Database Users

Coming back from the Note

I will be returning back to my S2 (m250k) from the note. I had a few screen issues so I'll be getting a full refund from the vendor.
If anyone here is thinking about upgrading to the Note, feel free to ask questions. I'll provide any insight that I can.
Note experience (in comparison of having owned a S2):
N7000 stock.
Pros:
- Huge, beautiful screen
- Perfect phablet size, I never take my laptop home anymore
- Stylus and note taking is amazing
- Battery life, much much better
Cons (very subjective):
- Doesn't fit my lifestyle. I'm hardly home so I don't get to use it as a tablet as much as I'd like to
- Inconvenient to use as a phone/sms machine. On the s2 I can send texts with one hand extremely easily. Everything I can do with one hand. Note requires both hands most of the time. (Send button is on the very far right.. I use my left hand and my thumb can't reach it unless I'm risking dropping the phone.
- Hard to take it out of pocket when sitting down. I was thinking about buying a watch because I didn't want to check the time on my phone haha.
- Not a very good media player for use at the gym... too big
- Currently it seems 3rd party launchers (adw, go launcher, etc) are all laggier than stock TW. I'm sure this will be fixed in the future.
- Not sure if this is a pro or con, but getting used to this size makes other phones look like phones made for toddlers.
- Low quality videos are blocky. It looks like huge pixels of black on the screen.
I'm very surprised how big the S2 subforum is. This is the first time coming to this subforum although I've had the S2 for 6+ months. I rooted yesterday and tinkered with it a little yesterday and it feels like a brand new phone.
On another note, what are your favorite roms currently for the SG2? There are so many to choose from I don't know where to start. Currently rooted with lulz kernel for m250k e02.
Glad to be back.

Flash CM9, best ROM imo
Sent from my Galaxy S2 CM9 using Tapatalk

checkrom IMO..
Swyped from: GT-I9100
Sent using: XDA Premium App

If u want to stay on gingerbread.....flash checkrom....and if u wanna try ics...flash cm9....when i was using gb...i never changed my rom and kept using checrom....but since cm9 has released....there is no way m going bak to gb....cm9 is best out there right now....
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Hey welcome back to the S2 world
Well for me, I'm running on VillainROM 3.0 with SiyahKernel 2.6.4 and Pikachu's Thunderbolt script 2.3.5 - battery life is superb, signal reception is great, i can't complain... even if I got the twitch to try something else sometimes, I don't feel much like it because this phone steals the cake!!

Thanks everyone =).
Unfortunately I can't a kernel that doesn't support m250k due to my carrier (i'm in korea). So I'm currently using lulz korean kernel.
Noob question:
lulz kernel has a recovery built in, but it also has CMW recovery built in under -recovery- menu.
Which one am I supposed to use to flash the rom?
The S2 forum is so awesome, but I feel stupid and overwhelmed here haha.

Criskelo Rom is simply amazing, haven't tried CM9 but CM7 was terribly buggy, random reboots which doesn't sound all that bad but gets tedious eventually believe me, also hotspot problems and bluetooth problems as well. Criskelo has an abundance of modifications built in as well as option to change kernel and modem builds on the fly. Take a good look at the thread before you choose anything else, oh and don't bother with ICS leaked builds yet, its terrible, in fact its terrible on my wifes nexus s as well and that's official ota.

aigoya said:
Thanks everyone =).
Unfortunately I can't a kernel that doesn't support m250k due to my carrier (i'm in korea). So I'm currently using lulz korean kernel.
Noob question:
lulz kernel has a recovery built in, but it also has CMW recovery built in under -recovery- menu.
Which one am I supposed to use to flash the rom?
The S2 forum is so awesome, but I feel stupid and overwhelmed here haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get kTool from the thread here and use it to reboot into kernel's own recovery and downloadmode (also you can back up EFS and dump kernel, a very handy tool!)

[Q] Rom base on samsung stock rom but AOSP themed

First I'm sorry if my english is bad. I will do my best to be understandable.
Back in the day with my SGS2 I tried many many rom and in the end the best I found was a stock rom debloated but aosp themed.
I had all the feature like mhl working and I was able to reinstall any samsung app I wanted. And all that without the horrible (for my taste) samsung call screen/sms screen/system setting screen and icon notification.
I tried to find something similar with the SGS4 but I can't find one matching my criteria. I only found CGM based rom or debloated rom. Do I need to wait or is there something like that already out there? Or just a team that work on something like that I can follow for future release?
Have a good day!

