I received my International OnePlus One in the mail yesterday, and after setting it up I've spent a lot of time with it over the past day (including putting my main SIM in the phone).
I'll go through my experience in chronological order from unboxing to fully set up. For each section, I'll point out positives, negatives, and other notables, along with giving an overall rating for each section.
Be aware that in this review I will not excuse things because of the wonderfully low price. I am very picky when it comes to mobiles, and I*will*nit-pick. This is a review that will pit it against $700 flagships,*because*this phone is so good it doesn't need excuses.
Here we go!
Unboxing & Accessories: 95%
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Unboxing the OnePlus was, in all honesty,*the*best unboxing experience I've*ever*had.
This is not an easy feat, considering I've owned, unboxed, and later sold every iPhone and Android flagship from the past couple years.
From the red pull tab on the protective brown cardboard, to sliding out the bright red inner package out of its white sleeve.
Each layer brought even more sense of surprise as I came closer and closer to the phone itself!
The individual package for the charger was an excellent idea, and the included accessories just screamed luxury.
Although some have questioned the inclusion of a key ring attachment for the SIM remover, I found this to be perfect. Being one who switches phones often, having that sleeve on my keys makes it that much easier to find a remover when I need it.
The one issue I had with the accessories was with the charging cable. While the USB end is sleek, and the cable is a nice bright red, it just isn't practical.
The cable is so thick and bulky that it just looks out of place next to the thin black and white cables on my nightstand.
And even worse, is how short the darn thing is. iPhone chargers*were*the shortest cables I'd ever seen included with phones. And now, they're tied for worst. At three feet, the included cable with the OnePlus just isn't anywhere near long enough. I can barely plug it in at night, and good luck trying to use the phone while it’s charging.
I thought the six foot black Monoprice cable I'd been using with my M8 would make it an easy fix. It wasn't. For some reason, the stock OnePlus USB cable charges noticeably faster than any others I tried.
I give this section a 95% because the experience was truly something else, and if the USB cable was a useable length, it would have been 100% (or more). The lack of a proper-length cable was a disappointment, but the battery life is so good I'll never have to use it on the charger.
Build Quality+Quality Control: 85%
This is an insanely well-built piece of hardware. If someone told me this handset cost $700, I would believe them. It’s one of the sturdiest phones I’ve felt, and manufacturing defects were nonexistent (except for one thing).
And that one thing (the subtracted 15%) comes from the screen. First, the oleophobic coating on the screen is very poor, so the screen is a*fingerprint and dust magnet.*This probably doesn’t matter to most, but as someone who carries around a microfiber cloth in his wallet to keep his screens smudge-free, this is a pretty sizeable downside.
Second, I got a model with a slight yellow tint on the bottom. After seeing some others' screens, mine is extremely mild, and unless I look at a white screen I can't notice the shift. It's almost like the bottom half of the screen very gradually gets warmer (from the middle to the bottom).*I was going to include a picture of it, but it was so insignificant the camera couldn't see it.
Although I can barely see it, it's there. And the fact that these defects weren't one-off makes me have to deduct a few points.
OnePlus did a commendable job on QC for this device. Even the biggest manufacturers have launch glitches sometimes. Thing is, I take display issues more seriously than all others, so I had to give it an 85%.
Hardware: 90%
Wow. I said that out loud when I took this phone out of the box. The One is lightweight, stylish, sturdy, distinctive, unique, and a blast to use. It feels so good in the hand that I want to hold it just to hold it.
The first thing that stood out to me was the sandstone material on the back of the phone. It provides grip,*and*an astounding matte finish, all while being immune to fingerprints.
The front is equally as striking. With the screen raised from the bezel, there’s a handsome frame around the screen that makes it stand out from the crowd. There's even a tiny raised portion of black plastic surrounding the screen itself that will keep it from getting scratched if face down on a table, but is almost invisible to the eye (many reviewers have missed this thoughtful detail).
Speaking of the screen, while off, it blends in perfectly with the rest of the bezel. Although said bezel is a bit large to some, my long fingers have no problems navigating it all.
Speaking of “navigating”, that brings me to the hardware buttons. Coming from my M8 GPE, I thought such a different button arrangement would confuse me (Stock is Back-Home-App Switcher, and these are Menu-Home-Back), however I think owning a Galaxy S4 for eight months kept the muscle memory for this setup in my head. They’re very responsive, well-lit when on, and invisible when off. Not much more you can ask for.
As for MicroSD, I am ecstatic that OnePlus left it out on this phone. They made room for more battery, more onboard storage, more RAM, a better camera, better construction, etc.
As one who relies mostly on the cloud and never has much media, I’d much rather have a phone with no MicroSD slot and more onboard storage than a slot.
Plus, MicroSD is slow. And I’m fine paying a premium to get faster storage.
This is just my opinion, though, (as is the whole review), and If you carry around 5 MicroSD cards in your wallet that’s totally fine by me.
Why only a 90%, you might ask? The lack of a removable battery and water resistance. The lack of a removable battery isn’t too bad due to the great battery life (which, again, I’ll get into later), but it prevents it from being perfect so I needed to mention it.
Every night, when I get in the shower, I so much wish for the ability to just set my phone down and listen to a podcast. Or watch a YouTube video. I understand waterproofing would be pretty unfeasible for a phone this size (as it would most likely become quite unwieldy), but this is actually a pretty big downside for me. If I’m going to give something 100%, it really can’t have big issues.*I’d give any other phone without water resistance much less score, but everything else is so good it gets less of a penalty.
Software+Performance (Cyanogen 11S): 95%
Rarely do I find software perfect, but this is one place where it is. I’m using the Google Now launcher (pretty much the same as the default “Trebuchet”, but there’s a Google Now homepage to the left and “OK Google” everywhere), the*L-Ready Dark*theme by Koulis, and the*Stark*Icon Theme by Kovdev. It looks like this:
Well, I’m a sucker for stock Android. I just prefer it to pretty much all the skins out there. My only gripes with it though are that there just isn’t enough without going through Play Store apps (which I generally stay away from doing, because the interface can get inconsistent). With C11S, just about every setting and customization you can want is available stock. Without root, even (I still rooted it for AdAway and /system access, though)!
This phone has the best specifications of any phone available in the US, and it performs like it. The HTC M8 is usually considered the fastest Android phone out there right now, and this matches (and in RAM, exceeds) it.*There are no hiccups, and after opening 10 or 15 apps and watching a YouTube video my Chrome pages didn’t even have to reload (and I opened those first).
There*is*one complaint of mine, but is pulled just enough weight to reduce my score. And it’s the slow update process (compared to stock). This deducted the 5%. Now I know you can’t expect any skin maker to have something ready faster than stock Android, but when my M8 GPE gets Android L right off the bat, I’ll be sad that the OnePlus One will still be a ways out.
