Introductory:
Hello all, cell phones produce radiation just in case you did not know. These radiation levels are measured in a value called SAR(Specific Absorbtion Rate) and it literally is the measurement of just the bottom line of what the human body absorbs, rather than just the amount that it radiating(ha, get it?) around the device. Radiation is bad in the human body where it is directly related to certain issues, including directly reducing bone density in the body. I am posting this as an accurate informational thread where you can draw your own conclusions based off of facts.
SAR Levels:
SAR, which stands for Specific Absorbtion Rate, levels fluctuate depending on numerous factors, in which we must go over in order to accurately understand. The key thing to understand is that the further the device is from your body, the levels begin to diminish by the milimeter(mm).
For a phone to receive an FCC certification, the device cannot have a SAR level of more than 1.6 watts per kilogram in the US, and 2.0 in Europe.
Galaxy Note Series Tests by Samsung:
Let's take a look at the Note series in order to keep this sequential and easier to remember from a timeline fashion of perspective. The Galaxy Note 1 was released first(obviously) and is the model number SGH-I717 for reference. Taken from Samsung's website directly, here are the Note 1 results, including the way that they perform their own measurements:
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You can see in this writing the methods that are used for testing, and that the body specific SAR tests have the device at 1.0 centimeters(CM), equivalent to 10 millimeters(mm) away. Keep this in mind and we'll touch up on this later.
And here are the Note 2 specific values:
And here are the Note 3 specific values:
So as you can see the comparisons above, the Note 3 effectively produces 153% more Head SAR than the Note 2, and 196% more Head SAR than the Note 1!
I would calculate the Body SAR differences but we have a big problem with Samsung's specific tests...they test these values with the device 1.0 CM(or 10mm) away from the body. This Body SAR calculation is useless to you if your phone presses against your body at 0 mm away!
Let's think...why would Samsung measure in this fashion at 1.0 CM away? Well the Note 3 produces 1.28 Body SAR at 1.0 cm away, so the big question is what would it produce at 0 mm away/ AKA in your pants pocket? Maybe it would exceed the FCC limitation of 1.6?
CNET Testing:
Now let's take a look at a recent test performed by CNET on 1/16/14 to see what they have found in differences in the Note series in particular:
The above is literally all of the information they posted where it is tough to tell how the test was performed and/or what body part it was performed against. By comparing the numbers, it seems as though they tested the head only since it matches the Head SAR values by Samsung.
But there is only but one main discrepency...the Note 3 reads 0.63 SAR value by Samsung, while CNET tested it at 0.9 SAR. Which one holds true?
Device Model Top Charts:
As you can see in the following results, our devices do not hold the highest SAR values compared to the worst out there *ehem* Motorola!
And here are the lowest SAR values amonst all devices. Keep in mind how the Note 2 is 4th lowest.
Theorycrafting:
I researched more into studies being performed per the distance of an object from humans and have found some interesting results.
Here is a model of the human head for reference, spefical model for SAR testing:
And here is are one test's results from testing the SAR levels after altering different distances:
This is just me tipping the iceberg to not go on and on.
Shifting gears toward current events, check out 2/14/14's event of the Army buying 7,000 Note 2's for its troops HERE
The reason why I feel that this is relevant is that they definitely would not want to have their troops being exposed to radiation levels higher than other devices. What makes more sense though is that they tested it for quite some time before it was rolled out, but who knows?
General Radiation Reduction Techniques:
-Consider a cell phone radiation reduction case, Google Pong research to get started since I'm probably not allowed to post links
-Consider buying a device with low SAR levels
-Keep the device out of your pocket or anywhere where it is directly against your skin. Even a hip holster might help keep it a few cm away, or carry it in a purse/backpack.
-Use speakerphone as often as possible to keep the device far from your head.
-Devices use the most radiation when beggining and ending calls. Pull the phone away from your head, even if just a few centimeters, when beginning and ending calls.
