a BIG factor). IR blaster and SD card availability is big to me too.
Couple of questions:
1) Thinking about what's coming out, and having lived with the V20, would you wait for what's coming out this spring, or even sit back until the "V30"?
2) I love taking pictures with the Note 4, and they turn out well. Low light, well, not so much. Flowers on a sunny day are great. Are you happy with the main and selfie cameras, or do you find yourself wanting "just a bit more" (for the average user... I'm not a full time amateur photographer).
Your comments would be much appreciated. I just retired, so I have more time to play with things these days- so I'm sure I'll be using the next beast I buy extensively especially for reading, nice photos, and the ir remote (oh, I got a great e-z chair for tv time ).
Thanks much!
Steven.RN
I like my V20 but unfortunately I do not "love" it like I did with my OG Motorola Nexus 6.
The stock battery is utter crap and I am on my 2nd LG battery after having to recall the 1st one. The 2nd one greatly improved but not by much. Rooting this phone has saved me from returning it. If it wasn't for Root I would of returned the phone.
1. Other than the G6 or the S8 coming out - what other phones are coming out (T-Mobile Wise)? Nothing right now seems to give me that "wow" factor like the Pure Android experience from the Nexus 6 did (yes, as you can tell, I loved that phone) The Pixel phones are a complete joke to me...horrible design....
2. The camera is okay for an average user. I do find myself liking the fact I have two lenses to choose from. Wide angle and normal angle. Very helpful in the Security field that I am in. But be warned the pictures are not amazing like Samsung devices.
If I were you, kinda wish I was right now. I would wait for the Note 8!
But other than that the 2nd Screen is incredibly helpful, to me. The removable battery and SD card is a great addition. The IR Blaster is cool but I do not use it at all. I have enough "Universal" remotes. LG's UI is pretty neat I like it a lot better than Samsungs ugly TouchWiz UI.
To each their own, I suppose.
I think the phone is awesome, the smart phone market has peaked advancements aren't going to be as neat as they used to be.
The snapdragon 820 is about 3 times faster than the 805 in your note 4 (assuming you've got the snapdragon variant).
The camera is snappier than the note 4 and takes pretty good photos (better than the note 4).
If you like the stylus though I'd wait it out 6 months for the note 8.
It's a worthy upgrade and it'll probably be a phone that would carry you through two years if not longer.
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Absolutely the best phone I've ever had.
Very well built, great reception, zero lag, large screen....and I have to disagree about the battery. I've had nothing but FANTASTIC life, and this is with two different batteries, one just for backup just in case. Fast charging works great...volume is perfect, removable battery, rootable and TWRP-able...honestly, I wouldn't even think about "upgrading" from this phone right now. Samsung who?
I came from the note 4 also. This phone is much faster (no Lag). I didn't think there was any lag with my note until I got this phone. With that said, I am rooted with a custom rom and that did speed things up a little. My note was also rooted with a very nice custom rom.
When the note 7 came out, the were a lot of people on XDA saying they wished there was a flat screen version, i.e. not the curved screen. You can bet the note 8 will have a curved screen which makes finding quality screen protection tough. The v20 does have slight curving at the top and bottom, but people here have found tempered glass solutions that work.
You can also bet the note 8 won't have a removable back, so replacing the back plate with a bigger battery and cover won't be an option.
The camera takes very good pictures and if you understand the options in manual, you can really optimize it. Is it as good as the note 8 will be? No.
Sammy screens are also the best looking. The V20 screen while it has the specs, just doesn't look as good as a sammy. If you use a kernel with kcal support, you can get close.
Good luck.
I also came from a Note 4.
I personally never used the stylus for anything except taking screen grabs. I fount it easier than remembering the button combo for a screenshot.
My gps stopped working due to a known defect in the note 4. I broke the display trying to take it apart to fix it.
I love my V20 so much more than my note 3 or 4 or 7 even.
I won't buy note 8 as like all Samsungs -
1. The sound will most likely be horrible.
2. You probably will never be able to root it.
3. As nice as the amoled looks - everyone I've owned as well as my wifes, bil's, sisters all suffer bad screen burn in.
4. If they force that curved edge screen again. I hated that on the Note 7.
I'm done with Sammy. LG V20 is the best I've ever had so far
I also came from the Note 4. I got the s7 edge which i gave to my wife. The buttons(or lack of) take a little getting used to, but the ability to root determined my buying the V20 and I think it is on par with my note feature wise(minus stylus\plus FM radio) just faster and maybe a bit lighter. If Note 8 is rootable, i might jump but i doubt it. I could keep this phone for awhile.
