DZ Successor - my experience - G2 and Desire Z General

Hello guys. I was using DZ for a long time (jul 2011 - dec 2012) and got it replaced by a "standard" phone without keyboard - Xperia Ion. After almost a year of suffering without hardware keyboard I recently imported Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G (SGH-T699) from USA.
My experience:
1) you can import Galaxy S Relay 4G to Europe without no problem, it runs on GSM/HSDPA networks and has a SIM card slot (Important!)
2) I bought it via ebay.com, in used state but with real pictures of the device and in perfect state. The costs were $125 for the phone + $39 international priority shipping + cca $35 import charges (customs and VAT - 20% in Slovakia).
3) The import charges were charged with the payment and I didn't even know about the customs process, the courier just brought me the phone. That's a plus for ebay when importing from outside EU.
4) The phone was unfortunately locked (even if the seller stated it as unlocked). But after downgrade to ICS it can be unlocked in few minutes.
5) The US charger is no use in Europe, but you can charge it with any other charger, I'm using 1500mA charger from Sony now or 1000mA from HTC. Or you can even use the original charger with travel adapter, but it's uncomfortable, your choice however.
6) The stock firmware is bloated, half of the apps installed are called "T-mobile something" If you like Samsung android environment, you can debloat it manually after rooting, but I suppose most of xda guys will flash CM11 - it's now pretty stable even in experimental state. Honestly, I've been using much more unstable roms as dd...
7) The stock rom has only few languages (en, de, es, fr), but custom roms have full list of languages.
I was considering also Moto Photon Q, but it lacks sim card slot. It can be done, there's a step by step guide on xda to solder a sim card slot. Even the guy from Prague (author of the guide) could do it personally. But I chose the easier way and got the Samsung S Relay. There are no other GSM qwerty android phones usable in Europe.
To moderators: I saw a similar thread that was closed as not related to Desire Z. I must disagree, a DZ successor is a DZ related thread, as the device is pretty old and most of owners are looking for a decent successor. Just wanted to share my personal experience. If you wish, you can move this post to the closed thread, I wouldn't mind But please, don't delete it, in my opinion it contains useful information that definitely has to be found in DZ section. thanks

I also imported one. 180 $ + import tax (new one).
The default rom is pretty decent compared to htc sense, cm10 is much faster than on the desire Z (multitask 10-15 apps: no problem).
The keyboard isn't that good as the one from the desire Z, but you have to get used to it. I have 22Mb as max speed at home (10Mb desire Z) on 3G+.

Looks good and price is good. Was this the only keyboarded Android you looked at or are there other comparable?

brainless00 said:
Looks good and price is good. Was this the only keyboarded Android you looked at or are there other comparable?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was considering Motorola Photon Q (without SIM card slot, count plus 50 euro and 2x postage to CZ). This model is the only one suitable with SIM card and support for European networks.
In the meantime LG F3Q was announced. Look at the specs http://www.phonearena.com/phones/LG-Optimus-F3Q_id8243
Maybe it's also worth considering, but I don't like it very much at first look, but it has 2460mAh battery. I'm not sure about the SIM card slot, but as it's on TM USA, it should have defnitely one.

sorgo said:
I was considering Motorola Photon Q (without SIM card slot, count plus 50 euro and 2x postage to CZ). This model is the only one suitable with SIM card and support for European networks.
In the meantime LG F3Q was announced. Look at the specs http://www.phonearena.com/phones/LG-Optimus-F3Q_id8243
Maybe it's also worth considering, but I don't like it very much at first look, but it has 2460mAh battery. I'm not sure about the SIM card slot, but as it's on TM USA, it should have defnitely one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thx for link... the blue keyboard looks strange... the Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G looks better

brainless00 said:
thx for link... the blue keyboard looks strange... the Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G looks better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went to a T-Mobile store and look at the actual phone today.
It looks better in hands than on the photo.

brainless00 said:
thx for link... the blue keyboard looks strange... the Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G looks better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are versions with silver and black keyboard too...

To order one from Canada to Europe: http://www.canadagsm.ca/products-LG-Optimus-F3Q-Penta-Band-LTE. 2G and 3G should work; 4G not.
---------- Post added at 12:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:17 AM ----------
Could this be real: http://442kitkat.senuke.info/mp3-0/lg-optimus-f3q-5998.html?

brainless00 said:
there are versions with silver and black keyboard too...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure about that ? I thought that was only an early concept.

santimaster2000 said:
Are you sure about that ? I thought that was only an early concept.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went to T-Mobile store the other day and I don't think they have that version, at least not for the US market.

santimaster2000 said:
Are you sure about that ? I thought that was only an early concept.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only saw pictures... so you could be right

I am still dreaming of a flagship android with hardware keyboard... the LG looks fine, but 1Gb of ram in 2014 is too little. The biggest limitation of the DZ is by far its ~360Mb of ram...

for me,i have imported Huawei U8730,better CPU/GPU,better RAM and bigger screen than HTC DZ

nebu_06 said:
I am still dreaming of a flagship android with hardware keyboard... the LG looks fine, but 1Gb of ram in 2014 is too little. The biggest limitation of the DZ is by far its ~360Mb of ram...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
me too