The reason I’m not bringing it down any more is because of the theme engine. I bet I’ll have a damn near Android L experience quite shortly after launch due to all the customization options!
Screen: 90%
In this section, I’ll refrain from criticizing the yellow hue at the bottom as that is an unintended manufacturer’s defect, and it isn’t representative of the way the screen is supposed to perform.
This screen is just gorgeous. It’s huge, has outstanding viewing angles, superb black levels, and a great brightness range. It’s comfortable to use in pitch black as well as in direct sunlight.
At first, the overall warmth of the factory calibration was a bit weird. I much preferred the cooler tones of the M8. I’ve quickly adjusted to it, and skin tones do look good (as OnePlus claimed). There’s also a built-in manual color adjustment tool in settings to make it just the way you like it.
Touch latency is also incredible. Compared to the M8 (with 46ms), this feels about the same. That’s fast.
All in all, the display is impressive. However, it’s not quite at the same level as the Galaxy S5 (the best as of this review) or HTC M8, so I have to bump it down.
Camera: 90%
I’m not a huge mobile photographer, so really all I need is something to look nice on Facebook and Twitter. The HTC M8’s camera works fine for me. Oh, and I know OnePlus had to use a worse camera to keep the price down.
But this camera is much more than something for Instagram.*A "compromised" part of this phone is still great.
The app is great, the settings are simple but highly customizable, and the pictures are consistently sharp, in focus, and properly exposed.
Thing is, cameras like those found the Lumia 1020, and Galaxy S5 are still better.
However, in my usage, it’s been very comparable to the iPhone 5s camera. That isn’t an easy task.
Combine a relative inferiority with the lack of OIS, and I just can’t give it a better score.
I guarantee you won’t be disappointed with the camera, but everything here is being compared to the best of the best.
Sound and Call Quality: 85%
Now, every phone in existence pales in comparison to the HTC One M8 in terms of sound. I was somewhat excited to hear that there were stereo speakers on the OnePlus One, but after using them they really are nowhere near the class of those on HTC’s offering.*Pretty much, media playback is poor compared to the M8 (and M7/E8), but way better than every other phone.
Call quality, on the other hand, is quite good. Callers were clear, and I was clear to them.*The earpiece is a little quiet, and the microphone won’t pick you up unless you talk right into it,*but these are easy software fixes and I’m not concerned.
Battery Life: 100%
Battery life is up there with the best. 3100mAh for a 1080p screen is the best out there, and the ability to manually reduce CPU speed in the settings can stretch this out for even longer.
When the phone arrived, it had about 40% battery. After I set the phone up, downloaded all my apps, switched to ART, and signed into all my accounts, it had 15%. Also, the screen took up an astronomical 55% of the toal battery used. Enough said.
Overall Thoughts and Conclusion: 95%
All things considered, I give this phone a 95%.
Waterproofing, a removable battery, and better speakers would have made it 100%, but I think that*for many users, this is*the*best phone you can buy.
*
You have the performance and build quality of an HTC M8, the camera of an iPhone 5s, the screen size of a G3, the customizability of TouchWiz, the simplicity of stock Android, and the price of the Nexus 5.
But perhaps most importantly of all, it has the friendly support of a small business, with a community of an established one.
If that’s not a flagship killer, I don’t know what is.
If anyone has any questions/comments/criticism, feel free to contact @SolarTrans on Twitter!
Sent from my OnePlus One using Tapatalk
Reserved
Sent from my OnePlus One using Tapatalk
Good spot on the raised edge around the screen!
Sent from my One using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
thanks, lets please take further discussion here ...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2685348
Related
I’ve had the chance to use a Dvp for a while now and the following are my impressions of the device.
1) AMOLED screen: Not impressed. Colors were great, but pixilation is an issue for me. I can literally see pixels on this screen. HD2 has a larger screen with same resolution and I didn’t notice pixels like I noticed pixels on the Dvp.
2) Gorilla glass: Tough stuff! And I mean tough! I’ve already put it through its paces and tested it. Trust me; it’s very tough for the screen to get scratches. I’ve tried nails, knives, and even the floor. It was difficult for me to give it scratches especially with given pressure. This was amazing. The curvature has no effect on function at all. You really can’t feel its curved unless you’re in landscape mode – but even still, you can barely feel the curve. The curved glass is all aesthetics, I believe. It’s pretty I admit.
3) Rubber surroundings: this includes the rubber part that surrounds the top and bottom of the screen as well as around the keyboard. This rubber material is tough. It’s also difficult to scratch it. I tried to put pressure with my finger nails, but it didn’t leave a single mark. It does, however, attracts oils very fast!
4) Silver trimmings: These are cheap silver coated plastic. They scratch very easily and I mean VERY EASILY. They look great though, and are built to be as streamlined as possible. I did notice that my silver trimming wasn’t fully aligned with screen. I’ve already brought up this issue in another thread thinking it may be just this device but others are also report that their silver trimmings aren’t aligned as well. It could be a manufacturing defect due to the way the sliding mechanism is built.
5) Back plastic battery cover: what’s very unique about this back cover design is that it has actual engravings with tiny holes. Each one of those lines and dots are holes. Can dust get into those crevices over time? Yes and maybe. I think it’s very nicely design. It gives the feeling of something intriguing in the hands. The back cover is made of plastic. It doesn’t feel as cheap as the back cover of the HTC EVO or Incredible. But it isn’t as strong as the metal on the HD2. It’s rigid and isn’t really flexible. My only gripe about the back cover is that it didn’t fully cover the back entire. There was a gap along the side where I was able to see the SIM card slot’s metal plating underneath-Almost like the HD7’s gap where you can see the sim card even with the back cover on. – Nonetheless, this back cover fits like a perfect glove!
6) Keyboard: awesome keyboard. Great tactical feedback. I think I love it. It can be a little larger but its fine. The individual keys are actually tiny little islands if you look closely. I can tell that over time, dust will get under it. The keyboard isn’t like the HTC touch pro where its one long slab of plastic. I do wish that the keyboard would be more integrated with the OS more. Nothing happens if you’re just sliding it out and typing. You have to be somewhere where there’s text input for the keyboard to work. The keyboard’s backlight also turns off very quickly if you’re not typing. I wish it stayed on little longer. Registry tweaks anyone?