Love it
But dont love the front cam is really bad
And rear cam
My old nexus 6p was better
But performance is great and second screen is great
Battary is ****
Charge is 3 times at day
Hi dac is fantastic
Screen is good but not great
---------- Post added at 01:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:21 AM ----------
For me
Camera
At day light 10/10
At night 9/10
Indoors craaap 2/10
Another perk with LG is that the amount of garbage software that it comes with is minimal when compared to Samsung. I know the note 3 and note 4 were filled with Samsung garbage apps.
The other consideration is there is no know so warranty shouldn't be a issue since there is no knox switch that gets flipped when you root it, you can (in most cases) reverse the rooting without any problems.
Of course I turned in my v10 rooted and they didn't even care (T-Mobile) so I am not sure if this is a real issue with warranty or not.
I say go for it, its going to beat the note 4 in just about everything. The only perk for the note 4 is the amoled display which saves quite a bit of battery. Of course you can always get aftermarket battery packs to off set it with the LG v20.
The v20 battery life is much improved over the v10, I typically have about 30 percent battery by the end of the day (this is with spotify and Bluetooth running during the work day).
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
I really do like it a lot, although it had to grow on me a little bit. In term of pictures, I think it takes rather nice pictures (at least for me). The wide angle lens is pretty cool too. My note 5 broke so this is why I have this phone. The second screen is really useful and I like that it doesn't have a notification light. The screen is nice and big for reading also. I don't use the IR blaster at all so i can't really tell you what its like.
I hope this helps!
The v20 is OK but my note 7 was far superior. Better camera, screen, battery life, only thing the v20 had over the note 7 was the DAC. Personally I would wait until newer phones comes out. I'm looking FWD to the note 8.
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
As someone who have had a wide variety of samsungs and LG .... I believe i will be keeping this phone for at least 4 years easily. There are just not way too many cons and there are way to many pros. The battery can sometime be a pain but that's just like any other phone since nothing last forever. But hey, the dozen mode!!! OUTSTANDING! my V20 consumes 1% of battery in 8 hours with screen off and 2nd screen on. so, it might not last more than 5:30-50's+ hours with screen on, full brightness, wifi on, gps on, and a video in 1440p. But,,,, as far as dozen mode goes.... It is outstanding! And if the promotion stills on, you can get the phone for 600+ instead of the 800+ by exchanging any 4g crap phone ($19 dollars at walmart should do lol). Im happy with the phone (sometimes pictures if zoomed in can look like waterpaint style but it doesnt happen that often (At least to me)). And as far as waiting for the V30 or note 8 ... Well, that is truly up to you. However, if you are hoping for root , there is just not guarantee given the fact that they are truly patching up every door from nougat 7.0 and up. So... you could wait for the V30 or note 8 but if you wish for root or developments.... i dont recommend to buy them before someone finds the way to root it.
I was one of the ones that was coming from an S6 edge instead of something newer, so obviously it's a bigger upgrade for me than it was for most others. I am pretty happy with the camera. I miss having the double-tap home button from the Samsung for the camera launch, but that's about it. I took it with me to Colorado and took some quite lovely pictures in the sunshine. Most people will concede that the low light performance leaves some to be desired, but I usually don't take any in conditions that are that bad, where that I would complain afterwards. I kind of figure that in sub-optimal conditions, I'll have sub-optimal results.
My battery seems to be quite fine, BUT, I'm also rooted and running a debloated ROM (the US996 stock deodexed, on my 995 Verizon model). The battery under whatever kernel it's running, is quite fine, and it is removable for people needing more length. I wish it had wireless charging, but that's just how it is. But for example, 8 hours on standby, and I was still at well over 75% today at work. And I can usually get through a good 3 hours of straight video playback at least. But the way people use their phones varies so much, it's hard to say. I do get better life rooted than when it was stock.
It also is plenty snappy, and I've had no issues, no overheating, no weird battery drain, no lag, or the like. I would say that coming from what you have now, it might be a step up but you might feel it won't be a big enough one yet. But the LG G6 being rumored out might be worth holding out, assuming you aren't looking to root. That might get tricky as Nougat (mentioned above) starts getting locked down. I have faith in the community - after all, it didn't take long for the V20 to get opened up, though there are some that worry that it'll continue to get harder as exploits get patched.