Related

HtC HD price

Hey there.I am really interested in thid brand.I,d really like to have one.But I dont know much abouy its price.plz help me.and also i want to know about the life of its battery.Is it cool?or like diamond?
what diamond not good ?
The HD is sold at around 650 Euro in Belgium I heard.
+ 1000 USD - approx 28-29.000 Taiwan Dollar - 7.500 Hong Kong Dollar.
Not taken in account conversion rate but price index of last HTC devices sold around here in Asia.
You can see loads of info related to Prices, locations, release dates etc in the BlackStone vendor wiki http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Blackstone_Vendors
If anyone knows more dates and prices say it here
the life of its bbattery is not very good.it dies as soon as possible.and also the body of the cellphone gets dirty soon.
tanx 4 your replies all.keep smiling
Anonymous6372 said:
the life of its bbattery is not very good.it dies as soon as possible.and also the body if he cellphone gets dirty soon.
tanx 4 your replies all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems odd that you would say this while like nobody on the planet owns a final version yet. Second, neither the casing nor the battery are equal to that of the Diamond.
Differences: Diamond has a 900MAh battery and the HD has 1350MAh which is equal to that of the Raphael. This gives you 50% more power and according to the specifications this indeed results in the added 50% which I almost agree with. Almost being that the processor and radios are the same as on the Diamond so should consume the same amount of power and that would make 50% increase accurate. However the screen is so much bigger that I doubt it, I expect nothing more than an increase of 35% - 40% and still that's welcome.
Now that my Diamond is configured properly and has the latest software, battery consumption is much lighter and I can easily last a day and a half with it, using regular mailing, some internet and some calling. When only calling, it lasts me two days. Turning it off during the night ups it to three days. A 50% bigger battery would make it last over 4 days in that manner, let's say 2.5 at heavier usage.
Second difference is the back of the unit, which is mostly matte and not glossy, making it much less fingerprint prone (only the front side needs to be polished all the time lol). IPhone and many other touch phones get dirty just as easily. What do you prefer? A matte screen would look worse and scratch much easier because it has a texture.
Looks like avg pricing in the Netherlands will be around 570 euros, which is nice Somehow the Raphael sells for over 600 everywhere in the NL...
In Mexico it will cost $1,400US!!!!!! and it will arrive till next year........
I am sure not buying here.......I asked a friend travelling to London to bring me one cheaper.
If only HD can have a keyboard!!!!
$1400 us?! wow... Tough bargain I just updated the Centralpoint release date as it keeps being pushed (29 oct now contrary to the 21 oct initially), probably to trick people into preordering from them. I guess they won't ship before the first week of November either, like the other NL shops.
Is there any seller in Usa for this phone
thxs
ilordvader said:
Is there any seller in Usa for this phone
thxs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check here:
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Blackstone_Vendors
the blackstone is at 649,96 € on this french website : rueducommerce.fr/
it's not so expansive when you compare to the price of Xperia (780€)
orb3000 said:
If only HD can have a keyboard!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just what I thought, this device is absolutely perfect, will be the next Kaiser / Polaris (I think in terms of popularity they´re comparable).
If HTC just released a keyboard version as well...although, there´s the Touch Pro. And imagine, Touch Pro even bigger and heavier, wouldn´t even fit into my pockets *loool*
In Germany it will cost 619,- euros on Amazon.de
http://www.amazon.de/HTC-Blackstone...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=ce-de&qid=1223587885&sr=8-1
I sent my Touch Pro back, if I get my money back I will buy this one
m.schmidler said:
just what I thought, this device is absolutely perfect, will be the next Kaiser / Polaris (I think in terms of popularity they´re comparable).
If HTC just released a keyboard version as well...although, there´s the Touch Pro. And imagine, Touch Pro even bigger and heavier, wouldn´t even fit into my pockets *loool*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hahaha LOL
For me using a beautifull/solid/big brick Universal won`t be a problem!
Hope HD w/key can be a reality!
P.d. By the way, Uni fit on my back pocket
I got a Diamond and on that I could really like a keyboard, the additional RAM/SD card slot/etcetera but I liked the Diamond form factor so much I went for that. The Diamond however is very small and as such typing on a keyboard is much easier than on the screen.
The HD however, sports such a huge screen that there is much less need for a keyboard. Also, I think the target audience of the HD really differs from that of the Pro, it is much more iPhone-esque than it is a corporate tool.
for the last few weeks I've just been planning on getting it here: http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php?xProd=1464
£466.98 with US shipping (and tax) included.
what do you guys reckon this is in USD?
i gotta be honest tho, with a device:
being this fast,
having such a large screen,
having such a sharp screen, and
having such a sensitive screen....
so long as I keep using the skin htctoucher and i created for pcmk....i think I can honestly say that I will never even miss a hardware kb for a second.
I had a mogul for a while, then went to vogue (slow, unsensitive, small screen), and i only rarely wish i had a hardware keyboard...
jim256 said:
for the last few weeks I've just been planning on getting it here: http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php?xProd=1464
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you or anyone had experience importing RF devices into the states? I know the customs/FCC are very strict on importing such devices. I read somewhere someone (importer or exporter) need to declare the FCC ID on the form, if not the devices gets confiscated (that is, not returned to the sender). I am looking to import touch HD, but don't want to lose 800+ dollars.
buggybug0 said:
have you or anyone had experience importing RF devices into the states? I know the customs/FCC are very strict on importing such devices. I read somewhere someone (importer or exporter) need to declare the FCC ID on the form, if not the devices gets confiscated (that is, not returned to the sender). I am looking to import touch HD, but don't want to lose 800+ dollars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmmm no i personally have not looked into that, but I guess I will be before putting my order in! thx for the heads up
buggybug0 said:
have you or anyone had experience importing RF devices into the states? I know the customs/FCC are very strict on importing such devices. I read somewhere someone (importer or exporter) need to declare the FCC ID on the form, if not the devices gets confiscated (that is, not returned to the sender). I am looking to import touch HD, but don't want to lose 800+ dollars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best way to do that is asking a friend travelling to bring it for you, that way you don´t pay any cent.
Importing I´m sure depends of the qty. of devices you bring, if it´s only one, taxes won´t be that much. And US customs have a trusty/esay way of doing things.

