Related
I am a true lover of my HD2, but even if I find this device almost perfect I feel that it still has some parts that shall have been better.
That is why I am opening this topic. This post is not aimed at listing the HD2 problems, but rather evoke the ways to make our device even better, from the users' point of view, based on our experience.
So please, tell me what is your own point of view after several months of use.
For me, here are the items I find should have been better:
- Soft Reset 'red button' under the metal back cover: this is definitely so ridiculous. What did the HTC guys have in mind when they decided this?
- Camera: compared to other devices (e.g. Blackberry Bold) the quality of the camera on the HD2 is definitely very low. Especially if the light conditions are not perfect. I realized that I have now abandonned the idea to use my HD2 camera to take some pictures inside a home, or in the evening.
Why not a Carl Zeiss lens, and also a separate shutter button?
- Loudspeaker: the quality of the loudspeaker is low. I compared it with other devices and the one of the HD2 is not satisfying. A better one would make louspeaker phoneconversations better. Also, it's almost impossible to use the HD2 loudspeaker to listen to some music on a daily basis. It will just give you a headache, whereas with other phones it's really a pleasure to listen to you mp3s with the loudspeaker on.
- Some Manilla Menu could be improved: did you also notice that it is so difficult to exit from the Message Tab. You have to click on 'Back' before you can close the Message Tab. The same way, in the Comm Manager Tab when you click on 'Done' you would expect it would close the tab. But it doesn't. The UI shall definitely be more simple and intuitive. The same for the Ebook reader tab.
- Bugs on the FM Radio never solved: I know that some other users also reported this bug. Sometimes the FM Radio crashes. The radio skips, then the application crashes. More generally the radio reception is bad. I am shocked that ROM after ROM HTC was not in a position to solve these issues eventually.
- Battery life: this one is a big disappointment, probably the major one. On my HD2 battery lasts maximum 1 day and a half... But most of the time it lasts less than 1 day. I remember the old times when the battery life of my mobile phones could exceed 3 or 4 days. Of course smartphones are more complex and need a lot of resources. But it's the manufacturers' role to adapt the battery capacity to the device needs. Less than one day of battery life is not acceptable. 2 full days would be a minimum.
- Absence of decent internal Memory Storage (e.g. 32 Gb): I think it would be high time the manufacturers like HTC include a decent 32 Gb memory storage. It would avoid spend a lot of money on various SD cards. We would have a huge memory space that could be completed with a small SD card (2 or 4 Gb would then be enough). WHEN WILL HTC PROPOSE THIS ON ALL ITS TOP DEVICES ?
- The HTC Audio Player is so bad: I know that some people like it, but in my opinion the embedded audio player is crap. It takes too long to load, the library organization is a mess. It even includes my IGO audio files! Why HTC could not work hand in hand with great developers such as Kinoma or Corecodec?
- Lack of HTC applications : I know this is mainly due to WM 6.5. This OS is not so sexy anymore and developers prefere to focus on Android and IPhone. That is why I also think HTC should work hand in hand with soft developers to provide great HTC applications. For instance Sony with Southend: the best games on WM 6.5 have been created (Xtrakt, Experiment 13...).
Conclusion: finally I realize the HD2 is not a real multimedia smartphone as it has been introduced. On the contrary, Radio, Audio Player, Camera and Loudspeaker are almost the worst parts of the device. And many competitors do better. Therefore the HD2 is probably a great professional phone, but not a multimedia one.... Unfortunately...
But hey, don't misunderstand me. I really love my HD2.
Just hope all the issues listed above will be solved with the HD3
My experience with:
Camera: it doesn't take pictures like a digicam can, but its one of the better camera phones I have used from a smartphone. Its okay at best for me, but I don't really expect much from cam phones. Also have you tried any tweaks?
Loudspeaker: Don't really use it when playing Music. Like the camera, I don't really expect much from speakers of any phone.
Manilla Menus: I'm not really sure how you want to close Messaging Tab and Comm Manager Tab. Thats just one press. Do you mean you want it to go directly to Home page when you press "X" at the top right or Back button?
Internal Memory: Yes it would be much better if we can have more. But I think it would also cost us more if say the HD2 had 64gb internal mem.
Audio Player: Okay for me. Try 3rd party music players.
Edit: Yes, I also love my HD2
I agree with OP. The only bad issue that really bother me is the Audio Player: why the hell there's not any kind of SEARCH function? HTC failed hard here.
arturobandini said:
- Loudspeaker: the quality of the loudspeaker is low. I compared it with other devices and the one of the HD2 is not satisfying. Almost impossible to use the HD2 loudspeaker to listen to some music on a daily basis. It will just give you a headache, whereas with other phones it's really a pleasure to listen to you mp3s with the loudspeaker on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad that you can't use the loudspeaker to listen to music. There's a special place in hell reserved for people who do that.
Yes Audio and Video player of the HD2 for me is a big let down.
Audioplayer crashes and won't play any of your music if you happen to load in just 1 file that it don't like.
Videoplayer also sucks almost all files need to be converted to play nicely on the HD2 player (video/audio out of sync). No RMVB support.
Camera and Loudspeaker I dont have any complains, they work OK for me.