For what it's worth, I love mine. I miss a couple weird tricks from other phones, but on the whole, I am very satisfied with my decision.
CharlzO_2000 said:
I was one of the ones that was coming from an S6 edge instead of something newer, so obviously it's a bigger upgrade for me than it was for most others. I am pretty happy with the camera. I miss having the double-tap home button from the Samsung for the camera launch, but that's about it. I took it with me to Colorado and took some quite lovely pictures in the sunshine. Most people will concede that the low light performance leaves some to be desired, but I usually don't take any in conditions that are that bad, where that I would complain afterwards. I kind of figure that in sub-optimal conditions, I'll have sub-optimal results.
My battery seems to be quite fine, BUT, I'm also rooted and running a debloated ROM (the US996 stock deodexed, on my 995 Verizon model). The battery under whatever kernel it's running, is quite fine, and it is removable for people needing more length. I wish it had wireless charging, but that's just how it is. But for example, 8 hours on standby, and I was still at well over 75% today at work. And I can usually get through a good 3 hours of straight video playback at least. But the way people use their phones varies so much, it's hard to say. I do get better life rooted than when it was stock.
It also is plenty snappy, and I've had no issues, no overheating, no weird battery drain, no lag, or the like. I would say that coming from what you have now, it might be a step up but you might feel it won't be a big enough one yet. But the LG G6 being rumored out might be worth holding out, assuming you aren't looking to root. That might get tricky as Nougat (mentioned above) starts getting locked down. I have faith in the community - after all, it didn't take long for the V20 to get opened up, though there are some that worry that it'll continue to get harder as exploits get patched.
For what it's worth, I love mine. I miss a couple weird tricks from other phones, but on the whole, I am very satisfied with my decision.
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Random FYI... Double press down volume when screen is off opens camera. (options in settings to open and immediately take pic or just open)
I figure you already know and just miss the convenience of the home button location but... Just in case...
planetbeen said:
Random FYI... Double press down volume when screen is off opens camera. (options in settings to open and immediately take pic or just open)
I figure you already know and just miss the convenience of the home button location but... Just in case...
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Yup, there is that one. But it's also a little more awkward that way. It's just as easy to double-tap the screen and swipe into the camera app. The home key on the Samsung was perfect, because I could bring the phone to landscape orientation, double tap, and bam, ready to go. It's rare that I need to get a picture THAT fast that I need to, but it was really convenient.
I love almost everything about it, but If this thing had a brighter or amoled screen I would never get another phone.
slayerh4x said:
I love almost everything about it, but If this thing had a brighter or amoled screen I would never get another phone.
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Do not bring AMOLED INTO IPS!!! Every single phone i had with AMOLED screen (10 to be precise), all of them developed burn in image. LOL I will never buy another phone with AMOLED screen. Unless..... They A) fix the issue with the burn in image, and B) they manage to make it last at its full potential for at least 5 years and then after 5 years the pixels can start dying. Not to mention that many of the AMOLED screens from nowadays have removed soooooooo many important features in a phone such as removable battery and sd card slots. That alone makes me move within an instant to LG G or V series (AKA Large Giraffe as some people call it LOL)
jinkerz9430 said:
Do not bring AMOLED INTO IPS!!! Every single phone i had with AMOLED screen (10 to be precise), all of them developed burn in image. LOL I will never buy another phone with AMOLED screen. Unless..... They A) fix the issue with the burn in image, and B) they manage to make it last at its full potential for at least 5 years and then after 5 years the pixels can start dying. Not to mention that many of the AMOLED screens from nowadays have removed soooooooo many important features in a phone such as removable battery and sd card slots. That alone makes me move within an instant to LG G or V series (AKA Large Giraffe as some people call it LOL)
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Hahaha Yeah it would have to be a revised version of that hardware. I just find that the screen is way too dim outside. I even used that adaptive display mod which does help, but washes out the colors.