Confirmation of UK specs

Quad-band 3G confirmed by Clove (this is from their blog post today)!
Samsung Galaxy S II UK Specs Confirmed: Exynos Chip & Quad-Band 3G!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
This has been a hot topic of conversation over the last month or so but finally we have confirmation of the Samsung Galaxy S II specs that remained to be clarified.
Having spoken to the UK Product Manager for the Samsung Galaxy S II, we can confirm that UK stock will ship with the following:
1. Samsung Dual Core Exynos CPU (not NVidia Tegra 2)
2. 3G frequencies are 850/900/1900/2100 (Quad band)
3. Display is Super AMOLED Plus
4. Box contents: Handset, battery, charger, USB cable, headset, Quick start guide.
If you have an outstanding pre-order with Clove for the SGS2, you will be receiving an email regarding this confirmation of spec within the next day or so and you will be given the chance to cancel the order if this is not the specification that you were hoping for. However, we hope that for the majority of you this will be good news and we look forward to shipping your order as soon as possible.
No memory card with it then?
well with internal memory of 16GB, do you really need to be that greedy?
OHDUSER said:
well with internal memory of 16GB, do you really need to be that greedy?
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Click to collapse
bro for the phone having hd recording facility and dvix xvid support, 16 gb is not enough
does anyone know if this beast supports sdxc?
Most important
No MHL cable inside? meh
rwc3b said:
does anyone know if this beast supports sdxc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, it would not fit inside... only microSD size supported (microSD and microSDHC)
kersh said:
Most important
No MHL cable inside? meh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they should so have this/// samsung is the greedy one here.
onbacardi said:
they should so have this/// samsung is the greedy one here.
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Click to collapse
Yes your are right, what is the point off 1080p video recording, if can not
project it to your 40" big screen. the nearest competitor LG O2X has hdmi cable
in the box.
DKMIK said:
Yes your are right, what is the point off 1080p video recording, if can not
project it to your 40" big screen. the nearest competitor LG O2X has hdmi cable
in the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
???
In NL you get:
-phone
-battery
-charger
-manual
that's it with LG X2
golf2vr6 said:
???
In NL you get:
-phone
-battery
-charger
-manual
that's it with LG X2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Norway both the Arc and the Optimus 2x comes with HDMI cable. The Arc even comes with a 16gb SD card.
That said, I don't care much whether or not these things comes with the Galaxy S II. If you can buy such an expensive phone, you should be able to afford some minor accessories.
sajadkhan806 said:
bro for the phone having hd recording facility and dvix xvid support, 16 gb is not enough
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It to be expected that they wont give a HDMI adapter or a MHL Cable. Samsung's alternate solution is to use their certified accessories such as the ones mentioned above.
Even if we can afford it, the problem is that no one have this cables in stock, and some others want a reasonable price, not 28pounds for a cable that the real value is 1$ and we will see months later on dealextreme, but not at the launch date.
Great to hear. Now all we need is confirmation that the bootloader can be unlocked.
No, I think this cable / adapter will be available in the UK region soon after the release of the device. Its the regions like Singapore, South Korea and India that will have to wait as no one will be wanting to spend 30-50$ on a cable to hook up to a TV...
Yes, its a great feature to have but the demand of it will be less, especially in India, hence the retailers will not care to order it right away.
Thank you OP. That certainly did make my day I already have preordered with them and this was exactly the specs I was hoping for. Now we only need to wait and see whether the bootloader is actually open.
side topic: whatever happened to the "thanks" button here on xda ?
Overlord Yuri said:
In Norway both the Arc and the Optimus 2x comes with HDMI cable. The Arc even comes with a 16gb SD card.
That said, I don't care much whether or not these things comes with the Galaxy S II. If you can buy such an expensive phone, you should be able to afford some minor accessories.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No if you buy an expensive phone you expect a decent set of accessories with it including a memory card.
Super Chimp said:
No if you buy an expensive phone you expect a decent set of accessories with it including a memory card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the more you pay the more u should get thats how i see it too
onbacardi said:
the more you pay the more u should get thats how i see it too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sometimes the retailers break the package and sell them (accessories) separately, but yeah, you get what you paid for
Lancez said:
sometimes the retailers break the package and sell them (accessories) separately, but yeah, you get what you paid for
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if i hear my retailer breaks my package and tries to squeeze more money out of me ill squeeze their necks until they say here just have it for free (complimentary)