7) Screen Bleeds and LED buttons (back, start, and search): The screen will bleed when the LED lights are on. I’ve noticed bleeding from the following areas: Between the grooves where the G.glass meets the rubber near the top and bottom, groove between G.glass and silver trim of the left “back key” and right of the “search” key, and bleeds from bottom side of the earphone. With the LEDs, I wish they would be brighter! I can’t tell if they are on until I’m in complete darkness. And even then, the LEDs are very DIM- still useable though. Same thing with the keyboard, the LEDs don’t stay on for very long. I say about 5 secs? until they go off. Registry tweak anyone?
8) Camera and framing: Crappy camera, but what can you say, it’s a phone. Then again, my HD2 performed better. Someone here also mentioned that it’s very hard to get a sharp picture no matter how hard you are motionless. This is true. I rested the phone and took a picture. I have steady hands, but yet, I can’t seem to get a sharp image. It’s blurry for some reason. Weird. It’s a good camera for sending picture and uploading to facebook etc, but don’t think that it will chug-out pictures like an HD2. Another thing is framing: When you frame and take your pictures, you’ll see more after you’ve pressed the shutter button. It’s almost like the screen is the viewfinder, but the camera will capture more than what you see on the screen. It’s hard to explain this one. It could be an OS issue. Bright LED flash. No other comments on this one.
9) Power button, and camera button access: Since the phone slopes and curves into itself, it makes pressing these buttons a little difficult. Their placement isn’t the issue. It’s the accessibility; I feel like I have to work to get to them. They aren’t on a flat surface, but on a curved slopping surface which makes it hard. What do you guys think?
10) Speakers: Both earphone and bottom “stereo?” speakers are great. I say stereo because the
sound quality is amazing. It’s amazing compared to most smart phones today. They thump the device at high volumes, and retain clear audio that doesn’t distort. It would be nice if they placed another speaker behind that other mesh grill. Unfortunately it’s a microphone. So really, only the right side (underneath the “search” button) is the speaker.
11) Weight and size: in length, it’s slightly longer than the Hd2 with keyboard closed. In width, it’s just as wide as the Hd2 .Almost identical (HD2 has very little bezel around its screen). The rest of the phone’s size is obvious. In weight, it’s just a tad heavier than the HD2, though not by a lot. Definitely tolerable if you’ve owned the HD2 before and had no problems.
12) OS, speed and performance: two words…Buttery smooth! If this OS was a fully developed and matured OS like the iOS, then it would heavily rival the iOS right now in terms of speed and performance. I’ve never used a device that was so fluid in touch response!- This either beats the iphone4 or is equivalent to it. The Dvp really delivers on this aspect! This itself, could make the entire WP7 switch all worth the wild! Other have reported freezing issue. I’ve not to have that yet. *Knocks on wood.
13) Battery life: I’ve lasted an entire day surfing over wifi, texting, calling, and tinkering getting used to the device. That was some long lasting battery life.
14) Conclusion and Over all build: Amazing build over all. It’s stiff. It’s sturdy, and it feels like a $500 device. However, it does has imperfections which are noticeable only to those who are meticulous about their devices and will notice them when there’s backlight bleed, loose buttons or unaligned silver trimmings. Most people won’t notice this until it pointed out. See what I mean? Dvp is fast and responsive. This itself could make the $500 all worth the wild. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a DVP. This IS the WP7 device. It was meant for this OS.
The dell venue pro is a highly recommended device- if you can get pass the whole SHIPPING and ordering issues, which has been proved to be a painful experience with many users so far. Let me know what you guys are thinking.
I hope that this review has been helpful to you. The “thank you” button is below if you are generous. =)
I like this review, very informative and good to see that you did some testing.
Lol @ the fingernail testing, did you sharpen the nails first?
So are you keeping it?
Thanks, for this Review.
Great review there.. The one comment I would make about the camera is that for a phone coming out at the end of 2010 at this price the camera should be better. I used the HD7 for a bit and even with the pink hue of that one the camera on that phone is much better.. I hope this is something that Dell can address with updates and that it is not a hardware issue.
bernaserra said:
So are you keeping it?
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Click to collapse
This one us definetly a keeper. I'm keeping it.
lemonspeakers said:
2) Gorilla glass: Tough stuff! And I mean tough! I’ve already put it through its paces and tested it. Trust me; it’s very tough for the screen to get scratches. I’ve tried nails, knives, and even the floor. It was difficult for me to give it scratches especially with given pressure. This was amazing. The curvature has no effect on function at all. You really can’t feel its curved unless you’re in landscape mode – but even still, you can barely feel the curve. The curved glass is all aesthetics, I believe. It’s pretty I admit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So can I take that to mean that you actually managed to scratch it in the end? *ouch*
Seems extreme for a forum review lol.
FinalJenemba said:
So can I take that to mean that you actually managed to scratch it in the end? *ouch*
Seems extreme for a forum review lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
all the testing was done on a small scale so results aren't noticable if malignant. With the screen scratch test, after i knew pressure + scalpel didn't phase the screen (tested in the corner, of course), i went onto a large scale.
All other testing was done on a small scale but results should be indicative of a real situation.
My device still looks brand new as if nothing has happened to it!
lemonspeakers said:
8) Camera and framing: ...Bright LED flash. No other comments on this one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you serious? I've never seen a weaker flash. On my other phones, I can take a picture inside a small bathroom with the door closed and the lights off, and the flash will light up the room bright enough for the picture to seem like it was taken with the lights on. With the DVP it looks like there's a faint candelight providing the ambient light.
very nice review. here are some comments:
I think the screen color is good enough. I never had phone with AMOLED screen, I compare it to samsung vibrant with super AMOLED, it about same.
the battery life is not great. I played with the phone for few hours with wifi on, use internet explorer, text, marketplace, the battery bar seem to fall from 100% to 75% in 2 hours.
is the grilla glass really tough? I dont think metal will not leave any mark on it. I dont want to risk it to try it.
they keyboard seem to be smaller than the on screen keyboard, I wanted this phone because of the keybord, this is first phone I tried with physical keyboard, when i actually the keyboard, the keys are squeezed together, it is better to take my finger nail to pin on it.
I have not seen and LED on the phone. where are they?
speaker is loud enough. I like that.
the WP7 OS interface is good, but I think it is flexible as old windows mobile, cannot install cabs, can only install apps from marketplace, no file explorer, task manager, no compass, no gps software.
everything else is good.
citrix80 said:
very nice review. here are some comments:
is the grilla glass really tough? I dont think metal will not leave any mark on it. I dont want to risk it to try it.
I have not seen and LED on the phone. where are they?
speaker is loud enough. I like that.
everything else is good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The glass is that tough. Trust me!
the LEDs are the sensor buttons itself. (Back, start, and search). It's super DIM and you'd probably only notice it in complete darkness.
it would be cool to see a registry tweak to have the Windows logo/button flash and act as a notification LED when a new email/SMS/VM has arrived.
lemonspeakers said:
all the testing was done on a small scale so results aren't noticable if malignant. With the screen scratch test, after i knew pressure + scalpel didn't phase the screen (tested in the corner, of course), i went onto a large scale.
