Database Users

[Q] Galaxy S4 Active (I9295) modding?

I've looked all over the forums, but didn't find a section dedicated to the Galaxy S4 Active.
Therefore, my question sounds like this: Considering that the only major (known to me) difference from S4 I9505 to the S4 Active is the case, are S4 I9505 ROMs compatible on the S4 Active?
From looking on GSMarena, I see that the S4 Active is using the same chipset as the S4 I9505. Are there any major differences I should be aware of? Has anybody tried to install an I9505 ROM on an S4 Active and managed to do so successfully?

The camera is different in Active
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Premium HD app

As Obagleyfreer already noted the camera is a different model which needs a different set of drivers. Also the display isn't the same - its LCD and not AMOLED. I like the LCD way more than the AMOLED but the changes make it impossible to use an i9095 rom straight away. You have to change a few parts of the system before you can use it.
In my opinion Samsung did a very stupid thing releasing that many different S4 devices in such a short time and without announcing them at the same time. Who buys a S4 active when he's bought an S4 two months before... I sincerly hope that the S4 active will gather a larger attention in the future (hopefully with the international release) because until now I couldn't find much discussion about it. I'm glad at least root was achieved

Hi,
as a proud owner of the S4 Active I was wondering why there's less attention spent on the device.
Just found the guide how to root. Seems like it's not working yet for EU devices
Regards
basediver

basediver, have a look at this thread, I successfully rooted my EU (i9295) S4A and also restored stock recovery.

VolkS7X said:
I've looked all over the forums, but didn't find a section dedicated to the Galaxy S4 Active.
Therefore, my question sounds like this: Considering that the only major (known to me) difference from S4 I9505 to the S4 Active is the case, are S4 I9505 ROMs compatible on the S4 Active?
From looking on GSMarena, I see that the S4 Active is using the same chipset as the S4 I9505. Are there any major differences I should be aware of? Has anybody tried to install an I9505 ROM on an S4 Active and managed to do so successfully?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes they are very similar, but the s4 active has a completely different display and display driver. Which means it needs to have a different kernel.

..

[Q] Switching from Sprint - simple questions

I am switching from Sprint to AT&T, as I already said in the subject, and I am looking for some QUICK opinions.
As most people probably have gone through this when buying their phone, I am debating on the S4 Active or the HTC One.
Upon coming onto here though, I was leaning more toward the HTC One because I like several things about it, more than the normal S4 and S4 Active, and because most of the S4 software features I don't really care about; I'm an EVO 3D owner, so I know how the gimmicks go. Nonetheless there are things that do attract me to the S4 Active over the One
I noticed the difference in activity for the S4 vs the One is SIGNIFICANT. ~13.5k posts for the S4 and ~3.6k posts for the One. Why is this? Are there that many junk postings\ROMs\etc or is it really just THAT active in this community? Is this section the same area to go to for the S4 Active device w/ AT&T?
- How is battery life? This is more geared toward the S4 \ S4 Active veteran users as I don't care how long your battery is lasting after you got your phone just a week ago lol
- How is NORMAL everyday use of the camera\camcorder?
- Are there significant amounts of SOLID daily drivers that are varying in style and operation? (ROMs)
- For the Active, how is call quality (for both sides), are there any other downsides to the Active edition vs regular S4 or HTC One?
Thanks

incarceration said:
I am switching from Sprint to AT&T, as I already said in the subject, and I am looking for some QUICK opinions.
As most people probably have gone through this when buying their phone, I am debating on the S4 Active or the HTC One.
Upon coming onto here though, I was leaning more toward the HTC One because I like several things about it, more than the normal S4 and S4 Active, and because most of the S4 software features I don't really care about; I'm an EVO 3D owner, so I know how the gimmicks go. Nonetheless there are things that do attract me to the S4 Active over the One
I noticed the difference in activity for the S4 vs the One is SIGNIFICANT. ~13.5k posts for the S4 and ~3.6k posts for the One. Why is this? Are there that many junk postings\ROMs\etc or is it really just THAT active in this community? Is this section the same area to go to for the S4 Active device w/ AT&T?
- How is battery life? This is more geared toward the S4 \ S4 Active veteran users as I don't care how long your battery is lasting after you got your phone just a week ago lol
- How is NORMAL everyday use of the camera\camcorder?
- Are there significant amounts of SOLID daily drivers that are varying in style and operation? (ROMs)
- For the Active, how is call quality (for both sides), are there any other downsides to the Active edition vs regular S4 or HTC One?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK I'll try to answer most of ur questions there r more posts in the s4 section for two reasons 1 there r two devices using this forum the s4 and the s4 active 2 s4 has sold 20 million devices or so the HTC one about 5 million ( est not exact number from what I read )
Battery close is similar on all 3 devices for a lot of ppl the decidinng factor is the SD card and removable battery which HTC one has neither plus that power button being on top ( u had a evo 3d u mite be used to this )
Daily drivers there is plenty of good ROMs for the s4 and the HTC one
The active is really limited in this aspect since it has yet to acquire custom recovery exploit yet
The s4 has a boot loader exploit so u can use custom recovery as long as u don't update it out of the box mf3 ( plenty of threads on how to freeze att updater )
Out of the total amt of phones sold very few ppl actually flash ROMs a small percent of the android population the galaxy line has always had a lot of devs and ROMs cuz of its awesome specs and likability and ease to root and flash ROMs ( minus boot loader locking which isn't Samsung's fault its the carriers )
Hope this helps u and answers ur questions
sent from my SGH - leet ( i337) using Tapatalk 4 beta