Find 5 or HTC One

I'm looking into a new phone but I'm just not sure if I should get the Find 5 or One. The camera is not a deciding factor for me, battery would mean more. If I read right the Find 5 has a bigger battery, can I assume that means the Oppa also have better battery life?
My second sticking point is, are there any rumors for when 4.2.2 will be released for it?
Third is how is the support for T-Mobile HSPA+ and LTE?
I should go for the HTC One, BTW it will be better supported!
well i guess in the end its all about the price. the find 5 is way more reasonable, at least in europe
the battery might be bigger on the oppo but i think there are some issues with the battery management. thats just what i read in other threads and on the oppo forums - please correct me if im wrong...
i dont have my find 5 yet, but ordered one yesterday. i was unsure between those two as well, but eventually ordered the black find 5 since it will still take some time until the black htc One is on sale.
so if the oppo doesnt work for me i will sell it and get the me the htc one...
vfnk said:
well i guess in the end its all about the price. the find 5 is way more reasonable, at least in europe
the battery might be bigger on the oppo but i think there are some issues with the battery management. thats just what i read in other threads and on the oppo forums - please correct me if im wrong...
i dont have my find 5 yet, but ordered one yesterday. i was unsure between those two as well, but eventually ordered the black find 5 since it will still take some time until the black htc One is on sale.
so if the oppo doesnt work for me i will sell it and get the me the htc one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you buy Oppo find 5 in Europe? The only one I found in Europe is on amazon.co.uk and it costs 400£ . Did you manage to find it any cheaper ?
shem2409 said:
Where did you buy Oppo find 5 in Europe? The only one I found in Europe is on amazon.co.uk and it costs 400£ . Did you manage to find it any cheaper ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on their homepage oppostyle com the 32gb version for 569$ - they ship for free!! (express it says )
Did you have to pay customs etc? (it's shipped from Asia) Cause as far as I know that would add in excess of 20% (of value) to the phone price... And then it simply would not be worth the hassle with customs etc
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
shem2409 said:
Did you have to pay customs etc? (it's shipped from Asia) Cause as far as I know that would add in excess of 20% (of value) to the phone price... And then it simply would not be worth the hassle with customs etc
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes your right maybe its not worth it when extra fees are added...but sometimes you have to pay them and sometimes it just gets through without any extra costs.
i ordered mine two days ago so i hope i don't have to pay custom duties... but even with the 20% added its still about 50€ cheaper than the htc
- not that much but i was just curious and needed a phone...
aliexpress
You can buy Find 5 on Aliexpress for only 530$ btw
212th said:
You can buy Find 5 on Aliexpress for only 530$ btw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't recommend Ali
Sent from my Oppo Find 5
Hi Knitler,
In my opinion, the main drawback of the find 5 is its fragility.
The back side of the phone, despite it is very stylish and uncommon (but certainly not as much as the Htc one <3 ), has a very soft plastic.
I owned it since a few weeks and one thing I can say is i'm always trying to be careful on where I place it and how it stands on a desk.
Dust easily scratches the rear side of my poor Oppo and loves lodging into them, especially on the white model
And what is most frustrating than handling the Oppo like it would be a jewel !? Damn, it's just a phone !!
(so if you hesitate, chose the black one )
Otherwise, this smartphone is just a killer plaything
Regarding the battery side, I'm not shure a few milliamps would make the difference on a whole day. In both cases, you would have to charge it every day.
Another interesting point mentionned by brakke97, I believe the One will have a better support.
But, chose the HTC and you will have Mr Everyone's phone
Pixel69 said:
Hi Knitler,
In my opinion, the main drawback of the find 5 is its fragility.
The back side of the phone, despite it is very stylish and uncommon (but certainly not as much as the Htc one <3 ), has a very soft plastic.
I owned it since a few weeks and one thing I can say is i'm always trying to be careful on where I place it and how it stands on a desk.
Dust easily scratches the rear side of my poor Oppo and loves lodging into them, especially on the white model
And what is most frustrating than handling the Oppo like it would be a jewel !? Damn, it's just a phone !!
(so if you hesitate, chose the black one )
Otherwise, this smartphone is just a killer plaything
Regarding the battery side, I'm not shure a few milliamps would make the difference on a whole day. In both cases, you would have to charge it every day.
Another interesting point mentionned by brakke97, I believe the One will have a better support.
But, chose the HTC and you will have Mr Everyone's phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not fragile at all, it's very well built. Soft plastic does NOT make a phone fragile, it makes it impact resistant!
I hate how people constantly ignorantly bash plastic as a build material. Properly engineered plastics (as found in Samsungs and the Oppo) are more impact resistant and durable than any other material available for a phone. I speak this from experience - I would be blind in one eye if not for polycarbonate plastic's impact resistance.
I'd say find 5 if your on a budget,and HTC's aren't the best choice if battery life is a concern...
I would choose Oppo find 5. There are many updates from Oppo and the phone is fantastic.
I am sure HTC one will have great support, but what about the locked bootloader? You will lose warranty as soon as you unlock it. So think twice before you choose a phone. Oppo is budget phone while HTC is costlier one. I think we should encourage Oppo so that they will release much more devices in the future.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
To be honest I don't see how the price makes any difference here:
HTC One price 32gb (sim unlocked, bootloader locked )- 575$
64gb (sim and bootloader unlocked) - 650$
Oppo Find 5 16gb -500$ (but you can't really compare to any of the above due to storage)
32gb- 569$