All other testing was done on a small scale but results should be indicative of a real situation.
My device still looks brand new as if nothing has happened to it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just curious lemon what would you use to clean the glass. and have you had issues where the screen just turns off and wifi issues where the phone freezes up
I don't understand the bad photo problem . . . mine are turning out great . . .
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enders4you said:
I don't understand the bad photo problem . . . mine are turning out great . . .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are full of ****. Your is from OmniVision model nV5642.
All this information is on yourpicture properties.
not only that, you've edited your images in photoshop cs4.
Get the outta here!
LOL! Nice try enders.
Actually, the info on the one photo says it was take with an HD7.
I only used photoshop to resize the image . . . . so there is an OmniVision in my dell? What?
Here is another no compression this time . . . still using the first dell phones . . .
http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/786/wp000116.jpg
Looks like the photo is legit unless the OP mod'd the Exif. My DVP also says OmniVision with the same model #.
There has never been an issue with daylight pictures. They actually look pretty good. It's the low-light pictures that require a flash that have been problematic. The flash on this camera is just flat-out the weakest I've ever seen on a smart phone.
It's possible that it's just a poor design as opposed to a defective component. Check any other phone, and you'll see sort of a yellow "lens" with concentric circles that I believe serves to intensify the LED flash. The DVP, for some reason, lacks this lens. The LED is covered by a flat piece of clear plastic with some "grating" pattern painted onto it.
more "official reviews"
cnet now has a review up for the dvp
also now that dvp is rumored to be on sale in the uk next week
electricpig has a review up now aswell
i wonder if engadget will get there review up today
http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/dell-venue-pro-t/4505-6452_7-34426341.html?tag=rnav
http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2011/01/28/dell-venue-pro-review/
This is a copy and paste of my review on the One Plus One forums:
I'll start off by rating each individual part that matters to me, of the phone, such as the camera, screen, etc.
Shipping: 9/10
Shipping has nothing to do with the device itself, but being that One Plus is an online merchant, shipping is a vital aspect to their product because it's the only way to get it. I ordered the phone July 1st, and by July 5th it was already in my hands... I also live on the other side of the country, Florida, so it was a really nice things that shipping and processing was so quick for me. Maybe I just got lucky and ordered it at the right time, but it got here quickly and that's what matters.
Packaging: 10/10
DSC_0036 by Scirca, on Flickr
I told myself I wouldn't give any 10/10's because perfection doesn't exist, but for the sake of being fair, this rating is more of a comparative one, not an absolute one.
The packaging is beautiful. It's simplistic, two toned, the colors pop out, it's truly a very nice experience to unbox the phone when you finally get it. I've unboxed many, many devices and the packaging which I've most liked is without a doubt, the One Plus One's.
Accessories: 9/10
DSC_0053 by Scirca, on Flickr
Have you seen the freaking cable. The phone is beautiful UP TO THE DAMN CABLE!
But seriously, this is a really nice cable bruH. The power brick is alright, but it's just a bit big in my opinion, it could serve the same function and perhaps be a bit smaller, or maybe it needs to be the size that it is, but I just prefer carrying around a smaller power brick. The inclusion of a SIM removal tool is nice and necessary (Apple didn't send me one when I ordered my 5S ) and I have no idea why it's made for a key ring but as you can see, it's already made itself home on my key ring, even though I might use it maybe twice in the life of the phone.
Design: 7/10
DSC_0054 by Scirca, on Flickr
Initially the design doesn't seem very striking... until you hold the phone in your hand. The sandstone black cover feels approximately like worn felt, and really gives it a super weird but really nice, premium feel. The tapered edges make the phone feel very thin, and the metal band around the screen nice, though it really doesn't add much to the phone other than looks.. The only thing is that the screen is slightly raised above the entire body of the device... one small mistake and you will probably end up killing the poor thing.
Button placement is just right, it makes one handed use with the phone a bit more comfortable, although I do have pretty big hands and one-handed use of the device is still a bit cumbersome. The speakers and ports look pretty great, but my biggest grip with the design, apart from the raised screen, is the fact that the headphone jack is on the top of the device; I really can't believe this is still a thing... if you normally put the device in your pocket bottom first, you are a sick, twisted person.
Speakers: 9/10
DSC_0047 by Scirca, on Flickr
The stereo speakers sound great and boy, are they loud. This isn't any studio quality or thousand dollar speakers, the bass is non-existent, mids sound kinda dead sometimes, but they're stereo, and they're loud, and it's usually the most neglected part of the phone, so the fact that they do their job well is always a bonus.
Camera: 10/10
DSC_0045 by Scirca, on Flickr
Oh boy here I go again with the perfect scores.
Repeat after me: Sony sensor, 13 Megapixels, f/2.0.
I'm gonna be honest with you here, I've always secretly had a thing for Sony and Carl Zeiss. They truly make some amazing sensors and glass, respectively. The camera module was an excellent choice by One Plus for the One. Dynamic range is pretty nice. Colors really depend on the light, but they're either eh, or really great (most of the time, the latter of the two). 13MP is a great number to work with, you can do significant cropping without much impact on the image quality. HDR and camera features are plenty, and the only thing missing is photo sphere, which albeit not very useful and sometimes buggy, it's an extremely cool feature.
Test Shots:
Some of these are HDR
IMG_20140713_105322 by Scirca, on Flickr
IMG_20140713_105359 by Scirca, on Flickr
IMG_20140713_105308 by Scirca, on Flickr
IMG_20140713_105429 by Scirca, on Flickr
IMG_20140713_105342 by Scirca, on Flickr
Reception: 9/10
I guess ratings will vary here because it's a very relative rating to how well the other devices connected to this thing work, but I felt like I needed to add that the WiFi antenna on this phone is extremely powerful. Where every single phone I've owned over the years does not pick up the WiFi signal in my room (being that the router is on the other side of my house, and that's pretty far away from my room), not only does the One pick up the signal, but I see very little decrease in speed, which is truly impressive. Apart from that, 4G, 3G and edge are there and work. Signal strength from networks is pretty close to that of other phones.