I would have to disagree with the HD2 cameras quality being low. I managed to take some pretty good pictures with it. While dark or light outside
I also would have to to disagree with the loudspeaker with the music. I came from a blackberry 9700 and a storm 2 and both of their loud speakers distort when turned all the way up. thankfully when someone calls, the ringtones sound crisp on the hd2
but the rest of the stuff i agree with you guys
I wish the text messaging is better then what is now
i love the hd2 too, although it gets annoying at times. i have to admit, i was going to buy the nexus one instead of the hd2, but the hd2's hardware is sexy. cant help it. XP
anyway what bothers me about it:
1.) camera. it does seem a bit grainy, ive seen phones with better 5mp cameras.
2.) wm6.5. the os is snappy, but at random times, i would be forced to take out the battery cause (either sense or windows mobile) freezes up. using the chuckyrom.
3.) loudspeaker, idk maybe its just the mp3s i choose but volume is low even on high. not really a problem since i leave it on vibrate.
4.) horrible battery life. i use my phone a lot. i have my emails/calendars synced to it. let me just say i couldnt last a day without having to plug it into charger (using 3g). i made a test actually, i left around 2pm today to go to the beach, so i turned 3g off and pretty much left it in my backpack. a few hours later (around 10pm) it had around 65% battery left, so that was a shocker.
5.) music player. too slow for my tastes. im an ipod user so u can say my ipod spoiled me.
but still even with these problems, im happy with my sexy hd2. i'd go for the evo but i cant go cdma yet since i travel a lot so i need gsm phones.
- Absence of decent internal Memory Storage (e.g. 32 Gb): I think it would be high time the manufacturers like HTC include a decent 32 Gb memory storage. It would avoid spend a lot of money on various SD cards. We would have a huge memory space that could be completed with a small SD card (2 or 4 Gb would then be enough). WHEN WILL HTC PROPOSE THIS ON ALL ITS TOP DEVICES ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can only agree on THAT.
For the rest: the HD2 is already perfect as a WM-device could be. Always mind: most restrictions are caused by WM, BUT: XDA-dev. overcome almost ALL probs (like I have no probs anymore since netdrg-TCMPM runs on my HD2).
For batt-life and loudspeaker: it´s just a question of simple physics: the more powerful the circuits/processor/speaker etc. the more battery-power is consumed. For heavy use we have the extended batt.
Camera: we do have a small pc in our hands and not a camera that also works as a little pc. Camera is a little gadget I take but it definitely was/is not the reason to buy a PDA. For very good photos I have my digicam.
Last but not least: of course You can always use even better components for assembly but are we willing then still to pay the price ? (Yeah, for me I would ! Now! But what if get unemployed next year ? )
I made a guy build me my Sony Vaio TT91 according to my wishes (SSD´s etc.) but had to pay double the prize of the serial-Vaio TT
Real life means: HTC has to calculate and research the compromise of customer needs, parts available and affordability at a given time (beginning 2009) to issue a new device (HD2) by end of 2009, but unfortunately by the middle of 2010 new cheaper and better parts would be available at the same cost.
That is living at the edge of technology at a given time. So we will see the HD3, HD4 or whatsoever, we will see micro pcs from HTC with flexible screens, LED-projectors and sound projectors integrated, we will see HDs with full voice-steering based on quantum-chipsets and laser diodes, we will see HDs transferring the screen-contents into eye-lenses running on batteries that are smaller than a finger nail lasting almost forever...........
BUT NOT NOW !
k20a1 said:
I would have to disagree with the HD2 cameras quality being low. I managed to take some pretty good pictures with it. While dark or light outside
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really ? It seems to me that other phones have a better camera than my HD2. I tried a lot of different settings.
For instance, a friend of mine made a video with his Bold 9700 of a live concert at night (worst conditions ever: dark, lot of sudden flash lights, etc...) and I was really amazed by the quality of his video.
---
To revert to the general specifications, I think that the manufaturer who will propose a Windows Phone already including 32 Gb of memory + minimum 2 days of battery life will do a major hit.
Running out of storage, or having my HD2 turn off at the end of the afternoon is something I hate.
All the smartphones currently proposed on the market are basically the same. But they all miss MEMORY / Long BATTERY LIFE.
Which manufacturer will finally decide to make the difference? I hope it will be HTC.
I have never liked the idea of have a large amount of memory in a phone, it makes it expensive and you can't just take it with you when you upgrade, i prefer a memory stick tbh.
NitrousB said:
I have never liked the idea of have a large amount of memory in a phone, it makes it expensive and you can't just take it with you when you upgrade, i prefer a memory stick tbh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But we can also expect that the costs will considerably decrease once the 32 gb are included in all devices.
Also, memory is so expensive because manufacturer like Sandisk or Kingston has to hold 32 Gb of memory in such small microSD cards. It makes no sense.
Regarding the upgrade, you are right. But you will have the possibility to transfer all your files to your new phone via your PC.
All the points mentioned before are not so important to me, in general I am very happy with the HD2 except for the GSM reception...my HD2 has a poor gsm reception. tried different radio roms but it does not really make a difference. When I am away for work I am using another phone, which was not the idea when I bought the HTC...
Cfds,
Did you try Radio 2.09.50.29 ?