So from what I can see the price difference is 6$ when comparing the 32gb units.
Now depending on where you live you might be able to get the Oppo Find 5 in your country or will need to get it shipped from Hong Kong as in the case of most of the world (including Europe) so you risk getting charged VAT (20% of value) and custom charges. In that case Oppo becomes significantly more expensive.
If you do live in the USA however then the decision between the two devices comes to personal preference. Both are great devices but do bare in mind that HTC One has the following advantages:
+Faster processor
+Higher Pixel density
+Aluminum unibody
+Possibly better developer support as most people will own the device (but you would have to buy the developer's edition to take full advantage of that)
As of now there are also other great devices on the market from China that might be worth considering as well such as Huawei Ascend D2. Alternatively you also have Xperia Z (which I currently own) and Samsung Galaxy s4.
To be honest I really wanted to buy the Oppo Find 5 here in Europe but due to lack of availability and the high import cost I have decided to choose something different. Buying a phone from Asia also will come with problems when servicing and looking for spare parts or accessories.
So summing up I don' t see the reason why anyone would opt for Oppo other than wanting to be unique. Don't get me wrong it is a great device indeed but it is just not competitive enough in the market right now. I wish that Oppo have released the device a lot sooner as I have been reading about since October 2012.
shem2409 said:
As of now there are also other great devices on the market from China that might be worth considering as well such as Huawei Ascend D2. Alternatively you also have Xperia Z (which I currently own) and Samsung Galaxy s4.
To be honest I really wanted to buy the Oppo Find 5 here in Europe but due to lack of availability and the high import cost I have decided to choose something different. Buying a phone from Asia also will come with problems when servicing and looking for spare parts or accessories.
So summing up I don' t see the reason why anyone would opt for Oppo other than wanting to be unique. Don't get me wrong it is a great device indeed but it is just not competitive enough in the market right now. I wish that Oppo have released the device a lot sooner as I have been reading about since October 2012.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got a chance to look at the Xperia ZL and HTC One (Xperia Z isn't available in the US Sony Store unfortunately)
Xperia ZL - don't know which version of the display I was looking at, but viewing angles are definitely inferior to the Oppo (washed out when you don't look straight into the display). It is smaller (basically size of Oppo minus the bottom white non-screen portion)
HTC one - display similar to Oppo, lighter, feels just as good build-quality wise
I just dislike HTC enough (from previous device Amaze 4G, and the craptastic Sense) to not buy phones from them anymore
battery life for Find5 - people say the CM10.1 experimental has way better battery life...
If I had to choose between the Find 5 and HTC One (with a fully working CM10.1 build on both), it's hard to decide... but now, Sense is enough to say no for me
I personally wanted a 5" screen as being 6'3 I have big hands. It is a fact that the viewing angles are not great. The screen does offer beautiful color reproduction though and Sony offers great developer support which the owners can benefit from. There is a few bugs that are still present that I hope that will be resolved with the update.
Coming back to Oppo 5, as I said it is a great device but due to lack of access to it/ price I went for Xperia Z. So far I am super happy with the phone but I like to try out new devices and would love to get my hands on HTC ONE 64GB Developer Edition. It's a shame it's only available in the US. ( the price is kinda steep though :-/ and I personally don't care about Boom Sound or Zoe) I have seen pictures of the aluminum unibody scratching easily as well ( but that could be the paid of Sammy fans...LOL) but I carry my phone in a hard case anyways.
Long story short if I were to buy a phone in the US I would for sure go for HTC ONE DE. Because I live in Europe I think that the Xperia Z is one of the best options here. You can also find it for much cheaper than HTC ONE as it has been out for a while already ( and you get water resistance, a camera which allows you to zoom in (ekhm... HTC one 4mp) and an sd slot (rare these days)
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
shem2409 said:
To be honest I don't see how the price makes any difference here:
HTC One price 32gb (sim unlocked, bootloader locked )- 575$
64gb (sim and bootloader unlocked) - 650$
Oppo Find 5 16gb -500$ (but you can't really compare to any of the above due to storage)
32gb- 569$
So from what I can see the price difference is 6$ when comparing the 32gb units.
Now depending on where you live you might be able to get the Oppo Find 5 in your country or will need to get it shipped from Hong Kong as in the case of most of the world (including Europe) so you risk getting charged VAT (20% of value) and custom charges. In that case Oppo becomes significantly more expensive.
To be honest I really wanted to buy the Oppo Find 5 here in Europe but due to lack of availability and the high import cost I have decided to choose something different. Buying a phone from Asia also will come with problems when servicing and looking for spare parts or accessories.
So summing up I don' t see the reason why anyone would opt for Oppo other than wanting to be unique. Don't get me wrong it is a great device indeed but it is just not competitive enough in the market right now. I wish that Oppo have released the device a lot sooner as I have been reading about since October 2012.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well 6$ difference is not correct. i did some reading and apparently oppo declares their packages as 150$ value. so you will have to pay about 30$ vat depending on where you live in europe.
so i paid 449€ paying with paypal, plus 23€ duty, means a total of 472€.
compared to the 599€ of the same sized Htc One.
just saying....
and at the moment the availability of the oppo is way better - in Austria at least.
but of course importing phone from asia from a "small" company can cause some problems and might be a bit risky
Without a doubt HTC one
Sent from my X909 using Tapatalk 2
once cyanogenmod 10.1 getting better on Find 5, I think it is more valuable to get a Find 5 than HTC one