You're talking about Chameleon for the S2, unfortunately nothing like it was made for the S3 or Note 2. Mostly stuff based on CM10 which means no Samsung framework.

pcsario said:
You're talking about Chameleon for the S2, unfortunately nothing like it was made for the S3 or Note 2. Mostly stuff based on CM10 which means no Samsung framework.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was talking about foxhound and serendipidy but chameleon seem to belike that to.
But there is hybrid rom for note 2. When I searched for the chameloen rom I found that: HYBRID AOSP-TW for note 2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2061143

elessard84 said:
I was talking about foxhound and serendipidy but chameleon seem to belike that to.
But there is hybrid rom for note 2. When I searched for the chameloen rom I found that: HYBRID AOSP-TW for note 2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2061143
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is also a rom called Blandroid that i was using for a while on my s3, which was also a hybrid between stock and touchwiz

I can't wait for an hybrid rom. I almost returned my s4 for a note 2 just because they have already good custum rom.
I wonder if the battery life will be as good as now; I have 48h batterie life with epub reading/call/using the GPS/music listening/ect with bluetooth ON, GPS ON and a few widget that sync over the network.

elessard84 said:
I can't wait for an hybrid rom. I almost returned my s4 for a note 2 just because they have already good custum rom.
I wonder if the battery life will be as good as now; I have 48h batterie life with epub reading/call/using the GPS/music listening/ect with bluetooth ON, GPS ON and a few widget that sync over the network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was thinking the same thing especially since theyre both quad core, but in the end having the faster of the two processors, the 1080p screen and the ir blaster is well worth the trade off (my opinion). Keep your head up we are going to have a uber amount of ROMs in the near future

[Q] Help choosing between I9500 and I9505

So I'm going to buy a S4 soon, and I had the question that many of you probably had also: which version to buy?
Reading all over the internet, I9500 has better performance, but I9505 has better battery life.
Having a better battery is something really important, and that's a great point towards the I9505 (from what I've seen). But the performance differences really make any noticeable difference at all?
I don't consider LTE network a point, because here in Brazil that's something way beyond our network capabilities, and probably we won't be seeing the light of 4G in the next 5 years.
I'll be mostly using the device to listen to music, WiFi and gaming, while it should last for at least 6 hours without getting battery at critical levels, and recharging it every day for the whole night until morning. I have a I9000, and it became so awfully slow and unstable over the time, I have to make full wipes at least 3 times a month, can't install any games or "heavy" apps, and listening to music has become a pain, as everytime I unlock the screen or go to the app drawer, the sound playback lags, freezes, and sometimes reboots the phone. I am pretty sure I won't be having any of those issues with the S4, but I really don't want to get any closer to a lag with listening to music or playing.
Price is also not an issue, both models are the same price here.
And last, modifying the device, in terms of root and ROMs and such. I have to struggle everytime I want to change something like that on my I9000B, because most of the developed stuff is for the I9000 and aren't "fully compatible" with the I9000B. Are the same options for the I9500 available to the I9505? At least in the number of options, and is it easy to make root and such?
So, what do you say, xda members?

Zkaar said:
So I'm going to buy a S4 soon, and I had the question that many of you probably had also: which version to buy?
Reading all over the internet, I9500 has better performance, but I9505 has better battery life.
Having a better battery is something really important, and that's a great point towards the I9505 (from what I've seen). But the performance differences really make any noticeable difference at all?
I don't consider LTE network a point, because here in Brazil that's something way beyond our network capabilities, and probably we won't be seeing the light of 4G in the next 5 years.
I'll be mostly using the device to listen to music, WiFi and gaming, while it should last for at least 6 hours without getting battery at critical levels, and recharging it every day for the whole night until morning. I have a I9000, and it became so awfully slow and unstable over the time, I have to make full wipes at least 3 times a month, can't install any games or "heavy" apps, and listening to music has become a pain, as everytime I unlock the screen or go to the app drawer, the sound playback lags, freezes, and sometimes reboots the phone. I am pretty sure I won't be having any of those issues with the S4, but I really don't want to get any closer to a lag with listening to music or playing.
Price is also not an issue, both models are the same price here.
So, what do you say, xda members?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I say I9505 is the best choice, because with it, you have the choice of:
1. Stock ROM/Custom ROM based on Stock
2. Google Play Edition ROM/Custom ROM based on Play Edition
3. CyanogenMod ROM or AOSP/Unofficial Kangs based on CyanogenMod4 or AOSP
This is why the I9505 will be my next device.