-Devices also use high radiation when "hunting for a signal". This occurs when your device has no signal, and needs to omit more power consistently to find one. So keep it away at these times.
-Bluetooth uses less radiation, but overall can be more damage from keeping it on your head for long periods of time. LOSE THE BLUETOOTH!
-Text instead of calling whenever it is applicable/feasible
-Don't sleep with the device near your head....think about it, 6+ hours of it so close to your head...
-Last things I wanted to mention are beefing up on certain things you eat.
a.) Eat seaweed, it's very powerful against radiation
b.) Look for natural supplements that particularly repair already damaged cells in your body from radiation. They are alpha lipoic acid and vitamins C and E
Conclusion:
Considering all of the above along with knowing that we are the guinea pigs for long term cell phone radiation, I strongly feel that it's best to consider SAR levels when purchasing a device. The SAR levels are obviously increasing with each new model being released and should be monitored closely.
It seems to show as being a factor toward brain tumors and bone density loss in only 1 of 2 legs in people(where they always kept their cell phone in the same pocket). I did not go much into detail here about these particular researches/tests, but I would recommend to now start looking into the tests performed for "decade-long cell phone radiation exposures". Imagine us after 50 years of exposure, and please feel free to comment here.
Your voice and opinions matter in this world, and you should speak up since you have a right to your own opinions, and I will respect it no matter what. I will post this across multiple forums that it belongs in and moderators, please let me know if I happen to post this in a forbidden section. Don't censor truth, and let the thread live.
Thank you for your time reading all of this and I hope it helps. If so, please rate the thread 5 stars and hit Thanks solely to promote the spreading of the word.
reserved
Very interesting. Thanks for your time
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Foka002 said:
Very interesting. Thanks for your time
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You're welcome! It's actual an honor to bring this to your attention for your well being
Do you mean Bluetooth headset?
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Related
http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/07/solar-flare-heads-for-earth/?hpt=hp_c1
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Edit : you also posted in General and Q&A ...
exactly. how many light bars does a traffic light have? more than one, right? to make sure it's seen.
Not sure why a normal event is getting so much hype...
machx0r said:
Not sure why a normal event is getting so much hype...
Click to expand...
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it really isnt that "normal". it usually occurs every 11 years but this year, they expect this explosion on the sun to be twice as big as in previous years. not only that, but our electronic use has at least doubled and this storm could and might wipe out certain satellites and cell signals and other such stuff. a lot of companies are being pushed to have backup systems now, just because of this exact series of events.
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fromchaos0646 said:
it really isnt that "normal". it usually occurs every 11 years but this year, they expect this explosion on the sun to be twice as big as in previous years. not only that, but our electronic use has at least doubled and this storm could and might wipe out certain satellites and cell signals and other such stuff. a lot of companies are being pushed to have backup systems now, just because of this exact series of events.
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Click to collapse
It does not happen "every 11 years". Solar flares are constant and random. The magnitude of many do not reach levels to effect us, but solar flares are a perfectly normal occurrence.
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fromchaos0646 said:
it really isnt that "normal". it usually occurs every 11 years but this year, they expect this explosion on the sun to be twice as big as in previous years. not only that, but our electronic use has at least doubled and this storm could and might wipe out certain satellites and cell signals and other such stuff. a lot of companies are being pushed to have backup systems now, just because of this exact series of events.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only misinformed doomsday theorists are "predicting" the size of solar flares/activity. NASA/NOAA is very clear that they cannot predict solar activity. To solar cycle does average 11 years with increased activity in the middle. Geomagnetic storms impact the ionosphere which low frequency, long range, radio signals bounce off of. Short of losing power to cell phone towers cell phone communications (high frequency, short range [ie: line of sight]) will not be impacted.
Here's some quotes from another new article, wikipedia and my own knowledge and reference material from being a license HAM radio operator...
---
"Since Sunday, the sun has launched a barrage of flares, particle radiation and blobs of plasma that have disrupted some radio communications and forced airlines to reroute northern flights. Scientists expected the solar storm — the most intense since 2006 — to intensify Thursday morning as the latest blast pushes past Earth."