My QWERTY replacement suggestions for the G2

Hello everyone,
I have been using the g2 for many years, probably used around 3 of them, however its hardware is aging and I have moved onto other devices, though I still keep my G2 as a backup phone. I am sure many of you here are die hard qwerty fans like me, and would apprecaite an upgrade, as such I decided to list a few phones that could be upgrades to your g2 below.
Phones I have personally used:
T-Mobile mytouch 4g slide
Specifications
Dev support for this device is pretty much dead, as the last active dev for it spoilt his phone, however there's still a 99% functional cm11(4.4.0) rom for it. This device feels really fast compared to the g2 and it is an overclock monster. Its keyboard doesnt feel as comfortable as the G2's, but it is still decent. You can easily unlock it and use it on any GSM network, it takes a mini sim and supports much higher 3g speed than the g2. It also has a removeable battery and sdcard slot.
Verizon Droid 4
Specifications
It has official cm11 support and an actively developed kernel. It is very fast thanks to its 1gb of ram, apps no longer get killed due to low ram. It has the best keyboard on the market, and once you've used it, there's no going back. It takes a micro sim and you can use it on any GSM network outside the US, with a few exceptions though. Unfortunately its battery is not removeable, however it does come with a sdcard slot and has 8gb internal storage. Used ones are dirt cheap on eBay.
You can choose the Droid 3 if removeable battery is a must for you, everything is the same as the Droid 4 except no ffc and a slower clocked cpu, and no LTE if you're using it on Verizon. It takes a mini sim
Blackberry Q10
Specifications
You are reading it right, yes, Blackberry. First of all, it has the fastest hardware among all the phones here, its OS is pretty much stock android with an overlay, and you can install just about any android app directly onto it (play store doesnt't work, so only sideload), so essentially it can be classifed as an android phone. It has a really good keyboard which is expected of a Blackberry, removeable battery and sdcard slot. If you want LTE you can just get the variant which works with your carrier's frequency.
Phone which I have not used myself
T-Mobile LG Optimus F3Q
Specifications
I can't comment much on this phone as I have not used it myself, it is currently only available through T-Mobile. It has the largest battery among all the phones here. As at the time of this post, it does not have a forum on xda, however, someone has managed to root this phone already (with a few hicups), you can read more about it here
I hope you guys will find this guide useful, it shall serve as my contribution to this forum as being on it for so long.
I didn't realize you can use the droid4 with most carriers, I take it you must unlock the sim though. Good to know thanks
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
T-Mobile MyTouch Q (LG c800)
T-Mobile MyTouch Q (Huawei u8730)
Samsung galaxy s relay 4G
Sony Ericson Xperia Mini Pro
Sony Ericson Xperia Pro
T-Mobile mytouch 3g slide
demkantor said:
I didn't realize you can use the droid4 with most carriers, I take it you must unlock the sim though. Good to know thanks
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do not need to perform any unlocking as long as your sim is not from a US carrier.
Ah but it is, T-Mobile
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
The Motorola Photon Q looks good as well, pretty good development as it has official PacMan and an AOSP ROM. Unfortunately I can't have any of these phones as I'd have to import them from America for lots of money. I'm might just be a traitor and get a non qwerty phone next as long as the screen is so big that typing isn't a problem. It'd be cool to get my hands on a HD2.
HTCDreamOn said:
The Motorola Photon Q looks good as well, pretty good development as it has official PacMan and an AOSP ROM. Unfortunately I can't have any of these phones as I'd have to import them from America for lots of money. I'm might just be a traitor and get a non qwerty phone next as long as the screen is so big that typing isn't a problem. It'd be cool to get my hands on a HD2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Photon Q does not have a sim card slot, you'll have to perform a hardware mod and it is quite tedious, however it is dirt cheap. A brand new in box one can be had for less than 90 usd. Personally I would suggest the droid 4 (or droid 3 if you want removable battery), a used one can be had for around 60 usd.
I was also forced to retire my G2 as it no longer charges right nor does it hold it charges even new batteries are being put in, plus it's getting so dangerously hot that I can no longer feel safe using it.
I am happy to say though that the LG Optimus F3Q by T-Mobile is a good replacement for the G2.
It's not the perfect replacement but it is certainly an improvement.
The keyboard layout is not as nice as the G2 as there is only one Caps key on the left instead on both side like on the G2.
The keypress feedback is also not as nice as the keyboard on the G2.
But everything else is almost an improvement. The Android run much smoother with 1gb of ram and the better processor.
However, like the G2, the F3Q is only useable if you root it and have Link2SD running on it plus the 2gb ext2 partition on the SD card as the internal memory is simply not enough for a practical android user.
Yes, for the same price of the F3Q, you can get a much faster phone with much bigger and better screen with double the rams and better looking phone like the Nexus5. That would be my choice of phone to get if I can give up the keyboard.
However if you need a GSM android phone with physical keyboard, the F3Q is really the only choice left for you.
I will be receiving a Droid 4 in a couple of days now. It is super cheap on ebay for a mint condition unit with a clean ESN, charger, battery, and back cover. I already purchased and transferred my number over to a MicroSIM that is currently in its non-punched SIM state, and when the Droid 4 is unlocked and I get SafeStrap running on it, I'll be just popping out the MicroSIM cutout and transferring it over to the new phone. I don't care if it runs the same version as the Desire Z, I just want a bit more ram, because the 384 or whatever is in the Desire Z is just not having it with 4.X ROMS. The 1GB on the Droid 4 should be plenty for testing new roms and whatnot.
Couldn't care less about the screen, to be honest.
The F3Q looks like the one to get because it's a SnapDragon processor, as opposed to an unsupported OMAP, but for the price, I went with the Droid 4, and will be trying that one out. Worst case, I just pop the sim card back into regular SIM punch-out, and tape the back of it so it doesn't move, then transfer it to the Desire Z again.
since the thread was brought back...
I have been looking for a replacement for my Desire-Z (AT&T sim) as well. running CM11 with little problems, but the phone is getting old. And im about out of memory no matter what i punt to SD.
got an XT860 (Droid 3), but its stuck at Android 2.3.4, so that was a no-go
using a Samsung Glide i927 right now.
- downsides:
stuck at Android 4.0.4. using anything else looks like it kills Bluetooth, camera and a few wifi issues.
no spell check/correction when using physical keyboard.
no physical notification lights (email/text/call)
no App to control "permissions" of other Apps (using AVG Tuner on DesireZ does this, need > Android 4.1 to get another App to do same)
that said it works well, but im not so sure I wont go back to desireZ do to stated limitations.
I had hopes the Droid 4 would get cracked for US/ AT&T but i dont see that happening.
a physical keyboard is not critical, but HUGELY important to me. I dont have feeling enough in my fingers most of the time to work the digital keyboard.
I went from the G2 to the Samsung Galaxy Relay 4G. As far as I am aware, it is the best QWERTY option available for T Mobile users.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s-relay-4g
We have our own forum, CM11 milestone release, somewhat working Lollipop ROMs available.
No way. The Droid 4 is a way better phone, specs wise. And after installing Lollipop today, I am a believer. It's the perfect replacement.
Snappy. Pretty good screen. Good Camera. Lots more ram. Accepts 64gb SDCard, and works on virtually all networks.
Safestrap is relatively easy to use, and with the Razr Utility, flashing to 4.1, rooting, and then installing safestrap 3.75 to install a loli rom is super easy.
Annnnnnd the one I got was 50 USD, and it was listed as MINT condition. When I got it, it was exactly as described. MINT. not a scratch on it.
Easily the best G2 replacement.
My only gripe is that the keyboard is a bit more tactile (I liked the subtle desire z keyboard), but it is larger and more roomy. the layout is also different, so it will take some getting used to. but it's waaaay brighter than the DZ keyboard anyways. which is a plus!
I've just realised that none of them is offered by my net provider in Poland.