donalgodon said:
I say I9505 is the best choice, because with it, you have the choice of:
1. Stock ROM/Custom ROM based on Stock
2. Google Play Edition ROM/Custom ROM based on Play Edition
3. CyanogenMod ROM or AOSP/Unofficial Kangs based on CyanogenMod4 or AOSP
This is why the I9505 will be my next device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good, but I'm most worried about battery and performance. but I'll surely keep that in mind when choosing. TouchWiz is not that bad, but after some time you realize that it's quite ugly and boring, also big in sizes, and lacking some customization (or maybe that's just in my head, been years since I last saw TouchWiz). And rooting is something I'll really need. Does it use an app, like one click and it's rooted, or it's a root via kernel?

cf-autoroot through ODIN... I9505 is the better option for customisation, not many countries got the I9500...
I get around 2 days with my I9505... Some gaming the odd call and quite a few emails and sms.... Not to mention GPS now and then and weather updating every 6 hours... I also use my phone as my alarm clock.

Rooting the I9505 and restoring the phone back to stock are a piece of cake bro, Triangle Away doesn`t work yet on the I9500 atm so no way to reset the binary flash counter. I would definately choose for the I9505, much more roms and kernels available to choose from.

Zkaar said:
Good, but I'm most worried about battery and performance. but I'll surely keep that in mind when choosing. TouchWiz is not that bad, but after some time you realize that it's quite ugly and boring, also big in sizes, and lacking some customization (or maybe that's just in my head, been years since I last saw TouchWiz). And rooting is something I'll really need. Does it use an app, like one click and it's rooted, or it's a root via kernel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like the previous poster, I also agree that CF Root is the way to go.
It's easier to flash and root Samsung devices than just about any other.
Root with CF Root gives you stock recovery if you want to keep it and there's still the option of CWM recovery if you want to flash custom rom or backup your current rom or install zips etc.
And you have Mobile Odin as an option, which allows you to flash even stock rom from your phone. No PC needed. Same genius dev who gave us root made this tool also.
---------- Post added at 01:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:20 AM ----------
gee2012 said:
Rooting the I9505 and restoring the phone back to stock are a piece of cake bro, Triangle Away doesn`t work yet on the I9500 atm so no way to reset the binary flash counter. I would definately choose for the I9505, much more roms and kernels available to choose from.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does Triangle Away work on the I9505?

donalgodon said:
Like the previous poster, I also agree that CF Root is the way to go.
It's easier to flash and root Samsung devices than just about any other.
Root with CF Root gives you stock recovery if you want to keep it and there's still the option of CWM recovery if you want to flash custom rom or backup your current rom or install zips etc.
And you have Mobile Odin as an option, which allows you to flash even stock rom from your phone. No PC needed. Same genius dev who gave us root made this tool also.
---------- Post added at 01:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:20 AM ----------
Does Triangle Away work on the I9505?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it does work on the I9505, not on the I9500 atm.

ultramag69 said:
cf-autoroot through ODIN... I9505 is the better option for customisation, not many countries got the I9500...
I get around 2 days with my I9505... Some gaming the odd call and quite a few emails and sms.... Not to mention GPS now and then and weather updating every 6 hours... I also use my phone as my alarm clock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gee2012 said:
Rooting the I9505 and restoring the phone back to stock are a piece of cake bro, Triangle Away doesn`t work yet on the I9500 atm so no way to reset the binary flash counter. I would definately choose for the I9505, much more roms and kernels available to choose from.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
donalgodon said:
Like the previous poster, I also agree that CF Root is the way to go.
It's easier to flash and root Samsung devices than just about any other.
Root with CF Root gives you stock recovery if you want to keep it and there's still the option of CWM recovery if you want to flash custom rom or backup your current rom or install zips etc.
And you have Mobile Odin as an option, which allows you to flash even stock rom from your phone. No PC needed. Same genius dev who gave us root made this tool also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's more points for the I9505. I'm mostly asking if it's easy to root and flash custom ROMs because I had a hard time doing such on my three I9000Bs, all of them got bricked at some point and not always had success. But that's really good to know.
To close this and make my decision, does the I9500 CPU and GPU make any noticeable difference in performance at all? I have a friend which has the I9500 and tells me that it's way superior than the I9505, but he gives me no details at all. Also, on this review, the man says the I9500 had some instability and lags.