Software/OS: 9/10 & Battery Life: 8/10
Screenshot_2014-07-13-11-25-19 by Scirca, on Flickr
One of the selling points of the One is Cyanogenmod. While I've always preferred other AOSP ROMs, namely AOKP, CM11 is a really great ROM. It's like vanilla bean ice cream, not quite vanilla, but nice indeed. There are a ton of features that it adds, and a great deal of functionality. The fact that the phone has at least one permanent team of developers is very reassuring. The only bad thing that comes with this are bugs. There's bugs everywhere, open the camera app and focus somewhere and wait a few seconds, the "Auto" mode indicator will quickly flash itself. NFC Beaming isn't supported by the CM Gallery (it crashes), and it's all little nuisances. Yes, custom ROMs are notorious for bugs, and yes, it is annoying to sometimes have to miss out on a few features because of this, but at the end of the day, developers are more attentive to the people using the ROMs, and fixes usually come much, much quicker than say Samsung or HTC. And you get versions of Android much faster than both of these companies, too.
Also, CM has been notorious for having some crappy battery life, but this time, it is not the case. battery life is the same, or better than my iPhone 5S, which I consider to be the most battery efficient you can buy, and the best battery in any phone; the battery may be tiny, but the software is very tuned.
Screen: 5/10 (See below)
It's 5.5 Inches, 1080p, fairly pixel dense, not much else to say here. Color representation is fairly accurate, although it is a bit warm and saturated, but warm and saturated is nice. And yes, whites do look yellow at the bottom of the display. Regardless of what One Plus says, this should definitely not be like that, but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt...except panels are plagues with problems; see here:
http://youtu.be/jwLz5OW809A?t=6m
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/batches-consolidation.51772/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/stuck-pixel.50886/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/dead-pixel.55888/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/panel-issue-vertical-line-through-panel.54952/#post-2505685
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/screen-flicker.55650/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/no-response-for-rma.53769/
The sad thing is that I can literally go back and write the entire review about all the problems that not only I have encountered but many other have encountered with their devices. I myself have a yellow tint and a line of slow pixels running vertically through the display, that almost looks like the actual LCD is scratched. (see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkMKx46Cvp4 and the images below). Yellow tint is a problem, not a huge deal to me, yes I would love for One Plus to exchange my device for a working one, but it's not like I'm going to die if they don't; what is going to kill me is that damn line running through the screen. Every time I take a picture it's there, every time I watch a movie or a vine or a video, it's there, and it's extremely annoying.
Image 1 by Scirca, on Flickr
Edited for better visibility:
Image 1 Edited by Scirca, on Flickr
Image 2 by Scirca, on Flickr
Edited for better visibility:
Image 2 Edited by Scirca, on Flickr
Image 3 by Scirca, on Flickr
Edited for better visibility:
Image 3 Edited by Scirca, on Flickr
This leads me on to the next topic:
Customer Service: -1/10 (See below)
I don't think I've ever given given a negative rating for anything...ever, but wow One Plus, you definitely earned this one!
I'm actually going to quote myself (dat ego):
Scirca said:
The only problem with this thread is that yes, while other, more expensive phones were susceptible to the same problem as the OPO, regarding the yellow tint, the difference is that in most of the threads, the people talk about how their devices were replaced with functioning devices by their respective manufacturers. A screen is the most important part of the phone, and it's extremely childish for a company to be calling certain defects in their panels a "normal occurrence". Seriously? Normal in the sense it happens often, not normal in the sense that the screen is working in the way that it is intended to. BTW, not only am I referring to yellow screens, but to your pixel anomalies. The customer service has seriously been the only bad thing I can find with the phone, which is extremely infuriating, since it's an optimal part of the phone, and various companies with sub-par phones (*cough* Apple *cough*) has prided themselves in customer service and iPhones have been and will continue selling like hotcakes, I mean ffs my iPhone 5S was once replaced by them just because the screen was slightly elevated from the body.
Shame on you One Plus for making such a great phone but having no regard not only for your prospective customers, but your current customers as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One Plus, there is nothing wrong with your device, absolutely nothing wrong with your device, it's a great phone, the One is possibly the greatest flagship money can buy right now. Your customer service is just a shame, a terrible, terrible shame. So many people have so many issues and all you keep doing is making excuses, calling things normal, and just outright ignoring others. My open ticket has spent a few days now, without a reply. You refuse to replace some devices, and when you do, you aren't very straightforward about it, and love to charge people outrageous charges just to take the device back. I mean seriously, $56 plus shipping just so that someone can send you back a phone (which btw is still in the 14-day return window) is absolutely wrong and is in no way a consumer-friendly policy. Like many have said before, your slogan has been "Never Settle", yet you want us to settle with defective phone. Don't believe me? Believe them:
http://youtu.be/jwLz5OW809A?t=6m
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/batches-consolidation.51772/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/oneplus-this-is-wrong.51132/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/support-ticket-denied.54018/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/stuck-pixel.50886/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/dead-pixel.55888/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/panel-issue-vertical-line-through-panel.54952/#post-2505685
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/screen-flicker.55650/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/no-response-for-rma.53769/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/bottom-third-of-screen-yellowish-need-advice.51061/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/just-got-my-1-1-and-its-defect.50208/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/...rn-phone-if-it-is-defective-in-any-way.52396/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/code-yellow.50645/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/dead-pixel-or-yellow-tint.51035/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/refund-status-with-op.53179/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/stuck-pixels-no-response-from-support.53687/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/so-will-the-yellow-tint-on-bottom-of-screen-heal-itself.53776/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/...hipping-and-customer-service-very-long.53220/
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/my-yellow-screen-is-worse.53997/
And trust me, there are many, many more posts and threads that have been merged or hidden. The thing that most people need to understand is that the phone is fine, every phone will have defects, regardless of the manufacturer, what counts is how the manufacturer deals with those defects. If they deal with transparency and with a willingness to help out the customer, they will do very good in the future. If they hide things and deny things and don't care about their customers or warranties or anything, shame on them.
Conclusion:
Do I recommend this phone? At the moment, no, not until One Plus stands up for their mistakes and starts treating their customer and prospective customers like real customers, not trash. I've gone from desperately wanting the One to desperately trying to get an RMA . If that doesn't work I wouldn't mind selling my device or trading it for a G3, because while yes, I'll have to settle for a few things with the G3, at least LG won't make me settle for crappy customer service.
If you receive an invite, think twice about purchasing the phone, because while you may be lucky and your device won't suffer from any issues, you may very well be unlucky and suffer one of the many issues the device is plagued with. Just be careful, and remember that the choice is always yours.
One Plus, you've stood behind your device for being great, and it is, but if you're not standing behind it enough to honor your warranty and the manufacturing issues you've had with your devices, then you're basically not standing behind it at all. We all $350 that we paid for, we want devices free of defects, we want real transparency. If this is too much to ask, not only as a phone manufacturer, but as a company, you will not get very far.
thanks, but there is a thread here for this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2685348
Ok, so I am in the camp of those waiting to see the magical unicorn. However, I am growing tired of following the evergrowing "where is my shipment" thread.... There have to be some of you out there with the phone, and searching for each individual thread seems strange. Can we start a full on user impressions thread so that we can get an idea of what to expect on the incredible day that we actually receive our units?