Thanks for the fairly detailed response!
I have a couple other questions for you - is the cartoon-like UI their TouchWiz software?
Not to ruffle any feathers but I don't really like that aspect of it.
Also, when you unlock the bootloader and\or root, do you still get the annoying triangle upon boot? My friend had the S III and he had that problem. It didn't affect functionality but it was a bit tacky\annoying.
Yeah I have found AT&T to be root\unlock Nazis, but it seemed to be select devices they like to lock down. Not sure why, because you still have your plan that limits you lol
Thanks again!

incarceration said:
Thanks for the fairly detailed response!
I have a couple other questions for you - is the cartoon-like UI their TouchWiz software?
Not to ruffle any feathers but I don't really like that aspect of it.
Also, when you unlock the bootloader and\or root, do you still get the annoying triangle upon boot? My friend had the S III and he had that problem. It didn't affect functionality but it was a bit tacky\annoying.
Yeah I have found AT&T to be root\unlock Nazis, but it seemed to be select devices they like to lock down. Not sure why, because you still have your plan that limits you lol
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TW (TouchWhiz) is samsungs launcher and I wouldn't call it cartoon-like, but if you think so there are alternatives such as launchers from the Play Store, or flashing an AOSP ROM for vanilla Android look and feel.
As far as unlocking the bootloader, there are working methods as to remove the triangle on boot, so don't sweat that.

[Q] The S5 family tree - differences?

It's been like 10+ months since the original S5 was released. Now I am talking about the SM-G900F. Cause there are so many of them, and I m a bit lost as far some of the specs are concerned. Could someone clarify things here a bit? I am a bit surprised this hasn't been discussed already...
I have done some research, and I found the following S5 "variants". I briefly mention the differences from the "base" model, namely "SM-G900F":
Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A SM-G901F (Europe) aka "S5 Plus"
This is one's got 805 SD, Krait 450, Adreno 420 and LTE Cat6
...vs the 801 / 400 / 330 and LTE Cat4 of the base model
Samsung Galaxy S5 Duos SM-G900FD
Same hardware as the based model but with Dual SIM support
My question here is whether the DUOS supports all the video rec modes found in the base model?
e.g. [email protected]?
Also, is the SAR measure based on both SIMS working simultaneously?
Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A G906S
This is shares the same hardware with the G901F (S5 Plus) but it has 3GB of RAM and that incredible 577 ppi from the same size 5.1in screen...right? Supposively exclusive for Korea only, but people say it works fine across Europe at all bands 2G, 3G, LTE...
Samsung Galaxy S5 Active SM-G870F
This one lacks the fingerprint sensor of the base model (which I honestly don't care about) and also hosts the same 16MP camera, but at a slightly less resolution i.e. 3456 x 4608 vs 5312 x 2988
There is an octa-core version of the S5, which I didn't include, as I am not interested in it, as it doesn't support LTE (???!!!)
Now, assuming all these are correct, I m still confused as to which should I chose. The S5 Plus (G901F) is good, but overshadowed by the G906S which has more RAM and a better screen.
I would like to go for the DUOS, but does it have the same camera features of the base model? Is it really as good as the base model in all other areas? Cause its exactly same size/weight, so what gives?
The S5 Active G870F was just released in Europe and it's still too expensive. Otherwise, is the camera as good as the one in the base model?
Or should I just toss everything else and go for the base model G900F, which will also save me some $$ as it's cheaper from the rest?

have a look at the development page see if there is any custom roms and support for each phone.
If you not bothered by that i would like the 3gig ram one please