I literally just went from a note 4 to v20 and its amazing. The phone is so much more intuitive . tap screen to wake .fingerprint scanner unlocks phone faster than I can swipe. So much more. All around it just works better. I feel like all Samsung phones are the same. Bc I've had only Sammy past 8 years. I love this v20
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
I'll start by saying I've been a strict Nexus (and now Pixel) user for the past 8+ years. However, the "pure" Android experience has gotten a bit bland/boring to me. Yesterday I had the opportunity to play with the Galaxy S8 at my local T-Mobile store and I was absolutely blown away. That is the most gorgeous phone/screen I have ever seen. And in my short time messing with the interface, I really like the overall aesthetics of Samsung's newest take on the Android experience.
However, before I pull the trigger, I do have some questions.
1) For those who have had their S7 edge for a longer period of time, how has the experience held up as far as increased lag and decreased battery life are concerned? I know with previous iterations of Touchwiz, the lag really started to show within just a couple weeks of using the phone. In fact, my wife's S7 is unbelievably laggy (compared to my Pixel and iPhone 7), which is concerning. Only clearing all apps/rebooting the phone solves the problem but the lag comes back very quickly. Admittedly, I haven't spent the time to troubleshoot exactly where the resource hogs are with her phone.
2) Since I normally buy my Nexus/Pixel phone's unlocked, I always throw a screen protector and case on the phone right away so I can prevent scratches and preserve it for resale purposes. However, if I get the S8 I'll be doing it through Jump! On Demand through T-Mobile, which I still have but haven't made use of in quite a while. So I won't be reselling the phone and instead just turn it in. Because of this I'm seriously thinking about going with no screen protector so I can get the full experience of this unbelievable screen. However, my question for you is how well does this screen hold up to scratches over long term (6+ month) usage? Is it a scratch magnet that still requires a protector?
I should mention that I'm also still considering the LG G6. However, in my side by side comparison at the T-Mobile store, the screen on the S8 just completely blew the screen on the G6 away.
1. i've had my s7 edge for just a bit less than a year now, the particular android install that's running on my s7e for plus minus 6 months, and despite touchwiz still not being up to par with other OEM android variants, it still holds up pretty well in the performance department (samsung kinda ruined the battery life when they updated the s7 to nougat which gives me like an hour less battery life now so that's not all that great, but i'm just gonna assume and hope that they'll fix that at some point)
2. the s7's screen itself is pretty scratch resistant (mine has a load of very fine and thin scratches but honestly i only see those when the sun is reflecting on it just right, and even then i don't really pay attention to it ever), the metal border around it however absolutely loves to get scratched, not to mention the glass back which CAN crack if dropped just right. i personally recommend you to just get a samsung case which usually feel high quality and don't look like cheap chinese plastic garbage
Thanks for the input. That sucks about the battery life. Unfortunately, the battery life may still be an issue with the S8 on Nougat, according to the review I saw posted by Marques Brownlee.
I'd definitely get a case for the phone for scratch/minor drop protection.
sn0warmy said:
Thanks for the input. That sucks about the battery life. Unfortunately, the battery life may still be an issue with the S8 on Nougat, according to the review I saw posted by Marques Brownlee.
I'd definitely get a case for the phone for scratch/minor drop protection.
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I agree with the previous comment about battery life. That being said, I was blown away by the S7's battery life, going from a ~2000mAh phone to a ~3000mAh phone, and despite losing maybe an hour when updated to Nougat, it still lasts a long time and held up very well compared to its competition at the time.
Unlike the previous comment, however, after 2/3 of a year of owning this phone, maybe I'm more careful or less active than most, but I have no scratches on my device at all. That being said, I always keep it in a solid case. I haven't used a screen protector though! I would like to warn that the glass body is a total fingerprint magnet, but a case definitely helps because it means the back glass is protected.
When it comes to slowdown, I've barely noticed any of that, and it's been a far cry from the experience you say your wife has had. The speed still feels very close to when I first purchased. However, I've been eyeing the Pixel for a long time now, simply due to how much more freeing the software seems. If you're one to root your phone and install ROMs, Samsung software makes you go through hoops relative to competitors. I suppose that's because it's so damn stable anyway lol.
G-Man8776 said:
I agree with the previous comment about battery life. That being said, I was blown away by the S7's battery life, going from a ~2000mAh phone to a ~3000mAh phone, and despite losing maybe an hour when updated to Nougat, it still lasts a long time and held up very well compared to its competition at the time.