It's the one I'm using in France (Orange network) with my Miri ROM, and it works perfectly.
So far the best Radio I've tried.
What shouldn't change:
1. the form factor.
2. integrated multi-touchscreen, 3g, WiFi, Bluetooth, G-sensor, Compas, GPS module, speaker.
3. great gps module. No complaints so far with regards to function and reception
4. Hardware buttons.
5. Replacable battery.
What should change:
1.Wacom active digitizer technology added to the current capacative screen
2. A better, prefereably stereo speaker for better speakerphone conversations.
3. A manual configurable secondary microphone on the back for better speakerphone conversations
4. Better and more creative use of the G-sensor for tool applications.
5. Missing a seperate camera shutter button for taking pictures. The button on the screen is bad ergonomics and often causes blurry images because of the pressing of the button on the screen. Focus is lost and the camera moves while taking the snapshot.
6.increased battery capacity. 1300 mAh for a smarphone like the HD2 is a joke.
7. a camera with a carl zeiss lens.
8. the dual LED flash is fine, but in my currrent experience with the HD2 too close to the lens.
9. a protected cover for the audio and microusb port
10. make mini usb the standard. My experience with microusb thus far, is that it is a niche connection. A lot of other productions, even accessories of the HD2 still have mini usb plugs. The also feel much sturdier, and I've got a lot of them at home.
11. Major software creativity for the HD2 that work. There are currtenly several good programs out there. Unfortunately, many work with great ideas seperately. If some would combine creative ideas, I believe you would have a more complete, functional and great product for consumer use.
12. That someone could make an easy program to make your own software using building blocks. I have some ideas, but are ever put on hold due to the complex nature of writing code and debugging, of which I know a little but have no further experience of.
I think, though that if inking could be revived, the phone would be more complete. I'm thinking about the microsoft courier idea put into the HD2 (with a proper pen stylus and not a pogo or dagi stylus).
arturobandini said:
Cfds,
Did you try Radio 2.09.50.29 ?
It's the one I'm using in France (Orange network) with my Miri ROM, and it works perfectly.
So far the best Radio I've tried.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am running radio rom 2.09.51.03_2...at home its ok, phone works ok and the battery lasts about 3.5 to 4 days but abroad its changing/searching networks all the time and drains my battery in 1.5 days...I can compare the reception with an another phone at the same places and the HD2 just has a weak gsm...Its a shame that my iPhone beats the HD2 if it comes to reception quality...
With regards to people's comments about the on-screen camera button, did you know that you can hold down the on-screen shutter button and the camera will refocus and then take a shot? I find it much more stable that just tapping the button. With that in mind, I've never felt the need for a dedicated camera button on the phone. I agree that, the camera quality is not amazing, and even though I have a decent camera for taking shots, I have felt a bit disappointed with the image quality of the HD2 in comparison to my X1.
The speakerphone could also do with improvement - although I never use it for music, there is a lot of distortion during calls, even when quiet.
I agree that battery life is not fantastic (my X1 used to last several days), but then again, with such a beautiful screen and powerful hardware what do you expect? The EVO 4G needs to be recharged every day and so do the Nexus One and the Desire (just done a quick google). I can live with that.
I don't like the placement of the audio connectors at the bottom. Would have preferred it at the top to make it easier to use in my car!
I think that's all my gripes hardware-wise - I love the form factor and so far the performance of the phone has been great.
With regards to software, there are lots of enhacements that could be made, but I'll just wait for Windows Phone 7 or jump to Android. It's a shame that I'm in the UK because otherwise I would have definitely gone with the EVO 4G - same great hardware but Android - that's the perfect phone! At least until we see how WP7 is like...
--Amr
I love my HD2. It is a great communications device. Internet browsing, Exchange Support and the gorgeous screen are the things I love most. I have Pocket Player installed for listening to music, which is really great. Video Playback could've been better but with the right encoding, watching films is a great experience. Battery life isnt that bad and I always get through the day. As with any Windows Mobile device, it needs customization but if someone gives the device the time it deserves, the HD2 is a great phone. (but not for the average consumer)
amrbekhit said:
... I agree that, the camera quality is not amazing, and even though I have a decent camera for taking shots, I have felt a bit disappointed with the image quality of the HD2 in comparison to my X1...
--Amr
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bizarre! The camera on my X1 was awful, as a result I hardly ever used it. It was very laggy, photos were grainy even in good light and often blurred.
In contrast, the camera on my HD2 produces really good photos, with little lag, quickly and of decent quality.
Guys, you should use Windows Media Player 11 (the one that comes with Windows 7) to sync your music. I use that, have like 9 GB of music on my HD2 and it's blazing fast, doesn't take ANY time to load.
Actually I like the music player because of its ability to create playlists and it has pretty much everything you need.
I don't know which Radio ROM I have, but I don't experience the problems you and I (with an earlier ROM) had anymore.
You list some other valid points though.
This might be a hard forum to get an objective list of Pro's and Con's of the Epic 4G, but I am seriously thinking of getting this phone as it seems to be a beast. Any help is appreciated on what you think are the good poitns and maybe some cons with this phone as well. I am NOT in a 4G area yet, hopefuly by Feb they are estimating so that is not goign to be a benefit for me. I know the Transform came out for people not in the 4G area, but if i am going to get 4G soon then I would want a capable 4G phone. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advanced
Cons:
- The GPS is so bad (even with workarounds) that I can't rely on it. I use a garmin GPS when I need something reliable.