"The resulting geomagnetic storm rated a moderate “2” on NOAA’s five-point scale."
"After a years-long quiet period, solar activity is ramping up and is expected to peak in May 2013. For reasons unknown, solar activity cycles every 11 to 12 years."
"Intense solar activity can damage transformers and other power grid equipment. In 1989, a strong solar storm destroyed a transformer in Quebec and left 6 million people without power for nine hours." (There have also been larger flares/storms since then with no power outages or problems [ie: Nov 4, 2003 when the largest ever recorded flare occurred and a long range radio blackout did happen for the day])
*** Above was from news articles, below is from my existing knowledge and wikipedia ***
Both radio and GPS are impacted by solar storms because the radiation/magnetic field associated with a solar storm impact the ionosphere. The ionosphere is a layer of the atmosphere that low frequency radio waves reflect off of for long distances. Commercial radio/TV is generally not impacted by solar storms because they are high frequency and short range.
So in short it is a good idea that planes take caution during solar storms because their radio and navigation systems could be impacted which may lead to a navigation problem resulting in a crash (but there is no chance the plane would just stop working and fall out of the sky). Power systems can also potentially be impacted but it's unlikely and there are safety precautions that are meant to prevent chain reaction failures.
Definitely an interesting storm but nothing to be scared of Everyone is free to be paranoid of whatever they want but I wish it was against the law to spread FUD (then again where would "news" organizations be without FUD )
References:
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...h/2012/03/07/gIQAjodsxR_story.html?tid=pm_pop
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_storm
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_cycles
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cycle
- The ARRL Antenna Book
---------- Post added at 10:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:20 AM ----------
azyouthinkeyeiz said:
It does not happen "every 11 years". Solar flares are constant and random. The magnitude of many do not reach levels to effect us, but solar flares are a perfectly normal occurrence.
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Another reason they don't always affect us is it they occur on a side of the sun that is not facing the earth.
I love Nerditry.
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worldwidepmp said:
I love Nerditry.
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I love the new word in my vocabulary: NERDITRY.
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worldwidepmp said:
I love Nerditry.
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better than turditry!
.........see, this just goes to show you...........*flaming* is intrinisically an astro/physical phenomena.........displayed elsewhere as a mere proxy molecular example to remind us of the true destructive potential of things bigger than us silly mere mortals!
i stand corrected.
and dont jump to conclusions. im no troll.
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Google search "notebook checker .net"
Scroll down to October 14 and click on z3 compact.
Aplogies for no direct link, being new to the forum prevents me.
Great review. Thanks for posting it.
"Plastic and glass are the materials of the Xperia Z3 Compact. The frame is, unlike the Xperia Z3, not made of metal, but the high build quality reminds us of other family members. Unfortunately, this is also true for the stability, which is not perfect: You can twist some of the corners and there are picture distortions, the same happens when you push down certain spots at the back. Once again, you cannot open the Xperia Z3 Compact, so you cannot replace a faulty battery by yourself."
Built quality also criticized.
Here's the link itself
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Sony-Xperia-Z3-Compact-Smartphone-Review.127925.0.html
techguyone said:
Here's the link itself
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Sony-Xperia-Z3-Compact-Smartphone-Review.127925.0.html
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Notebookcheck is a great site, their own reviews are very complete and professional and unbiased
degraaff said:
Notebookcheck is a great site, their own reviews are very complete and professional and unbiased
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I was pleasantly surprised by their level of detail in reviews and bookmarked them for the future
So many tech sites (engadget, the verge, etc) don't really review... well... anything. They simply write an article for page hits as quickly as possible and say things like "the brightness is good" or "the battery life is excellent" thinking that is sufficient for a review
If anything most tech websites out there are simply "preview" websites (not review) since all really do is reread the spec sheet / keynote points fed to them by the OEMs and disguise it within a fancy written article.