I really like mine, I picked it up today at T-Mobile to use on Verizon. Now, I still may end up going back to T-Mobile because I like the fact that I can have Voice + Data on it and higher voice quality... However, about the device...
Coming from iPhone 6 and then iPhone 6 Plus I was impressed by 5.0. Android finally feels very polished and better designed than iOS8. I actually now see iOS8 as being pretty basic when few months ago it was like a breath of fresh air. The device itself feels great, build quality is good and is more so on a lighter side.
Display is much nicer than what I expected after reading reviews. I actually prefer it to iPhone 6 display as colors pop out a bit more and higher resolution and bigger display really stands out while watching videos. Adaptive brightness is great, I finally do not feel as if my android is too dim on auto brightness. Ambient display is awesome, I like seeing notifications as they come without the need to really waste battery the way it was on iPhone.
Speakers are loud enough, much better than most other phones. I would still give an edge to iPhone 6 for its base, but overall, I love the dual stereo on it. Also, placement is nice, I do not constantly feel as if I am covering the speaker while playing games or holding my phone in landscape.
Camera seems much better than N5 and N4 were... those weren't too good. It took good pics so far, I haven't tested enough to tell you if it is amazing though.
Somewhat disappointed by the back material. Feels cheap compared to the nexus 5 black soft touch. Other than that the screen is great and so is the camera . low light shots are excellent.
Call quality is excellent... Used a hangouts call and it was awesome as well. Latency is lower than with the n5.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
I just picked mine up today. 32GB midnight blue from Sprint. I ordered it Saturday and they said it was on back order and would take 1 to 3 weeks. I went in there today just to see if it had shipped yet and as soon as I walked in the Sprint gal went to the back and brought it out. I wasn't expecting that!
The back of the phone really is a fingerprint magnet! Haha
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Camera samples below.
Nexus 5 with the slim armor spigen. That case has been through it, but is still standing strong. Has protected my N5 extremely well. 
I've only had this device in hand for about 4 hours but overall I am loving it. The way it feels in the hand is comfortable, the over structure feels durable. Overall it runs smooth and fast. Haven't had it long so I can't really give my overall opinion on it. I'm not disappointed at all. Loving this device so far. No complaints my way!
First battery stats from today.
obsanity said:
First battery stats from today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice! Look forward to it getting better over time
There are things I like and dislike about this phone. Yes, it's big, but the sheer width of the phone is what makes it cumbersome and slippery at times. The camera is solid which is something I can't say about any other Nexus phone.
Things I like:
Build quality is solid. Feels dense in the way HTC phones feel.
Speakers are wonderful.
That eggshell white color is downright sexy.
Minor nitpicks:
Lollipop isn't as fast as it was on my OnePlus (development build). Not sure if this has something to do with encryption overhead or the fact it's pushing a lot more pixels. The 2 plastic speakers are huge dust magnets.
Is the White version also a fingerprint magnet?
pedxing said:
Somewhat disappointed by the back material. Feels cheap compared to the nexus 5 black soft touch. Other than that the screen is great and so is the camera . low light shots are excellent.
Call quality is excellent... Used a hangouts call and it was awesome as well. Latency is lower than with the n5.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how does it feel "cheap" compared to the nexus 5's? The only difference i can tell is that the Nexus 5's is more of a rubberized soft-touch feeling, whereas the Nexus 6 is more like a soft-touch/matte plastic. Yes, the rubberized back FEELS better.... but one doesn't really feel any cheaper than the other to me. Besides.... with how much of a fingerprint magnet the back of this phone is, i can't imagine me using this for long without a case. Just have to wait for my Cruzerlite case to come on Saturday (or sooner).
elementaldragon said:
how does it feel "cheap" compared to the nexus 5's? The only difference i can tell is that the Nexus 5's is more of a rubberized soft-touch feeling, whereas the Nexus 6 is more like a soft-touch/matte plastic. Yes, the rubberized back FEELS better.... but one doesn't really feel any cheaper than the other to me. Besides.... with how much of a fingerprint magnet the back of this phone is, i can't imagine me using this for long without a case. Just have to wait for my Cruzerlite case to come on Saturday (or sooner).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To me the soft touch feels well engineered...they put thought into it. The regular plastic back feels like no thought went into it at all. It feels the same as a plastic soda bottle. Thus cheap because thoughts are expensive.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
air2k57 said:
I really like mine, I picked it up today at T-Mobile to use on Verizon. Now, I still may end up going back to T-Mobile because I like the fact that I can have Voice + Data on it and higher voice quality... However, about the device...
Coming from iPhone 6 and then iPhone 6 Plus I was impressed by 5.0. Android finally feels very polished and better designed than iOS8. I actually now see iOS8 as being pretty basic when few months ago it was like a breath of fresh air. The device itself feels great, build quality is good and is more so on a lighter side.
Display is much nicer than what I expected after reading reviews. I actually prefer it to iPhone 6 display as colors pop out a bit more and higher resolution and bigger display really stands out while watching videos. Adaptive brightness is great, I finally do not feel as if my android is too dim on auto brightness. Ambient display is awesome, I like seeing notifications as they come without the need to really waste battery the way it was on iPhone.
Speakers are loud enough, much better than most other phones. I would still give an edge to iPhone 6 for its base, but overall, I love the dual stereo on it. Also, placement is nice, I do not constantly feel as if I am covering the speaker while playing games or holding my phone in landscape.
Camera seems much better than N5 and N4 were... those weren't too good. It took good pics so far, I haven't tested enough to tell you if it is amazing though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, could you please share the framework files from your N6 system with me? Thx
Got mine a couple of days ago. It is the most premium feeling nexus yet. I love the mixture of metal and plastic. However it is a little slippery. I normally put a case on my phones but I'm going to be really picky about what I get for this one considering the extra size. After de encrypting the phone it's finally just as fast/ faster than my nexus 5. Still testing battery but so far seems better since it's bigger.
Been using mine for two days now, coming from my Oneplus One.
This phone feels faster in some ways, slower in others. I'm guessing software and apps need better calibration.
Ugh, the screen color seems yellow, but slightly tilted to the side seems much better. OPO had better whites.
Battery in the 6 is horrible compared to OPO, yes I know the dpi...