- The keyboard could be better....
- The slide mechanism is sloppy. The phone never feels solid when I hold it. I'm always nudging the screen over a little when I'm holding it. Pressing the power button slides it a little. I can wobble the screen when it's just sitting still. Build quality is low overall.
- Button 4 capacitive buttons are annoying at best.
- Phone has VERY little internal storage compared to some other phones out there. I fill it up so fast and always have to uninstall stuff.
- Battery drains very fast. My solution is just to keep a spare battery on me. They're pretty small and when I'm home, i can charge the spare in a separate wall charger. I never actually plug my phone in to charge it.
- No known date for Froyo... but Samsung has done a pretty okay job at fixing problems with the phone. Still no GPS fix... and that is pretty major.
- 3G download\upload speeds are slower than the EVO's (and other phones, I'm sure). Wifi range is also lower than some other phones I've used.
- Lacks the core developer support of some other phones like the EVO
Pros:
- Very sexy phone.
- It has a keyboard... which I almost require. I love having it as an option.
- The processor is the fastest out there so far (that I'm aware of). The GPU can also process 90 million triangles per second. The next best thing can process 41 million. UI is smoother than anything I've used thus far (I use Launcher Pro... so Touchwiz performance is irrelevant to me).
- The screen is gorgeous when you sit it side by side with any other phone
- The phone includes codecs for watching xvid, divx AVI movies, as well as 720\1080p MKV movies (if you can fit them on whatever SD card you have). This is one of my favorite features, as I watch a lot of movies on my phone
- Call quality (sound) is great
In spite of all the flaws, it's still my favorite phone EVER.
There are already a couple of threads like this, I suggest u read those, also engadget has a thorough review. Pc world named the epic #1 phone. I'm not in 4g area and still love this. My dad and sis have evos and those are nice phones too, but I personally prefer the epic bc of screen, keyboards (swype and hard keyboard), and built in support for many type of videos files so no converting needed like for evo.
Sent from my Epic 4G
I haven't had any gps issues, but I hear gps issues are very common, captivate I believe got a gps fix so hopefully epic gets one soon. i
Sent from my Epic 4G
CON:
-I can't connect it to my Mac, OSX does not recognize the phone
-Battery life is bad
-Dev community not as big as the Evo
PRO:
-Love everything about the phone.
-Screen
-Is very very fast
-Keyboard
Dev coomunity growing, and u should put ubuntu on that mac. Lol
Sent from my Epic 4G
JGeZau said:
-I can't connect it to my Mac, OSX does not recognize the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried using a different usb port? if its a desktop maybe a back port..Cause people were definitely able to connect it to their Macs.
Pros: everything!!! My Slider mechanism work great. No wobbles feels secure,sexy look and screen, gps works great for me inside and out. MobileAP,BatteryMod all all pros. This phone is fantastic to me no issues so far and i have not needed to replace it once.
Cons: Battery Life
Cons
- my biggest by far is the build quality of the slider mechanism. Its so wobbly that i opted for a case, which fixes it but now the phone is huge.
- battery in general. From the wonky battery display to the fact that i can't get it to charge up to 100% (98 is the highest i ever got it). I can easily get a full day out of it so i don't mind the battery life too much.
- phone is rather large
Pros
- beautiful screen
- the physical keyboard
- the raw speed of the proc. Opening and closing apps is really fast. In fact everything is really fast.
- the GPU. I've stated before i'm really anal about scroll speed. Not sure if it's a GPU or CPU thing but i love how silky smooth the UI is (Launcher Pro, altho i did use touchwiz for awhile and that was real smooth too).
- //edit i almost forgot. The camera is great. (video and still)
I don't use GPS so i'm not sure how much of an issue that is. All in all i really like the phone, but if the build quality was just a bit sturdier i'd absolutely love it. The battery stuff i can live with altho i think it would be nice if i didn't have to do airplane toggle and DRM kill everytime i turned my phone off and on.
I guess I'm lucky I don't have anyof those problem and since I did the skyfire flash fix the phone seems to even faster and now flash works
Best phone I've used kepping me from leaving sprint
sent from my epic 4g with no 4g
I keep seeing people with GPS issues, except me. My GPS works fine, no issues here.
Con is definitely battery life on 3G (battery drain) which is odd because other Sprint 3G phones i've ever had never JUST drained battery while on 3G, and failure to mount on my Mac no matter what USB port i try. Have resorted to using Websharing via WiFi to transfer files over. Keyboard slider could be tighter and more solid.
Screen is very nice (even on lowest brightness), speaker and ear piece volume is very solid.
Camera and camcorder, very solid as well, best camera i've used on a mobile so far.
Video codec support out-the-box is great (but mvideoplayer is the best). 5.1 surround sound via headphones is great too.
It took me a little while to get the epic figured out.
However with the latest update + disabling DRM + airplane mode I am pretty darn happy with it!