The only websites, besides this one I just stumbled upon, I've seen give actually testing data about the phone beyond just the spec sheet numbers is Anandtech and Ars Technica.
for battery run time, does it mean Z1 compact is better than z3 compact?
ap3604 said:
So many tech sites (engadget, the verge, etc) don't really review... well... anything. They simply write an article for page hits as quickly as possible and say things like "the brightness is good" or "the battery life is excellent" thinking that is sufficient for a review
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://twit.tv/show/this-week-in-tech/479
Nilay Patel address just that in the episode of Twit above. He basically says most people just want to know how it's going to affect their life, not the specs and the technical differences. I guess to the masses, he's right, and perhaps it shows with the popularity of his site.
I'm a techy, so I appreciate in-depth reviews at sites like ars, anandtech, and the site linked earlier in this thread.
Nice review, I was looking for something like this. Most reviews were very superficial, I want to see hard numbers and comparisons.
Anyway I also made a review after I got it:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/2ib1on/sony_xperia_z3_compact_review_oc/
ap3604 said:
I was pleasantly surprised by their level of detail in reviews and bookmarked them for the future
The only websites, besides this one I just stumbled upon, I've seen give actually testing data about the phone beyond just the spec sheet numbers is Anandtech and Ars Technica.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd add Phone Arena to that list.
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Sony-Xperia-Z3-Compact-Review_id3794
unk3 said:
"Plastic and glass are the materials of the Xperia Z3 Compact. The frame is, unlike the Xperia Z3, not made of metal, but the high build quality reminds us of other family members. Unfortunately, this is also true for the stability, which is not perfect: You can twist some of the corners and there are picture distortions, the same happens when you push down certain spots at the back. Once again, you cannot open the Xperia Z3 Compact, so you cannot replace a faulty battery by yourself."
Built quality also criticized.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess you'd agree that criticism is on a very high level though...
On the GPS performance:
My experience with the Z3C's GPS performance, luckily, is completely different (FW .98 DE). The shots below have just been made, about 15 seconds after turning on GPS (GPS only, no Google services/A-GPS!) and having started the App. Condition: overcast sky, urban area, outside, between buildings, GPS used last time = some 5 days ago. As you can see, it took exactly 3 seconds for the Z3C to get and keep the signal and I always see this behaviour:
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But, let's go one by one...
"It is not possible to locate your position indoors and it takes a while outdoors before the smartphone finds enough satellites to locate our position down to 10 meters (~32.8 ft)."
-> Conditions? How many floors above? Anyway, how relevant is using GPS indoors?
-> Outdoors, My Z3C has no problems to nail down accuracy to 3 to 4 meters all the times.
"We test the Xperia Z3 Compact on a bicycle ride and compare it with the professional navigation device Garmin Edge 500. The Xperia Z3 Compact indicates around 400 meters (~1312 ft) less than the professional device, and the location points are also a bit confused at the bridge and let us "fly" above the crossing road. The situation is better in the forest section, but the Garmin Edge 500 is still more accurate."
-> How long was the ride showing on a standard bike tachometer in order to judge the 400 meters difference? Who says that the Garmin is more accurate!
-> How was the Z3C actually mounted, side-by-side with the Edge 500 or anywhere else?
-> Better situation in the woods is very strange.
-> What App has actually been used for recording? There's a huge dependency on the App.
I've tested with MapFactor Navigator and have not seen a single glitch on now 3x 50+km rides.
As I had already written in a different thread, the Z3C GPS performace is easily on par with my Garmin Oregon 450 as well as 600, if not better then the 600 even.
Why the testers of notebookcheck site have seen such bad results is something yet to clarify. Bad unit, older/different FW... ?
Attched is the very first track I recorded with the Z3C, see and judge yourselves.
effort appreciated
RainbowSwag said:
Nice review, I was looking for something like this. Most reviews were very superficial, I want to see hard numbers and comparisons.