Suspicious outrageously cheap LG G2 seller, legit?

As the title suggests,
Came across a company called cell-plaza on ebay who are based in Hong Kong selling lots of high end phones, all brand new, for what seems to be very cheap prices.
Details:
Description: NEW LG G2 D801 4G LTE Quad-Core 32GB 13MP Android Mobile Phone- Black (Unlocked)
Price: £141.00
Link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281435055233?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Has anyone had any experience with this company, or can you spot anything suspicious about them?
I've already made the purchase, hoping for the best.
I've been stung by clones & knock off's before, but I've never seen an LG G2 clone before.
Thanks.
If you read the negative feedbacks on ebay you foud that probably they sent you a refurbished phone and probably without warranty. But the price made the deal..
_____________________________________Read more write less and be smart
Hope it works out for you, man. The negative feedback is a bit discouraging, especially the one that says something about changing feedback in order to get refund!
But let us know how it works out for you. I'm thinking at worst (based on feedback) you have a 4 in 5 chance of getting a working phone.
Did it arrive?
Hi, did you receive this phone OK? I'm contemplating buying one myself.
Thanks
alot of negative feedback thats not good... before you flash anything search for refurbished thread and make sure oyu know wich model variant you get by looking on the motherboard otherways youll brick your phone if you wish to flash new rom even root i think..
that is the normal price of a SECOND hand G2 in my country.
gunna be selling my vs980 for 150 on ebay =D
siggey said:
If you read the negative feedbacks on ebay you foud that probably they sent you a refurbished phone and probably without warranty. But the price made the deal..
_____________________________________Read more write less and be smart
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
98.9% Positive Feedback
leethedon1 said:
Has anyone had any experience with this company, or can you spot anything suspicious about them?
I've already made the purchase, hoping for the best.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, now that I have received my G2 from them, I can share some of my experience. I live in USA and good ATT LTE performance is crucial to me. The company sold the ATT D800 version on ebay as new for about $165 bucks, which I think is a fair price for a previous generation fragship phone sold by a shoddy HK company considering that $200 buys me a brand new ASUS Zenfone 2 or Zenfone 2 Laser here in USA with full warranty and all.
The phone arrived two weeks later in the original cardboard packaging sealed in plastic. The phone case looked brand new, no scratches or any signs of use or abuse. I removed the back cover and looked inside. Inside was the original LG battery produced in 2013 and D800 printed on the case. The printed IMEI number matches what is reported by the software, and corresponds to the ATT D800 model. The phone works fine and has already installed two OTA updates, upgrading KitKat 4.4.2 to Lollipop.
Next, I installed the LTE discovery app to snoop around on which LTE bands my G2 is using. Depending on my location in the neighborhood, the bands were switching between Band 2 and the all-crucial Band 17, which confirms I indeed got the D800 for the ATT LTE network. Finally, I have run Geekbench 3 benchmark app repeatedly and the consistent scores of 900+ and 2500+ (single-core and multi-core) are in line with the benchmarks published in many online reviews of G2.
HOWEVER, the printed manual inside the box, talks about LG-P920 which corresponds to an entirely different LG phone, which does point to some kind of shoddy vendor activity.
Either way, I feel pretty happy having purchased an LG2 that looks like new and works like new for just $165 bucks. For me it's a stopgap phone until the Snapdragon 820 devices arrive. The only thing that disappoints me is having just 32GB of storage. I have a music collection that takes up something like 200GB in lossless format, and even converted to a high bit rate MP3, 32GB is just barely not enough. I wish there was an SD card slot. In retorspect, the SD801-based 64GB Oneplus One that's now sold for only $300 USD may have been a better choice. Also, the LG GUI is ok, but not as nice as the Cyanogen OS on a Oneplus One phone. The LG GUI looks ok, it is something like made by geeks, for other geeks. The poor wallpaper collection and the lack of themes is appalling, but fixable. The phone looks like a keeper to me. I look forward to testing the camera performance and trying Cyanogenmod.
Get yourself a tiny Micro sd card reader by Meenova for 10.00 and a 128GB Samsung Micro SDXC Card (can be found under 40 this week due to cyber Monday Week deals if you google slickdeals.net) and you'll be more than set!