My dad has an evo and I've traded phones with him for 3 days this week. My 30th day is today and I am not going to be bringing it back. While his screen is bigger.......holding them side by side....the epic just destroys the colors and the black level which is a MAJOR THING for me.
JGeZau said:
CON:
-I can't connect it to my Mac, OSX does not recognize the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have my phone plugged into my roomie's mac right now. I recognizes it as mass storage, and I can interact with the phone via adb. I don't know much about OSX, but all I needed to do on my pc was update the SDK to get the galaxy drivers. I don't know what my roomie did to get this working with the mac. I'll ask him when he gets home and we'll write up a guide or something.
Sent from my Epic using XDA App.
Cons:
* Lots of little workarounds are needed to solve some common issues - hopefully future updates will fix all of these issues, but there is no guarantee.
* Keyboard has some layout quirks that I find annoying (smiley button instead of an "@" button, comma on the wrong side of the space bar, etc.)
* Super AMOLED screen is overkill and sucks juice like a mofo.
* I haven't been impacted by this yet, but yes the phone has less storage than others. I have about 30 apps installed and still have room for more so I don't know how much a phone really needs, but yes the Epic has less storage.
* People seem to have trouble hearing me on the speakerphone. I need to test this a bit to find out why.
* Not specific to the Epic, but I find claims of its camera quality to be greatly exaggerated. I have a digital SLR, a Canon pocket camera and my Epic... the Epic is nowhere near either of the other two in picture quality, and in fact is only marginally better than my Samsung SGH-A707 from like 6 years ago. The sensors on phones are just too small. I still have to carry around a real camera.
* The build is a bit plasticky, and judging from the experience of others, the QC is a little inconsistent.
* GPS can take a long time to lock. Once it's locked, though, it stays locked. It's not unusable like some people make it out to be.
Pros:
* It's fast.
* The screen is beautiful, even if it does suck juice. It's better than the iPhone's retina display, IMO. It's almost jarring how beautiful it is, and the fact that there's absolutely no contrast rolloff at extreme angles.
* The keyboard feels great, even if its layout is a bit wonky. Also, it has a real number row, which some other keyboard phones lack.
* My hinge mechanism, at least, is very tight, and it opens and closes with a satisfying "clunk".
* Front facing camera.
* Battery life - for me this is actually a pro! You need to tweak some things, but it's easily possible to get 48 hours out of the Epic battery. Other people have posted screenshots of that here, and I've done it too. It won't be that way out of the box, but that's just one of the things about this phone - you gotta learn some tricks to milk it.
* Call quality is really good, for me. Compared to my old HTC Fuze, it was like talking on a land line the first time I made a call on my Epic.
* I like TouchWiz. It's possible to use LauncherPro or even stock (once you install LauncherPro, you have the option to use the stock interface), but I found LP to be kind of buggy and stutter-prone, and I felt pretty lost with stock. TouchWiz is pretty unobtrusive except that it just organizes things a little better.
That's about all I can think of...
Cons:
1) poor GPS on all Epics
a) accuracy reporting bug
b) poor SNR meaning less likely to get lock than other Smartphones
c) AGPS cache bugs
2) worse battery life than Evo, without root or half a dozen user interventions to toggle airplane and remove drm
3) decent but not top of the line speaker phone and speaker
4) less than average reception (tested with two other sprint phones at fringe of reception in outer banks and with airave walkaway tests)
5) bulk
Pros:
1) Beautiful, if a bit over-saturated, screen
2) processor Speedy as heck
3) GPU
4) 4G speeds - 4G speeds -- SWEET 4G speeds
5) although I am using keyboard less than I expected, there is at least once a day when it would be a complete PITA not to have it.
I disagree with most of the claims of bad battery life. While the 3g browsing times are a bit disappointing, I contend that it was on par with what the EVO delivered (I had both phones). I have no problem getting through a full day on medium usage with my phone.
I agree with the reception issues. I also agree that the GPS isnt as accurate as other smart phones.
I dont have any problems connecting to my mac though. Not sure why others are...
I agree with all the pros here.
The only time I have ever had a problem with GPS was when it was piss pouring rain outside and it took ~1 minute to lock - otherwise it takes about 15 seconds or so to lock a set of birds. No great, but its definitely livable. The only other issue I run into is battery life - but thats not a complaint. I ask my phone to do everything but wipe my arse for me, and would if it wouldn't smell bad afterword.... I just keep a charge in my car and at home and work and charge it when it gets around 50%.
A couple of things that do irritate me are Music and Camera apps (native ones) won't open if the battery does get low...and damn it I want to take pictures every time I do let it get low...irony...
My slider is flawless and tight, sometimes to tight since I have some hand issues and can't work it with my right hand well. Swype is also pretty sweet when I remember I have it and I don't have to tap.
All in all, I loooove the phone and its the best thing I have ever purchased. Still glad I paid $600 for it. I can't even use my wife's hero any more its just way too small.
AT&T's inability to send me the desktop dock on time has me with --- just a phone. That being said there are a few things like and dislike.
***Like
- Call quality has been crystal clear for me. Everything is loud enough etc.
- The screen while not very vivid, is very accurate for me. Flesh tones look great.
- Flash finally plays flawlessly
- Added security of a finger print scan has been pretty good
***Cons
- Camera is flat out horrible. No excuse for this. Compared to the iPhone, its a webcam... Compared to the captivate its also a piece of junk.