Anyway I also made a review after I got it:
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/2ib1on/sony_xperia_z3_compact_review_oc/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your review. much better getting reviews who actually own the phone as their own and not just a 10 minute quick look. I had the z1 compact and the camera was useless so I went back to my iPhone 4s, which post iOS 8, is now pretty slow and i fancy a change but without compromising on the camera or anything much bigger to hold... size, camera and battery life are probably things I look for in a phone so the z3c seems a logical choice.. still happy with yours?
Can some one give me some opinion here, please
I pre ordered a galaxy s8 back to two weeks ago, got the phone on April 20th,first thing i realized is that the signal strength is very low on the phone, compares to my Mate 9, same location, same time, same SIM,
the galaxy s8 always has 10-15 dbm higher than i got on the mate 9. and it looks like it drains my phone battery faster too.
So I thought i had a bad unit, took it back to Bestbuy (suck it up for $35 dollars restocking fee),returned and bought a galaxy S8+, it acts the same way. same result, no matter where i am.
In door:
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galaxy S8+ mate 9
outside:
Galaxy S8+ mate 9
SO i have both the AT&T galaxy S8 S8+ doing the same thing. I was wondering , are all the galaxy s8 act the same way?
borrowed a Verizon version of Galaxy S8+ from friend of mine, do the testing, it get the numbers just like how my mate 9 runs.
so it only happens on the At&T models. any one has any idea??thank you in advance.
Mine S8 plus 110 db and my old s5 did 85db, measured with Open signal. Supposedly they lower the radiation and power on purpose.
bluefish196 said:
Mine S8 plus 110 db and my old s5 did 85db, measured with Open signal. Supposedly they lower the radiation and power on purpose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that's true, I don't see any call dropping or slow Internet access. I can easily get 60 mbps on download even with only one bar showing. But I guess the bar is not really for the LTE signal .
Decibel is logarithmic unit used to express the ratio of two values of a physical quantity. I wonder what is the reference value? Logically you would assume it is the same and somehow standard everywhere , but you could be wrong quiet often. To have difference of 18 dBm make me think maybe they're not measured exactly the same way. I could give 100's of examples of such things happening starting with a gallon, but best would be to go to area of very week signal (basement?) and compare actual performance.
Samsung probably forgot to translate RSRP from RSSI (the difference is around 14dBm). If you're getting the same speed, it's just the way the signal strength indicator is displayed instead of the modem being actually weaker. That, or you could be connecting to a farther away tower.
Ascertion said:
Samsung probably forgot to translate RSRP from RSSI (the difference is around 14dBm). If you're getting the same speed, it's just the way the signal strength indicator is displayed instead of the modem being actually weaker. That, or you could be connecting to a farther away tower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This only happens to the att models .
pete4k said:
Decibel is logarithmic unit used to express the ratio of two values of a physical quantity. I wonder what is the reference value? Logically you would assume it is the same and somehow standard everywhere , but you could be wrong quiet often. To have difference of 18 dBm make me think maybe they're not measured exactly the same way. I could give 100's of examples of such things happening starting with a gallon, but best would be to go to area of very week signal (basement?) and compare actual performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Decibels (dB) is certainly a measure of ratio between two quantities. However, dBm specifically is used with reference to 1 mW (milliWatt) of RF power. ( 0 dBm = 1 mW ).
dBm is used so that there is a common reference for the actual physical RF power level, and so that the energy levels are agnostic of the system impedance. With that said, there is many other parts of the system that could affect the transceiver performance: Data converter SNR in the front end, signal processing quality, etc... The other thing we don't necessarily know is at what stage in the front end is the power level being measured.
Is it possible the phones are connected to different LTE Bands? If one is connected to a higher frequency LTE Band it could have a lower signal reading. I'd confirm this using an app like Network Signal Guru or accessing the phone's service menu.
babyzone2 said:
Can some one give me some opinion here, please
I pre ordered a galaxy s8 back to two weeks ago, got the phone on April 20th,first thing i realized is that the signal strength is very low on the phone, compares to my Mate 9, same location, same time, same SIM,
the galaxy s8 always has 10-15 dbm higher than i got on the mate 9. and it looks like it drains my phone battery faster too.