Zkaar said:
That's more points for the I9505. I'm mostly asking if it's easy to root and flash custom ROMs because I had a hard time doing such on my three I9000Bs, all of them got bricked at some point and not always had success. But that's really good to know.
To close this and make my decision, does the I9500 CPU and GPU make any noticeable difference in performance at all? I have a friend which has the I9500 and tells me that it's way superior than the I9505, but he gives me no details at all. Also, on this review, the man says the I9500 had some instability and lags.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The performance difference between the 2 cpu`s is realy marginal and hardly noticable. I think the Qualcomm cpu is more stable and has less bugs and its much more open scource than the Exynos. The lag is mainly caused by the fact the Samsung software is not yet fully optimized for the cpu. It will improve by the next update bro

gee2012 said:
The performance difference between the 2 cpu`s is realy marginal and hardly noticable. I think the Qualcomm cpu is better and its much more open scource than the Exynos. The lag is caused by the fact the Samsung software is not yet fully optimized for the cpu. It will improve by the next update bro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I guess it's I9505 then. Both performances are really close (and great), making no difference at all (it's not like I'm trying to play Crysis on the device), but I9505 has better battery life and more ROM options.
Thanks guys, that's all I needed.

Zkaar said:
So I guess it's I9505 then. Both performances are really close (and great), making no difference at all (it's not like I'm trying to play Crysis on the device), but I9505 has better battery life and more ROM options.
Thanks guys, that's all I needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Enjoy, and read read and read before flashing to stay out of trouble :good:

if you want a device that can be "played with" (customizations) go with the gt-i9505 (well this is the most flexible device among the s4 variants
but if you are a hardware enthusiast . . go with gt-i9500 (the hardware is worth studying)
but if you want an octa core + lte get the shv-e300s though it requires shipping from korea
and if you want a snapdragon800 variant , just wait for gt-i9506 (selected regions in the future) or ship from korea their SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 LTE-A (shv-e330s)
Sent from Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE (GT-I9505) via XDA Premium App.

Zkaar said:
So I guess it's I9505 then. Both performances are really close (and great), making no difference at all (it's not like I'm trying to play Crysis on the device), but I9505 has better battery life and more ROM options.
Thanks guys, that's all I needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes your probably better off with the i9505, but i chose the exynos i9500 instead because i always prefered samsungs chipset. What others haven't mentioned, is that the camera quality on the i9500 is a little better compared to the i9505, gsmarena allready confirmed this.
In terms of audio quality, the i9500 is better choice as it has the superior Wolfson DAC.
The i9500 allready had around 6 updates, so its alot smoother and stable now compared to when it first came out, and there's already alot of developer support and custom roms for it.
In terms of battery life, i think both are the same, because before choosing my preferences between the i9500 or i9505 i did a few research aswell and searching on youtube, and each reviewer are about 50/50 on which has better battery life.
What ever you choice, you cant go wrong and both are good devices.

I will also add my weight behind the i9505 for the same reasons stated in the earlier replies. Concerning the faster CPU - the octacore exynos is not a true octacore, so in benchmarks you'll usually see the S600 v/s Exynos 5 Octa end up with an equal number of wins at the end. Sometimes the S600 is better, and other times, the Exynos will score higher. But the most interesting aspect that i personally love, is the much better support for the i9505. This is mainly due to the availability of the S4 Google Edition, where the sources can be adapted (only slightly) to work nicely with the i9505. The same cannot be said about the i9500 which is still lacking drivers, etc. At the end, it all depends on what you're going to do with the device. If you're not into installing custom ROMs, then you might be happier with the i9500.:cyclops:

is it worth buying a nexus 4 now

Hi all,
1st post in this forum, I have a samsung s3 and am forever flashing custom roms, have a chance of getting
a nexus 4 cheap-ish and will have to get rid of my s3 to pay for it. But have a couple of questions.
1 - Will i notice a big difference in speed, battery use and camera?
2. Is it easy to root and install custom roms?
I quite often flash cm/aosp roms on my s3, and although they have come a long way, still have the odd problem because of
samsung closed sources, have flashed ported kitkat 4.4 roms and they are a big improvement but still???
At the moment running Liquidsmooth aosp and its then best ive tried but still get the odd stutter on my 1gb ram based S3.
So anybody got any advice should i go for it?
cheers