- The power button is NOT very convenient for waking the phone up. They need to give the ability to use the volume rocker to wake it from sleep. There is an app on the store that does this, but you have to pay for it and its pretty quirky with the finger scanner.
- The UI animations are flat out brutal. You cant run any 3D animation dock without severe slowdown. You also cant run live wallpaper without a huge fps hit which on a dual core phone is unacceptable.
- Battery life calculated by 10% so you can never really gauge your battery life on the fly. This was probably to cover their tracks because the phone is a battery hog.
- added hacker security means no custom kernels. Which is a shame because XDA makes far better kernels than any company out there. The phone could be so much, but Moto decided to make it so little.
---------
Summary - the phone is great at porn and phone calls... Pretty much sucks at everything else. Contemplating returning it depending how much I like the dock.
Hey!
Phone finally arrived after 2 months of waiting. First impressions are as follows (updated in the future as more impressions come):
The PROS
- Very nice looking device, great build, no gaps in the corners. BUT: the usb flap aluminium colored bit doesn't align perfectly to the rest of the frame. A minor bummer.
- Everything is very fast, nice UI. Easy to use little apps and everything just so well done. Would've preferred the old pull down menu where you got some buttons straight away. Is this changeable?
- Sounds are very nice for a phone. BUT, how do I get earphones to work? I tried the noise cancelling phones and they worked fine. Then I switched to my hi-fi headphones and they didn't work. After that even the original HPs didn't work. What to do?
- Nice notification LED
- Dedicated camera button much appreciated! Makes life so much easier.
- Nice camera as well, compact-like, although shooting could be faster. Photo preview is very fast. No gripes with automation even in dim lighting, works well enough and very nice auto white balance.
- Love the gallery, video and music players. (SGS 3 sucked in comparison)
- Double tap to wake works like a charm (always when properly done, not when too sloppy).
- Overall a very nice phone and will be cherished for years to come.
The CONS
- Minor flaw that doesn't bother me after I've gotten to actually use the device: SIM-card tray is wayyyy flimsy. Good that you get to play with it often.
- I can't charge the phone from usb, so why is it an USB cable?
- Con that doesn't really have to do with the phone itself but the aftermarket screen protector: Its too long for the screen glass. Nillkin glass and plastic back protectors both too long. I also suspect that the sound is affected because it blocks part of the speaker openings. Tough to say for sure.
- Headphones don't work...
Questions:
1. Is it really true that I need to charge this through the wall socket!? No usb charging? Doesn't work on my laptop(s). Can't even connect for data transfer...
2. Anyone else with the Nillkin glass screen protector got it too long? Mine goes over the glass, onto the plastic and it leaves two areas that don't touch the screen in the corners.
3. How can I get a direct call (no call & message, only call) contact "widget" to put on one of the home screens?
4. Headphones, how to get them to work? (see description above)
Update: The headphones do work, it was just not consistent. I think it has to do with the connect activation thing. The noice canceling IEMs are nearly as good as my own IEMs... Go figure. Quality stuff anyways.
My Z2 DOES charge through USB from PC..
I can also charge from USB. Maybe the connection is loose. For the headphones, you need to insert it properly because it's a 5 pin socket. There is a widget called Top Contacts, you can try that if it works for you.
SuperMarioGalaxy said:
2. Anyone else with the Nillkin glass screen protector got it too long? Mine goes over the glass, onto the plastic and it leaves two areas that don't touch the screen in the corners.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get the L50T version? Of so, it's for the Chinese version which is a bit longer than the international Z2 (L50/W). I ordered the wrong one first from dx-box, but luckily I read on the accessories section about this problem and had time to order the right one before I recieved my phone.
davidian666 said:
Did you get the L50T version? Of so, it's for the Chinese version which is a bit longer than the international Z2 (L50/W). I ordered the wrong one first from dx-box, but luckily I read on the accessories section about this problem and had time to order the right one before I recieved my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think you. I didn't even know about this. Now ordered the right one.
If Anyone Who doesn't have the phone has any questions, I can try to answer them.
goodpenguin said:
I can also charge from USB. Maybe the connection is loose. For the headphones, you need to insert it properly because it's a 5 pin socket. There is a widget called Top Contacts, you can try that if it works for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The headpnoes were a software issue I guess, since it had trouble with both headphones.
Top contacts that's in the phone (I got it in finnish so I don't know if its the same)? It doesn't have direct dial I'm afraid but I use it for now.
Still looking for direct dial widget that can do separate mini icons for direct call and messages. Also, where can I access the gesture options? I want to be able to make a call by taking the phone to my ear.
Edit: Found the direct dialing and messages. Found in apps, not widgets, which I found a little odd.
SuperMarioGalaxy said:
Also, where can I access the gesture options? I want to be able to make a call by taking the phone to my ear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Settings -> personalization -> motion. But you can't make a call, only answer, reject and mute.
Headphones don't work
Ok now this is really starting to bug me. I went for a 5km run and the headphones didn't work. I couldn't even go get the noice canceling ones because I didn't start from home. Fine run and got so much out of it because I didn't have music, but in the future I would like to decide for myself if I want to listen to music.