So I thought i had a bad unit, took it back to Bestbuy (suck it up for $35 dollars restocking fee),returned and bought a galaxy S8+, it acts the same way. same result, no matter where i am.
In door:
View attachment 4137203 View attachment 4137205
galaxy S8+ mate 9
outside:
View attachment 4137202 View attachment 4137204
Galaxy S8+ mate 9
SO i have both the AT&T galaxy S8 S8+ doing the same thing. I was wondering , are all the galaxy s8 act the same way?
borrowed a Verizon version of Galaxy S8+ from friend of mine, do the testing, it get the numbers just like how my mate 9 runs.
so it only happens on the At&T models. any one has any idea??thank you in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having a similar problem with my G950U - the unlocked USA version - on T-Mobile. My problem only happens in certain buildings, though, and is often a completely lost signal as compared to other phones with a 4G LTE signal in the same spot. I posted about my issue here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/help/s8-signal-loss-buildings-phones-4g-lte-t3660313 and with more detail, here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/help/galaxy-s8-unlocked-sm-g950u-maintaining-t3680887
Hello All,
Long time no see XDA.
I might need to introduce myself… Mikael, Mike for short, and a French Guy lost in the US now, particularly in Chicago, and obviously, my profile needed an update too (you will see what kind of products I usually use, and you will have a link to my other social networks too). And yes, more than 20 years in tech for my work or pleasure.
So why post now? I am a silent member here, as many of us. Let me explain.
The Beginning:
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Well, well, well, I was fooling around my Twitter when I saw a tweet from OPPO explaining they were opening their first OPPO Product Ambassador Program cc @OPPO Ambassador Team
As a tech enthusiast, and let's be honest, I never had an OPPO in my life (I am speaking about their smartphone. I know OPPO essentially for their home cinema product, decades ago, in Europe), so I decided to apply for it.
I wasn't expecting much about it; usually, Big Brands select Youtubers, Bloggers, Big influential or content creators, so you can imagine my surprise when I received an email letting me know I was selected and if I was still interested.
Obviously yes. It would have been foolish to say No. I've seen much material about this new Find X5 Series, and I won't turn down the opportunity to put my hand on one of them.
As usual, I was interested in Pro Variant, totally forgetting a standard X5, and Lite were also available.
Everyone here wants the latest technology available, the newest SoC platform, and premium products. Benchmark it, torture it, make it a daily companion, shoot and record with it, push it to the extreme because you got in your hands more money you usually spent for your smartphone.
And there is only one honest question here: Is it worth it?
I won't answer this question as I will receive the standard Find X5 and not the Pro variant.
So, what is happening now?
No 8 Gen 1 variant for me but, instead, the SD 888 platform. Don't get me wrong; I'm still thrilled to get my hand on it. As I said, I never had an OPPO Smartphone, I don't know their UI as OPPO is not available here. So, it will be a first. I am more used to AOSP, Pixel, or "clean" OS. I got my hand for a long time with MIUI as well as Oxygen OS. Both got their perks but also their cons.
As I have an Instagram account, I am curious about their partnership with Hasselblad and the integration of their MariSilicon X, their new Imaging NPU.
There are a few differences between X5 and Pro variants, and sure I would prefer having an f/1.7 aperture instead of f/1.8 and only get two-axis optical stabilization instead of the five. It seems I will still need my tripod with me while I will shoot around Chicago and face its wind (and believe me, Windy City is no joke).
Expectations:
So far, I don't have it in my hand yet, on the product. I don't know what to expect. I don't know about their camera app, how the UI is running, and what functionalities, features, or customization OPPO added to their Android Firmware.
If I follow the specs, the X5 got a 4K Ultra Night Video mode thanks to their MariSilicon X, a Moon shot functionality (Authentic Moon).