Camera is awesome
Design is much better than OPO (subjective)
Sound is majestic omg
I couldn't get the hidden led notification to work
Fyi, im rooted and unencrypted
Edit: on the issue of it being slippery I find the opposite to be true. With moist hands after workouts or sweaty hands, the phone sticks to your hand. Maybe with dry hands its slipperier(sp)
got my nexus 6 a few days ago. really enjoying it. it is quite literally the device i've been waiting for, in every way.
what i like:
- the display is bar none. the g3 also has a 2k display but it's not as beautiful, imo (and yes, i owned one). this screen quality/clarity is a jaw-dropper
- battery life is good. for 3220mah its not stellar (5-6 hours SOT) but for the amount of pixels its pushing, its just fine. having had nexus 5 and it's sorry battery life, its nice to have this 6 and know that you'll have enough juice for the day.
- of course lollipop is great. to me, it includes so much more thought and features than kitkat did. when i received my nexus 5 last year, i was immediately rooting and looking for custom roms. KK was so bare bones. beautiful and fluid, but without almost any features it seemed. with lollipop, i dont feel the same. i will of course eventually root and begin trying out custom roms, looking at their optimizations and offerings but in the meantime, stock L is just fine.
- multimedia playback is excellent on this 6" 2k display with dual front facing speakers. seriously.
- i cant hate 6 months of free google play music all access.
- this phone is absolutely everything i want in a device. couldn't be happier.
what i dont like:
- although the phone is absolutely beautiful, it is entirely too slippery, imo. with its size and weight, you WILL drop this phone at some point. i highly recommend a case. as a matter of fact i have mine in one now. i'm using a matte black tpu from Diztronic. once Clay ( @OneStepAhead ) has them back in stock on the website, i highly recommend getting one. i cannot say any more how awesome this phone and case combo is. http://www.tpu-cases.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=44_109&products_id=421
- it would be nice if there was a better notification system in place so that i wouldnt have to pick my phone up to see if i've missed anything. google HAS to know that we live in a connected world now. there were probably 50 ways to approach providing notifications to the user. i dont know why they opted to go the route of initial notification screen wake and then nothing else. i will say this, as much as this would bother me on other phones, this nexus is so great in every other way that i easily look past this annoyance.
pedxing said:
To me the soft touch feels well engineered...they put thought into it. The regular plastic back feels like no thought went into it at all. It feels the same as a plastic soda bottle. Thus cheap because thoughts are expensive.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree 100%. After reading all of the reviews about how premium it felt, I was ready to pull the trigger this Christmas. But I just got hands on with it in the T-Mobile store and I was pretty unpleasantly surprised.
"THAT'S IT? THIS IS IT?"
I turned it over for about twenty seconds before putting it down and not picking it up again. Yes, it may be a minor thing to some, but feel-in-the-hand is one of my top priorities. My N5 feels much better to me, even the weight of it, somehow. By comparison, even the Moto X I held yesterday (the black with the soft touch back) was much more satisfying. The N6 felt like a dummy model. Based on this new info, plus the fact that I was already lamenting the absence of Moto software, I'll be going with the Moto X.
Subjective, I guess. My Nexus 5 looks and feels a lot less premium than my 6.
I've had mine for almost a week while it didn't take long to get used to the size I can actually work it pretty well with one hand. I just don't know if I like having a phone this big
Love this device, was disappointed in battery life...its good and about even to the m8 but I was hoping for more.
I love that it charges really quick, even using another non turbo charger. I find this phone easy to use one handed with the exception of hitting the back button with my right, or the multitask button on the right.
Build quality is superb IMO, speaker is great. Almost as good as m8. Louder than m8 but m8 is slightly more rich. In a lot of ways this reminds me of the m8 just bigger
Finest phone I've ever owned. Trounces the Nexus 5 (which IMO is one of the most comfortable and well-rounded phones ever made) and OPO in build quality and overall performance on every level, although the 7-9+ SOTs on the OPO were pretty nice too. Still happy with my purchase.
I got mine the other day through att and I'm impressed. I came from the Note 3 and was pretty much over the touchwiz stuff. I love the lollipop look. The phone feels great to hold and the screen looks great. I LOVE the turbo charger...went from 14% to 78% in 30mins! Awesome sauce!!!!
Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Google Pixel 4a, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Google Pixel 4a is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
Not a bad little phone for the price. Too small for me though. I have a 3XL. I bought this for my girlfriend. It's faster than I thought it would be. Should be incredible on Android 11.
She's very apprehensive with the small size. She also has a 3XL with a very cracked screen. Not quite as fast as my 3XL but extremely smooth. I'm very impressed.
I'm on Android 11 Beta 3
Love the Punch hole. Very nice
---------- Post added at 12:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:28 AM ----------
I'm trying not to play with it. Lol
---------- Post added at 12:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:33 AM ----------
Excellent for one handed use . I want one. Yummy
Had anyone else found their actual reported battery capacity is not what Google claimed?
This is my only device not meeting claimed mAh (my system is reporting 3080)
matthewkuhl said:
Had anyone else found their actual reported battery capacity is not what Google claimed?
This is my only device not meeting claimed mAh (my system is reporting 3080)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mine also says 3080
gmanhatesu said:
mine also says 3080
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you
i emailed Google support about it and they just recited the spec capacity and spewed some advertising nonsense about that being a "big deal" number and to reach out again if i had any other questions. i reiterated that i wasn't getting that number from my system reporting and they have not replied.
Please, bring it up to Google support because this might be a widespread problem.
Mine says 3080 as well.... I don't think it is a big deal.
What Accubattery Pro actually shows...
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Kwanger said:
Mine says 3080 as well.... I don't think it is a big deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not a big deal...even if accurate. 2-3% difference. M'eh.
Yeah, the standing 3080 reported by accu battery seems to be inaccurate anyway. Now I've got a few charges on it the estimated battery capacity is higher 3300 or so........which in itself will be inaccurate as I believe the actual battery is probably as advertised. It's all semantics anyway..... What I do know is that battery life is way better than my outgoing 18 month old essential phone.
Now having used the 4a for a few days, it is solidifying my initial impressions of what a great phone for the money it is. Upgrade from my essential in every way, feels smoother, signal strength is better, it connects to my inbuilt android auto without a hitch. For me the size and weight of it is perfect..... going to be a keeper for sure.
This reminds me a lot of the Nexus 5 but without the flaws.
I really love this phone. The screen feels a lot larger than it is. Oled at this price is very nice. Decent stereo speakers. The snapdragon 730 is decent paired with 6 GB ram. Battery life is excellent considering the battery capacity.
The polycarbonate plastic body feels super solid and is light. The fingerprint scanner on the back is refreshing to use solving a problem that never needed to be solved with terrible in display fingerprint readers.
The camera is great.
3.5mm headphone jack.