I'm using the Samsung 64GB Pro Micro SDXC Card and its amazing.
Akopps said:
Well, now that I have received my G2 from them, I can share some of my experience. I live in USA and good ATT LTE performance is crucial to me. The company sold the ATT D800 version on ebay as new for about $165 bucks, which I think is a fair price for a previous generation fragship phone sold by a shoddy HK company considering that $200 buys me a brand new ASUS Zenfone 2 or Zenfone 2 Laser here in USA with full warranty and all.
The phone arrived two weeks later in the original cardboard packaging sealed in plastic. The phone case looked brand new, no scratches or any signs of use or abuse. I removed the back cover and looked inside. Inside was the original LG battery produced in 2013 and D800 printed on the case. The printed IMEI number matches what is reported by the software, and corresponds to the ATT D800 model. The phone works fine and has already installed two OTA updates, upgrading KitKat 4.4.2 to Lollipop.
Next, I installed the LTE discovery app to snoop around on which LTE bands my G2 is using. Depending on my location in the neighborhood, the bands were switching between Band 2 and the all-crucial Band 17, which confirms I indeed got the D800 for the ATT LTE network. Finally, I have run Geekbench 3 benchmark app repeatedly and the consistent scores of 900+ and 2500+ (single-core and multi-core) are in line with the benchmarks published in many online reviews of G2.
HOWEVER, the printed manual inside the box, talks about LG-P920 which corresponds to an entirely different LG phone, which does point to some kind of shoddy vendor activity.
Either way, I feel pretty happy having purchased an LG2 that looks like new and works like new for just $165 bucks. For me it's a stopgap phone until the Snapdragon 820 devices arrive. The only thing that disappoints me is having just 32GB of storage. I have a music collection that takes up something like 200GB in lossless format, and even converted to a high bit rate MP3, 32GB is just barely not enough. I wish there was an SD card slot. In retorspect, the SD801-based 64GB Oneplus One that's now sold for only $300 USD may have been a better choice. Also, the LG GUI is ok, but not as nice as the Cyanogen OS on a Oneplus One phone. The LG GUI looks ok, it is something like made by geeks, for other geeks. The poor wallpaper collection and the lack of themes is appalling, but fixable. The phone looks like a keeper to me. I look forward to testing the camera performance and trying Cyanogenmod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much for posting this and for following up with your findings.
I have a G3 on order from the same seller and started to worry after reading their negative feedback (also AFTER buying - which I would not normally do!).
I'll also post on here once I receive the LG G3 32gb to confirm that the phone received is the official LG Model or a replica, new or used and whether the phone is working as it should.
Thanks for the SD card suggestion too, I will have a look.
I was just looking at a G3 from them this morning. I'll be curious to hear about your experience.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk
The G2 is pretty old now despite the capabilities from it. I feel like the price they are selling it for is reasonable
I just purchased a vs980 from eBay for 89.99 and it is in perfect condition. It is refurbished but works like brand new
syrkles said:
I just purchased a vs980 from eBay for 89.99 and it is in perfect condition. It is refurbished but works like brand new
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
before flashing any rom makes sure you know exact variant or else youll brick phone.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g2/general/warning-to-people-bought-phones-ebay-t2991195
I got the G3 it is legit LG tested everything and its legit. A couple of things though.
Branded T-Mobile who have been EE for nearly 2 years?
Get alerts from T-Mobile saying 156mb update is ready but it just reboots and stays on 4.4.2.
It keeps on turning off and will come on again once I remove and re-insert the battery.
Currently debating whether to send it back for a refund or root to see if it fixes it!
Pryors said:
I got the G3 it is legit LG tested everything and its legit. A couple of things though.
Branded T-Mobile who have been EE for nearly 2 years?
Get alerts from T-Mobile saying 156mb update is ready but it just reboots and stays on 4.4.2.
It keeps on turning off and will come on again once I remove and re-insert the battery.
Currently debating whether to send it back for a refund or root to see if it fixes it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
theres a kdz file for marshmallow to update phone. maybe give that a try..do a search
Don't buy from them, they state 12 month warranty but after 3 months the screen died and they won't honor their warranty.

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