The color profile should be accurate with their Hasselblad partnership. Ultra HD is also present (even if I don't know what it really means, HDR is HDR, except HDR10/+, Dolby Vision, HLG or even PQ, other names are usually just branding and marketed names).
It is the same for the screen as it is an AMOLED 10 Bits LTPS panel.
But is it a real 10 Bits, an 8+2 Bits? What about LPTO, refresh rate? I don't know, but sure I will ask the question.
Everybody can imagine that using your phone all day, shooting, recording, streaming is battery-consuming.
Will it support an extensive day of work? Sure, I will test it. Find X5 has a Dual Cell 80W SUPERVOOC with bla bla bla bla whatever the name for rest or previous charging technology name. I'm more concerned if it will be compatible with my own PD3.0 charger I got or if their charger will be compatible with my PD.3.0 products. One ring to rule them all, in that case, one charger. The device should be compatible with 30W AIRVOOC; that's a good point. I hope it will work with the 50W wireless charger I used on my desk.
I looked at the cellular part, and it seems this product is compatible with a US network like T-Mobile. However, VoLTE, VoWiFi, RCS, CA are also important. I will cross my finger on that part.
Next? Sharing with the Community:
As I said, I don't have the product yet.
I think the best will be to share the unboxing when I receive it, and you might hear my strong French accent and make fun of it.
I love unboxing as it is your first contact with a brand and the product. Will the charger be part of the box? Accessories? Case included? Earphones? Any surprises as we are part of the OPPO Ambassador Program?
After that, testing, as you can imagine. It will take some time for that. I don't want to rush it. For instance, there is no point in reviewing a product after 2 days of use. So far, I don't know if I will go for a video review or a writing one. But for sure, I will post on Twitter or Instagram pictures I will capture with it and see if the Find X5 is really gifted for night shots. The competition is here, especially with Google and their Pixel series, and adding an NPU to help SD888 can make sense, but NPU needs to be fueled. This chip is new, and I'm so sure it will be functioning at 100% for its debut.
We should have access to Product Managers or people inside from OPPO, a great way to share ideas, inputs, things that bother me, or the opposite, things I like. So If we can share some aspirational ideas or even pass them to the OPPO team, it could be a win-win for everyone, and I believe this is the primary goal of this program.
Exchanging with the Community:
Meaning if you have ideas for testing, questions, and situations you want to see the smartphone operate (like shooting in these conditions, sound quality, ColorOS functionality) or whatever, feel free to ask. And you can ask them in English, but also in French as OPPO is present in France; it would be a pleasure to answer you the best way I can.
Don't forget to subscribe to the thread if you want to receive notifications.
I will conclude by thanking the team at OPPO behind this project and giving me this opportunity. We are only 20 ambassadors so far across the world, and it should be interesting to read how things can be different and expectations from other cultures or countries.
Hello everyone,
If you follow me, you have already read this post here.
For those not, here is a little sum up.
I am one of the lucky ones to get my hand on an OPPO Find X5, thanks to OPPO and its OPPO Products Ambassadors program.
And it's the first time for me as I have never had any OPPO before. So first, no expectations, no biases; I will give a chance to the product. ColorOS, UX, build quality, everything will push me to adapt and indeed change the way I use my daily driver smartphone.
I received the black variant in its EU variant while I am in the USA. So, yep, you guess it right, no point for me to test it under USA networks. It will work under AT&T and T-Mobile, not fully compatible with all band frequencies, 5G, or even CA. But it works enough and is compatible with VoWiFi and VoLTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It might be a little bit long. Every time I think I will close it, I am adding more stuff
I will try to be simple for this review and give my opinion with no filter.
Build Quality and Design
Performance
ColorOS and Connectivity
Camera
Battery
My thoughts
Part 1 : This thread
Part 2 here
Part 3 here
Let's Go!