So only the 5-pin noice canceling headphones work anymore. What do? And please don't suggest to use them.
SuperMarioGalaxy said:
Ok now this is really starting to bug me. I went for a 5km run and the headphones didn't work. I couldn't even go get the noice canceling ones because I didn't start from home. Fine run and got so much out of it because I didn't have music, but in the future I would like to decide for myself if I want to listen to music.
So only the 5-pin noice canceling headphones work anymore. What do? And please don't suggest to use them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Return the phone.
thegrants82 said:
Return the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Freaking. Way. There has got to be a solution for this. One thing that crossed my mind was moisture...
SuperMarioGalaxy said:
The headpnoes were a software issue I guess, since it had trouble with both headphones.
Top contacts that's in the phone (I got it in finnish so I don't know if its the same)? It doesn't have direct dial I'm afraid but I use it for now.
Still looking for direct dial widget that can do separate mini icons for direct call and messages. Also, where can I access the gesture options? I want to be able to make a call by taking the phone to my ear.
Edit: Found the direct dialing and messages. Found in apps, not widgets, which I found a little odd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh, you mean the phone icon? Yup that's an app. I thought you wanted the widget so i recommended the Top Contacts.
goodpenguin said:
Ahh, you mean the phone icon? Yup that's an app. I thought you wanted the widget so i recommended the Top Contacts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I didn't mean the phone icon, that's default on bottom bar. I wanted direct dialing to a person. That is found under apps - quickies - call shortcuts.
It was a widget on my old phone.
New phone on its way because headset doesn't work. Hope it doesn't have any other faults...
So some remarks:
I like Z2 very very much, another year or more with it
The Z2's size is perfect for me. Bacause of the round edges the handling is a bit better than Z.
I like the buttons as well. I love the camera button.
The screen is amazing. Although with today's technology the difference between Z and Z2 (different generations with Z1 between them and over a year between them..) is not THAT big.
If you look straight it is on a similar level although Z2 looks more detailed and natural. But Z is a bit brighter.
The angles are different of course when Z2 doesn't lose anything under any angle and Z does lose it's colour.
But honestly, I couldn't care less about that.
The sound is great through speakers and it's not very quiet but not totally loud either.
I must say the level is ok. The ringtones I use sound loud enough here (I actually use the ringtones bundled with Z2...)
The call quality works for me ok with a more bassy tone than Z...
Funnily for the first time I turned this Clear Audio + off - it doesn't really add anything to the sound.
I prefer eq + subbass regalation.
The UI is great and default apps are fantastic.
With two annoying glitches:
- email is still allowing to have only 200 emails on device even with IMAP, IDIOTIC I would say
- on my FW I cannot add Tasks in Calendar since no keyboard appears. I don't use them anyway but it's just a stupid bug.
The system is flying. The Z and Z2 comparison looks interesting, since Z with 2GB RAM always has about 650MB left,
and Z2 with 3GB RAM after 2 days has about 1GB left. It doesn't matter maybe but lol.
Anyway Z2 is just a bit faster and smoother.
But I also have to say that the technology today is on a very high level.
What means I could actually stay with Z for another year without feeling beeing behind in any way.
Just the geek inside me wanted me to be updated. And I have no regrets.
What else? Ask.
But I think THE CAMERA IS FANTASTIC.
P.S.
Just bought this in Carbon and it's great!!!
http://www.roxfitstore.co.uk/xperia-z2-book-case/
I agree with above in 100% and I think it is worth to say a word about battery. For me it was one of big decisive feature. It is a beast, in my situation bigger battery means 1 day more of common use which is 50 or 33% more.
Ah - uncovered headphone connecor - flap in Z drove me crazy
Glad to come back to Sony again. I had Z1 then note 3 then finally to Z2. A lot of improvements from Z1 either hardware or software wise! But I'll definitely miss the remote function.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
doministry said:
So some remarks:
Funnily for the first time I turned this Clear Audio + off - it doesn't really add anything to the sound.
I prefer eq + subbass regalation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had to quickly reply to this. For me, the Clear Audio brings great clarity to call quality. It doesn't change music quality for me, but the call quality it brings is very nice.
SuperMarioGalaxy said:
Had to quickly reply to this. For me, the Clear Audio brings great clarity to call quality. It doesn't change music quality for me, but the call quality it brings is very nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah ok. Haven't tested this in this regard.
doministry said:
So some remarks:
I like Z2 very very much, another year or more with it
The Z2's size is perfect for me. Bacause of the round edges the handling is a bit better than Z.
I like the buttons as well. I love the camera button.
The screen is amazing. Although with today's technology the difference between Z and Z2 (different generations with Z1 between them and over a year between them..) is not THAT big.
If you look straight it is on a similar level although Z2 looks more detailed and natural. But Z is a bit brighter.
The angles are different of course when Z2 doesn't lose anything under any angle and Z does lose it's colour.
But honestly, I couldn't care less about that.
The sound is great through speakers and it's not very quiet but not totally loud either.
I must say the level is ok. The ringtones I use sound loud enough here (I actually use the ringtones bundled with Z2...)
The call quality works for me ok with a more bassy tone than Z...