Thanx juDGEY2k10 (love your avatar btw....)
I m not interested in a custom ROM or rooting the phone at the moment. I just try to make up my mind spec-wise. I too have a slight pref towards the G906S - seems like the best all-rounder
Can I ask - if you have Silent mode ON, does that still mute the camera sounds? (at least in 4.1.2 it did)
juDGEY2k10 said:
have a look at the development page see if there is any custom roms and support for each phone.
If you not bothered by that i would like the 3gig ram one please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Just tested and yes it dose mate no sound at all
jstoner said:
Thanx juDGEY2k10 (love your avatar btw....)
I m not interested in a custom ROM or rooting the phone at the moment. I just try to make up my mind spec-wise. I too have a slight pref towards the G906S - seems like the best all-rounder
Can I ask - if you have Silent mode ON, does that still mute the camera sounds? (at least in 4.1.2 it did)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Cheers mate!
Just to add up to my previous comment regarding the G906S...well it's out of my consideration. It turns out that the uprated CPU/chipset/GPU combo don't do much good to compesate for its remarkable screen, which sucks away it's juice, making it slower even compared to the original S5. OK, I d like to have that screen, but not at that cost - don't you think too?
I d rather have the 'Plus' version (G901F), which lacks the screen and that 1GB of RAM, but still has the same uprated hardware...

Is it worth the extra money ? Not looked myself but maybe the international one would be better overall if you run into any problems when and if u do want to custom it a bit.
Up to u my mate im sure other users will post their opinion
jstoner said:
Cheers mate!
Just to add up to my previous comment regarding the G906S...well it's out of my consideration. It turns out that the uprated CPU/chipset/GPU combo don't do much good to compesate for its remarkable screen, which sucks away it's juice, making it slower even compared to the original S5. OK, I d like to have that screen, but not at that cost - don't you think too?
I d rather have the 'Plus' version (G901F), which lacks the screen and that 1GB of RAM, but still has the same uprated hardware...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Was wondering...some of those phones that come as part of a network upgrade (e.g. from T-Mobile in Germany), carry network branding in the software. Like showing "T-Mobile" at phone start up. If there any way around through this? I m not talking a custom ROM, but if it's possible to get the Samsung factory/retail ROM, so that it won't have any branding or logos. Is that possible?
juDGEY2k10 said:
Is it worth the extra money ? Not looked myself but maybe the international one would be better overall if you run into any problems when and if u do want to custom it a bit.
Up to u my mate im sure other users will post their opinion
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

jstoner said:
Was wondering...some of those phones that come as part of a network upgrade (e.g. from T-Mobile in Germany), carry network branding in the software. Like showing "T-Mobile" at phone start up. If there any way around through this? I m not talking a custom ROM, but if it's possible to get the Samsung factory/retail ROM, so that it won't have any branding or logos. Is that possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Regarding the brading issue, I found the following:
1. Download debranded firmware for your phone.
2. Open ODIN, boot your phone into Download mode.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and select the firmware in ODIN on PDA section.
4. Click Start and wait for the firmware to install.
5. Boot your phone into Recovery mode and wipe data and factory reset.
6. Reboot your phone.
OK - branding gone for now. But what happens when a new official firmware is released? Will I be able to flash directly from Samsung? Or would I have to use ODIN again? If not, how does Samsung know that this phone is tied to a specific provider? (IMEI?)

Get a stock rom flash it with odin as long as u dont root it or use a custom recovery u should be able to do OTA updates via samsung. Dont think they track the phone in that way its just down to the phone, if its been customised at all (root bla bla not supported by samsung) But you will not be on their list of people who have messed with their phones or anything like that.
jstoner said:
Regarding the brading issue, I found the following:
1. Download debranded firmware for your phone.
2. Open ODIN, boot your phone into Download mode.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and select the firmware in ODIN on PDA section.
4. Click Start and wait for the firmware to install.
5. Boot your phone into Recovery mode and wipe data and factory reset.
6. Reboot your phone.
OK - branding gone for now. But what happens when a new official firmware is released? Will I be able to flash directly from Samsung? Or would I have to use ODIN again? If not, how does Samsung know that this phone is tied to a specific provider? (IMEI?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Yup. I m only looking for "stock" at the moment, so having OTA update capability is vital for me.
Can anyone confirm this? Someone who tried it on an S5 variant I mean...
juDGEY2k10 said:
Get a stock rom flash it with odin as long as u dont root it or use a custom recovery u should be able to do OTA updates via samsung. Dont think they track the phone in that way its just down to the phone, if its been customised at all (root bla bla not supported by samsung) But you will not be on their list of people who have messed with their phones or anything like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

[Q] S5 vs. S5+ - Custom Rom support (Cyanogen)