Build Quality and Design
One design to rule them all… Find X3, X3 Pro, X5, X5 Pro. Indeed, the design is pretty close between 2021 and 2022 Flagship. Except for an evolution of the photographic block, you can tell it's a Find X.
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You can check more photos of the OPPO Find X5 here or here.
The black color is a matte one. It seems not to retain fingerprints, is easy to clean, and the texture feel is excellent.
I'm used to big phones; obviously, this one feels light, small in my hand. It is well balanced, and buttons are easy to access with your fingers, responsive, clicky, and the power button got the OPPO Green color accentuation on its top. Corners are smooth and round, with no sharp angles, and the screen curves are not of the waterfall type, just enough with a bumper case. It might even be less curvy than the P6 Pro. However, I am a fan of flat screens and slim chassis. But I can go with this X5.
When I searched for differences between the X3 and the X5, I saw the bump and how OPPO integrated the photographic block on the X3 series. I will say I prefer the X5 bump, and it's classier. And OPPO also uses it to write down the "Powered by MariSilicon" on the back glass and Hasselblad partnership on the back cover.
The back cover is made with a frosting matte glass, if you ask. The slope is a 75°. OPPO stated it is the optimal curve for "illuminating (sic)" the OPPO Find X5 body in sunlight or shadow. Okay, maybe, I'll use the case you can find in the box anyway.
Performance
Snapdragon 888 baby. An end of 2020 announced flagship SoC made by Qualcomm.
Is it enough for 2022?
Sure, you just need to look around and see how many SD 870 products you have, brand new, in 2022. So, the 888 will give you what you need for daily use.
I'm getting old, so gaming on the phone… Arf, let's face it, I am not a COD, Genshin, whatever game. However, yes, editing videos, making music, this kind of stuff.
The Snapdragon 888 is working well. But if you're a fan of benchmark and think it's the Graal for smartphones, you will be disappointed. I don't know where I'm doing wrong, but I never was able to go over 745K under AnTuTu. I have other SD 888 smartphones that easily break the 820K scoring. And even my P6 Pro does better. And in every benchmark, the X5 is behind.
Obviously, you have different modes for the battery, for performance, and even a gaming control center. Everything was maxed out to get the best results possible.
Any CPU/GPU Governor inside ColorOS to prevent throttling? Allow the phone to run at its best for long session hours? ColorOS need to be finetuned to unleash SD 888 Power or even driver updated?
After more than one year on the market, I expect OEMs to be able to draw the powerful quintessence of this chipset… And so far, I don't think it is the case. There is room for improvement.
For the 6.55" 120Hz panel, I must say it's closed to the 144hz I used on my Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders. I didn't feel any issue with it; it's responsive and no mistouch so far. The screen is a 10bit panel with a JNCD around 0.4 for color accuracy. You can usually tune it in the setting for your own convenience. Personally, I am not too fond of saturated colors, and I need to see precisely the same thing on the screen as I see in real life, especially for taking pictures.
After that, as always, it will depend on 3rd party dev apps to make their apps and games compatible with the 90 or 120fps capability of the X5.
However, the screen is not LPTO but just LPTS/Flexible (Low-Temperature PolySilicon). And yes, AMOLED not LCD.
So, no dynamic refresh rate from 1hz to 120Hz. And no 90Hz option, just 60 or 120Hz. Plus, if you settle your screen this way, I've not found any MEMC enhancement to match 120Hz with 24/25/30/60 or 90 fps to 120Hz refresh rate (and if I check, the Find X2 had one).
If you ask, the touch sampling is only 240Hz, a little bit low as now flagships have 360/480hz on board.
But it's Gorilla Victus for the protection of it.
Brightness is sufficient even for HDR. It's not 1500 nits peak but more around 900/1000 for an expected 500/800 day-to-day (if I compare with the ones I've and marketed for some brightness values)
I will need to go to a second part 2 to continue as XDA only allows 20 attachments.
Part 2
Part 3
Again, thank you OPPO and @OPPO Ambassador Team for this opportunity.