jock11 said:
Hi all,
1st post in this forum, I have a samsung s3 and am forever flashing custom roms, have a chance of getting
a nexus 4 cheap-ish and will have to get rid of my s3 to pay for it. But have a couple of questions.
1 - Will i notice a big difference in speed, battery use and camera?
2. Is it easy to root and install custom roms?
I quite often flash cm/aosp roms on my s3, and although they have come a long way, still have the odd problem because of
samsung closed sources, have flashed ported kitkat 4.4 roms and they are a big improvement but still???
At the moment running Liquidsmooth aosp and its then best ive tried but still get the odd stutter on my 1gb ram based S3.
So anybody got any advice should i go for it?
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. speed yes 2 gb ram on nexus 4 does better at multi tasking , battery A BIG NO , camera wise s3 is better
2.yes takes less than 5 min
display , n4 has **** washed out screen colours on default kernel , if you use hells doctor kernel it will look noticeable better

jock11 said:
Hi all,
1st post in this forum, I have a samsung s3 and am forever flashing custom roms, have a chance of getting
a nexus 4 cheap-ish and will have to get rid of my s3 to pay for it. But have a couple of questions.
1 - Will i notice a big difference in speed, battery use and camera?
2. Is it easy to root and install custom roms?
I quite often flash cm/aosp roms on my s3, and although they have come a long way, still have the odd problem because of
samsung closed sources, have flashed ported kitkat 4.4 roms and they are a big improvement but still???
At the moment running Liquidsmooth aosp and its then best ive tried but still get the odd stutter on my 1gb ram based S3.
So anybody got any advice should i go for it?
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speed -Yes, Battery - maybe, Camera - No
Yes, its very easy.
With android 5 assured, you should go for the Nexus 4.

jock11 said:
Hi all,
1st post in this forum, I have a samsung s3 and am forever flashing custom roms, have a chance of getting
a nexus 4 cheap-ish and will have to get rid of my s3 to pay for it. But have a couple of questions.
1 - Will i notice a big difference in speed, battery use and camera?
2. Is it easy to root and install custom roms?
I quite often flash cm/aosp roms on my s3, and although they have come a long way, still have the odd problem because of
samsung closed sources, have flashed ported kitkat 4.4 roms and they are a big improvement but still???
At the moment running Liquidsmooth aosp and its then best ive tried but still get the odd stutter on my 1gb ram based S3.
So anybody got any advice should i go for it?
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get the N5 for around 200 bucks on ebay. I'm using both(N4 and N5) and I can totally recommend the N5 for Android enthusiastics. But the N4 is fine too.

I would go for the n5 for just a bit more money.

[Q] Worth uninstalling TouchWiz?

So first of all, please let me state the fact that I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to rooting and all that good stuff.
I want to ask if it is possible to get the stock Android 5.0 Lollipop on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
If it is possible, how can I do it and is it worthed?
Is losing all the S-Pen features and air wake-up and all that worthed to stay on a faster, stock Android?

Just find a launcher you like and use that. Rooting just to get rid of TouchWiz is overkill. There are great reasons to root, but that isn't one of them.

I couldn't find any good reason to root the Note 4 so far.

ad blocking, and full sd access are good reasons, among others

Definetly worth flashing stock lollipop get rid of the awful awful lag. This phone is a beast when it comes to lag. Suppose I've been bit spoilt using nexus 6 for the last 2 months which is supper smooth and fast.
However unforunately there is no stock lollipop ROMs to flash for this phone so you are stuck with crappy TW.

NimeniAltu666 said:
So first of all, please let me state the fact that I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to rooting and all that good stuff.
I want to ask if it is possible to get the stock Android 5.0 Lollipop on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
If it is possible, how can I do it and is it worthed?
Is losing all the S-Pen features and air wake-up and all that worthed to stay on a faster, stock Android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Going with AOSP Lollipop is definitely possible. It's great. Looks great. Runs without lag. However, if you own any Samsung wearable like the VR or a Gear 2, or if you use the Spen features then you do not want to use AOSP roms. Samsung baked compatibility into TouchWiz instead of supporting Android so you lose it if you switch.
Note that the Spen can serve basic scrolling and tapping depending on the Kernel you have installed but it is very limited.
Here is what it comes down to.
If you use any TW features or Samsung products with the Note 4 then don't switch.
If you don't use any TW features or Samsung products with the Note 4 then make the switch.
Some Note 4 compatible Lollipop Roms I have used and like are
SlimLP
CM12
Liquid Smooth

Buy a nexus 6 if u don't like TouchWiz or spen then y buy a note other phones with 2k display and 805 snapdragon
Sent from my SM-N910C using XDA Free mobile app