Hi all,
I ordered a S5 and got the smartphone yesterday. However, I was suprised that it actually is a S5+ (G901F).
My first reaction was: Nice, I even got more than I wanted, but my second thought was: Is the Custom ROM support for the S5+ as good as for the S5?
I definitely want to install the Cyanogen Mod!
My research in this forum seems to confirm my worries. There is only an unofficial version of this mod right?
And isn't the support for the "main" version (-> S5) always better than for sub versions like the S5+?
I am thinking about to make a complaint in order to get the S5.
What would you, the far more experienced, do?
oetzi

try this, almost same as cm but some more options, and official support
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=60928429

oetzi83 said:
Hi all,
I ordered a S5 and got the smartphone yesterday. However, I was suprised that it actually is a S5+ (G901F).
My first reaction was: Nice, I even got more than I wanted, but my second thought was: Is the Custom ROM support for the S5+ as good as for the S5?
I definitely want to install the Cyanogen Mod!
My research in this forum seems to confirm my worries. There is only an unofficial version of this mod right?
And isn't the support for the "main" version (-> S5) always better than for sub versions like the S5+?
I am thinking about to make a complaint in order to get the S5.
What would you, the far more experienced, do?
oetzi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder you went with Samsung and S5 if cyanogenmod is important to you. Samsung's phobea I had or still have are Galaxy Nexus, S 3(i9305 LTS with 2 GB of RAM) ,4 i9505, 5 (900f), Note 2, 3 and you can guess which is the only one with decent CM support.
I have still not tried CM on S5, but I definitely am on S3 and 4, and it has never worked really well. Bearable but not well. And as far as I can see it is the same situation with S5. There are issues with wifi and Bluetooth, camera as usual is not supported because they keep they TW shut for them self. I would like to be wrong here, because I prefer anything AOSP based to Touchwiz, but the problem was I didn't have much choice when I took S5.

For me, the killer feature of the Cyanogen Mod is the individual rights management which I can configure for every app.
@ad0dh67: Does Dokdo also have this opportunity?
@!crazy: I see your point, but this is too late now I guess
The initial question remains the same: Is the Cyanogen Mod version for the S5 better / more stable than for the S5+?

oetzi83 said:
For me, the killer feature of the Cyanogen Mod is the individual rights management which I can configure for every app.
@ad0dh67: Does Dokdo also have this opportunity?
@!crazy: I see your point, but this is too late now I guess
The initial question remains the same: Is the Cyanogen Mod version for the S5 better / more stable than for the S5+?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes it has!

Questions belong in Q&A, not General.
Thank you.

New Galaxy S5?

hey!
Guys i'm very new here and I'm using galaxy s4 right now but planning to buy Galaxy S5, but i'm really confused about different models. S, H,M etc
can you help me and tell which one to buy and which one better if their's a difference. all of phones to me with different models are unlocked.
also on a side note, some friends telling me to buy Note 3 instead of Galaxy S5, said its better, i read and saw some reviews but to me seems like using S4 with screen and Spen yeah have 3 GB of ram instead of 2. but other than that nothing new to Note 3 unlike Galaxy S5, more camera features and new layout.
which one would you suggest

G900F is unlocked

what the difference between G900H, G900F Etc.. any hardware change that i should know. because in my country there is only 3G right no 4G so that wont effect my decison.

anybody????
any comments??

Google will show you everything you're asking us to find out for you

i'm not asking you for search for, i did it. Just as helping forum and one of the biggest for Android users, those who used both is their any technical, hardware differences that make one better than other?

grown ups said:
hey!
Guys i'm very new here and I'm using galaxy s4 right now but planning to buy Galaxy S5, but i'm really confused about different models. S, H,M etc
can you help me and tell which one to buy and which one better if their's a difference. all of phones to me with different models are unlocked.
also on a side note, some friends telling me to buy Note 3 instead of Galaxy S5, said its better, i read and saw some reviews but to me seems like using S4 with screen and Spen yeah have 3 GB of ram instead of 2. but other than that nothing new to Note 3 unlike Galaxy S5, more camera features and new layout.
which one would you suggest
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ve sg5 g900h top device becoz sdexternal
Size ,camera ...etc
If you are good On flashs
I confirm *Detection* proposition G900F
There are lot of choice
in customs themes, kernel, recovery, roms
...etc

sdexternal??? Mean
also yes i'm new but also want to try and learn about Roms, Flashing custmom things. how to do all of these thing so, that purpose G900F is Good Right?

grown ups said:
sdexternal??? Mean
also yes i'm new but also want to try and learn about Roms, Flashing custmom things. how to do all of these thing so, that purpose G900F is Good Right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sdexternal = card memory external
on port like sim card
For supplement storage :
it's economical solution you save money
But inconvenient performances
we can find sdext with
32 Go , 64 Go or 128 Go