Funnily for the first time I turned this Clear Audio + off - it doesn't really add anything to the sound.
I prefer eq + subbass regalation.
The UI is great and default apps are fantastic.
With two annoying glitches:
- email is still allowing to have only 200 emails on device even with IMAP, IDIOTIC I would say
- on my FW I cannot add Tasks in Calendar since no keyboard appears. I don't use them anyway but it's just a stupid bug.
The system is flying. The Z and Z2 comparison looks interesting, since Z with 2GB RAM always has about 650MB left,
and Z2 with 3GB RAM after 2 days has about 1GB left. It doesn't matter maybe but lol.
Anyway Z2 is just a bit faster and smoother.
But I also have to say that the technology today is on a very high level.
What means I could actually stay with Z for another year without feeling beeing behind in any way.
Just the geek inside me wanted me to be updated. And I have no regrets.
What else? Ask.
But I think THE CAMERA IS FANTASTIC.
P.S.
Just bought this in Carbon and it's great!!!
http://www.roxfitstore.co.uk/xperia-z2-book-case/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to see a comparison from someone from a Z
How are you finding the wifi compared to the Z (stability and range)? The Z wifi was honestly my biggest hardware complaint, coming from an iphone.
Also, regarding the sound do you mean as a phone, or the stereo speakers for video/music playback? And in comparison to the Z. I did always find the Z audio playback a bit quiet through the speakers (eg I listen to audiobooks when I'm say cooking).
Cheers
I have used the z2 for a 2days, here is my thoughts about the z2 compare to my other phones.
what I like, Camera, UI, form factor, built quality, 3GB Ram, battery life, what I don't like, screen is not as bright as S5, if I turn the brightness all the way up, black text got washed out, I also don't like the audio, ring tone, notification, speaker volume are decent, not great, music from headphone output is
far below than M8 with Viper Audio mod, not even in the same class.
That being said, I don't mean the S5 or M8 is better than the Z2, they have their own problems.
Overall, the phone is fine, not worth the $730 I paid, especially S5 and M8 are being sold for $450 new.
I will flip it when the G3 is out.
Hi after reading some questions about keeping it or not this is a little review for some of you who want this device!
Enjoy
Experience: Having a custom android skin on it I'm not capable of running some apps that I just learn to need now! Such as gravity box! Software runs smooth and no problems just change the default launcher! It has some minor bugs such as when you start a new text message doest go first to who its the text it just go straight to the place where u type! It's a minor thing but its there!
The amount of ram 1gb its OK for this device since it's not w flagship yes its hurts having just 1gb but for my use and the 200$ price I'm OK with it!
Also lollipop its in the pipeline for this device according to blu will be in June so far the phone had 2,updates to have a better touchscreen performance and some minor adds! Keep in mind that if you are rooted the latest update V11,will soft brick your phone! I had that issue!
Phone itself: its so so thin that gets to the point where u can get scared of holding it and dropping it. Its close to mandatory for me to use it with the included PE case which gives me a bit more of grip and adds a bit more thickness to the phone! But you can get used to keep it without the case its just that I haven't.
Temperature: the device gets a bit hot around 120°F under heavy use such as gaming, I manage to reduce this by rooting the phone and under clocking the CPU with setcpu the temps went down to 110 105°f!
Camera: its a good one according to the price takes good pictures and video the flash its amazing super powerful my wife took me some pics the other day and I felt like I was running blind! In low lights takes good pics with some hard to notice noise and takes a bit longer to focus but when it does the picture it's better I guess just tries to find the better light and focus!
Sound: the speaker it's good lack of body on the bass but given the thinness of the device it's hard to have a nice bass
With headphones the sound it's really good since comes with DTS sound and this is with the included headphones I pretty sure will have a even better sound with a more expensive headphones
In calls the sound its good a little flat but its ok!
Screen: the screen its pretty good the colors look super nice its bright and lets you have a nice view on what you do! Under direct sound ligth I can tell it needs more power and brightness!
Battery! It can hold a full day with moderated use such as texting and calling some browsing! Under heavy use the CPU will eat the battery like a candy!
It does help to say that a CPU power consumption feature it's on the battery settings and helps to keep the battery a bit longer! Also having smart gestures on drains the battery but having both enabled makes the perfect balance for a full day use!
Plus features: it has some hidden features the CPU super renders the videos at 60fps which makes YouTube movies and other media look super smooth!
Smart gestures work flawless! Double tap to wake and The phone also let's you customize what each of the 4 gestures can do such as open a specific app or just the camera! Also has smart reminder which makes the phone vibrate when you pick it up and has a message or a misses call!
Over all this is a excellent phone for a 200$ budget its has some drawbacks but again its a 200$ phone and even a 650$ phone it's not perfect! We can't spect to be a 100% happy with a mass production product the built its really good and its a piece of engineering which feels luxury and well build!
!
Sent from my REVIVED VIVO AIR using XDA mobile app wild taking a poopnap!
Nice write-up. . I've only had mine for a day and so far so good, except for one glitch. If I try to change the wallpaper via Settings/Display/Wallpaper, the Color app crashes. I can change it from the Gallery app, no problem. Have you encountered this?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Try Flash Kazam Tornado 348 FW... much more clean than BLU's FW... ;D