Unlike the previous comment, however, after 2/3 of a year of owning this phone, maybe I'm more careful or less active than most, but I have no scratches on my device at all. That being said, I always keep it in a solid case. I haven't used a screen protector though! I would like to warn that the glass body is a total fingerprint magnet, but a case definitely helps because it means the back glass is protected.
When it comes to slowdown, I've barely noticed any of that, and it's been a far cry from the experience you say your wife has had. The speed still feels very close to when I first purchased. However, I've been eyeing the Pixel for a long time now, simply due to how much more freeing the software seems. If you're one to root your phone and install ROMs, Samsung software makes you go through hoops relative to competitors. I suppose that's because it's so damn stable anyway lol.
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I ended up picking up an S8 from my local T-Mobile store yesterday morning. So far I absolutely love it and haven't seen any lag/stuttering when compared to my Pixel. I threw a Spigen slim case on it right away (Amazon link) and went without a screen protector. The case is thin but provides the protection I need. And going without a screen protector (for the first time in like 5 years) is liberating! I'm really enjoying just being able to appreciate the feel of the bare screen on this phone.
As for the lag on my wife's phone, I think my initial setup and usage of the S8 has helped me discover why her S7 feels so laggy. She just started using it right out of the box and I never took the time to do the initial de-bloat/tweaking to help speed it up (like disabling window animation scale and transition animation scale). I'm sure she's got a TON of useless apps constantly loading and running in the background. I'll work on her phone tonight.
I previously relied on rooting and installing custom ROMs on my Nexus phones. However, with the Pixel and Android Nougat, I never felt the need to do that. I just used the Pixel in stock form for the past 6 months. So far the S8 feels just as snappy as the Pixel did but I actually prefer the tweaked UI that Samsung implemented. After many years of using "Pure Android" phones, the stock Google experience has become quite boring. The S8 interface feels much more elegant and grown up.
sn0warmy said:
I ended up picking up an S8 from my local T-Mobile store yesterday morning. So far I absolutely love it and haven't seen any lag/stuttering when compared to my Pixel. I threw a Spigen slim case on it right away (Amazon link) and went without a screen protector. The case is thin but provides the protection I need. And going without a screen protector (for the first time in like 5 years) is liberating! I'm really enjoying just being able to appreciate the feel of the bare screen on this phone.
As for the lag on my wife's phone, I think my initial setup and usage of the S8 has helped me discover why her S7 feels so laggy. She just started using it right out of the box and I never took the time to do the initial de-bloat/tweaking to help speed it up (like disabling window animation scale and transition animation scale). I'm sure she's got a TON of useless apps constantly loading and running in the background. I'll work on her phone tonight.
I previously relied on rooting and installing custom ROMs on my Nexus phones. However, with the Pixel and Android Nougat, I never felt the need to do that. I just used the Pixel in stock form for the past 6 months. So far the S8 feels just as snappy as the Pixel did but I actually prefer the tweaked UI that Samsung implemented. After many years of using "Pure Android" phones, the stock Google experience has become quite boring. The S8 interface feels much more elegant and grown up.
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Well, that's awesome and I'm glad to hear you're loving your device! The really looks like an improved version of the S7 edge in nearly every way. One thing I just thought of that may have helped me with speed, besides debloating, is the use of custom launchers (specifically Nova Launcher) that feel sleek and snappy. I prefer Nova over TouchWiz by miles, but that's a matter of taste, and every iteration of TouchWiz seems to be better and better.
G-Man8776 said:
Well, that's awesome and I'm glad to hear you're loving your device! The really looks like an improved version of the S7 edge in nearly every way. One thing I just thought of that may have helped me with speed, besides debloating, is the use of custom launchers (specifically Nova Launcher) that feel sleek and snappy. I prefer Nova over TouchWiz by miles, but that's a matter of taste, and every iteration of TouchWiz seems to be better and better.
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:laugh: Yep, I always install Nova Launcher Prime immediately after setting my phones up. I love the customization options of that launcher and it always seems to be the fastest of any launcher I try. Using Nova Launcher is probably one of the reasons this phone feels as fast as my Pixel.
I'm also really enjoying Bixby, despite its bad press. I like being able to hit the Bixby button to quickly access necessary information. So far it's better than Google Now, in my opinion, because you can set Bixby to show you only what you want to see (Weather, Calendar and Reminders in my case). With Google Now you can try to train it but it always ends up showing me a bunch of news articles and other crap I don't care about.