This is the best Pixel I have used. My only complaint is I can't watch Netflix in fullscreen.
Here's my thoughts coming from Pixel 3a:
Screen is noticeably brighter outdoors.
Edge to edge is really nice, but the chins on the 3a give you somewhere to hold, whereas the 4a it's all screen and left holding it by edges a lot.
Fingerprint sensor got a huge upgrade, now works with completely wet finger, where the 3a had issues with slightly sweaty or wet finger, far less failed login attempts.
The edge to edge screen doesn't always fill the screen, like XFINITY Stream TV. Some apps will fill the right side of the screen, but the left side of the screen will be a square edge instead of filling to edge. This is probably my biggest gripe. Some apps do edge to edge fill properly, like YouTube, just wish all apps did this.
The screen is slightly warm in color, it has a tiny yellow tint to it, where the 3a is more neutral
The camera is very similar in color profile, has a slight warm tone, where the 3a feels more neutral
Great phone ruined by yellow glow over everything:
https://imgur.com/a/DWN527j
https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/ienzi6/yellow_tint_on_pixel_4a_screen/
Not sure if because of cheap OLED, or bad calibration.
For the money it is the best phone out there and I do like it. Here are my complaints coming from an Xperia XZ1.
-My Xperia phones were always bulletproof. I only used glass protectors and never had a case. The Pixel 4a is not as strong. Already took a chunk out of the plastic but it's a budget phone. Still with no wireless charging give us an aluminum back.
-Screen is great for the money. The colors aren't perfect but it looks good and the refresh rate seems nice.
-I am a fan of a side sensor but the rear one is pretty responsive so I don't complain too much.
-I HATE THE BOTTOM SPEAKER HOLES! I hold my phone with my pinky under the bottom and it digs into my skin. I will get used to it but it's annoying. Make the holes not so sharp or do something else. I have never been a fan of bottom mounted speakers.
-The camera is amazing for the money. Exceptional value.
-The software has been great and the new android update has made it even smoother.
Overall it is the phone that the Exceptional phone should have been. I had one of those and wanted to love it but the display was garbage. I can get over the stuff I hate on this phone because of the price.
mrsatan said:
Still with no wireless charging give us an aluminum back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My preference leans toward textured plastic. Arguably lighter, less likely to dent, not a finger print magnet, potentially easier to hold with finger tips. So done with fragile glass and metal sandwiches. It's a phone not a fashion statement .
I suppose this (if true) would be the counter argument: https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-4a/help/cover-4a-discoloration-problems-t4163637/post83511081
DB126 said:
My preference leans toward textured plastic. Arguably lighter, less likely to dent, not a finger print magnet, potentially easier to hold with finger tips. So done with fragile glass and metal sandwiches. It's a phone not a fashion statement .
I suppose this (if true) would be the counter argument: https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-4a/help/cover-4a-discoloration-problems-t4163637/post83511081
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am so over glass backs too but my XZ1 has the best metal back. Its textured so easy to hold and has never dented. Sure it is scratched as hell but I never babied it. Plastic would never hold up to that amount of damage. That is my only concern but I also paid a lot more for the XZ1 as well.
i received my Pixel 4a yesterday. Android 11 was waiting for me in KSA. Overall best device in back camera, display, touch response and off course software. Front camera is normal. Not good in games but can be bearable. Battery SOT is 8 to 9 hours. Upgraded from P40 pro. Wishes it should have better chipset atleast.
Pretty happy with the phone overall. Size is perfect and battery life is still good enough for me. I had a OnePlus 6t before this so most say it's a downgrade and in some ways it is but for the camera improvement and still having all day battery life and to actually get updates is a big plus over a big screen and battery and I don't we even more the difference in chipsets . It's a solid A to me hopefully they make more like this.
I owned flagship devices, top of the line processor, etc....
I was an idiot.
The Pixel 4a does everything I need to do and I save maybe $800 dollars.
Sure run a bench mark and the device will be very far behind the latest Samsung device but in real life the games I played and apps I ran all run fine.
The camera is the best !!! One thing Pixel does well is camera software processing.
I take photos with various devices and the colour of the Google shots is more natural, most camera add a cooling effect which you do not see in real life. Astro photography love putting my camera on a tripod and seeing what I get.
What do I lose wireless charging ? Not a big deal if it means I save $800
Water resistance, never been an issue
Miss a wide screen camera but for what I save just the normal camera is fine.
5G battery hog, not available everywhere "will want it next time"
Found out the phone's software automatically blocks Robo calls !!!! Wow I love you goggle.
Getting fast updates, and no bloat rounds of the reasons this device is for me.
AstroDigital said:
I owned flagship devices, top of the line processor, etc....
I was an idiot.
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Click to collapse
Not necessarily. Until recently (let's call it the last 2 years) mid-range phones were a distinct step down from flagships. I had a hunch the curve would flip when the iPhone X and similar Samsungs came out which attempted to push the acceptable price point into the 4-digit range (USD). Ridiculous for a hand held gizmo that gets replaced every 2-3 years. Not to mention the giant form factor which didn't work for everyone. Be interesting to see where we are two years from now. Flagships will still exist but may not be the must-haves they once were.
quangtran1 said:
What Accubattery Pro actually shows... View attachment 5088261
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This is what shows in my device
Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
Hi as the devices are out in the German speaking countries, some initial comments from my side. I am coming from different devices including Fold 1, N20U and the one with the i, just as a background. My main daily driver in the last 12 months was the Fold 1 which I absolutely loved, that's why I ordered the Fold 2 on the first day.
- Overall a real 2.0 version of a 1.0 product I loved. A lot of improvements
- The small screen is a lot better, I was using the small Fold 1 screen quite often and liked also typing on it, as I swype heavily, and the short distances make it really quick. That advantadge is still there, but smaller, on the other side typing of words which you can't swype like passwords is easier now due to the additional screen real estate.
- The quality of the small screen has significantly improved from my point of view in terms of brightness and clarity
- I hated the small screen for only being able to arrange three apps in the permanent row at the bottom, and it is 5 now! Big improvement
- Audio is incredible, I also had the Mi10 which was the king in that category from my point of view, Fold2 equal or better. Incredible loud. Don't forget to turn Atmos on.
- I treated the Fold 1 very carefully for a couple of weeks, until I found out that nothing happens - actually my 1 year old Fold 1 is in best condition although handled like any other phone. I am in the same phase now with the Fold 2 - I am worried
- I have the Aramid standing cover and I don't like it. It looks cheap and covers only a part of the device, additionally it is more instable on a desk than without it. I am planning to switch to the leather cover
- Training the face recognition is so incredibly fast (1-2 seconds) that I think this cannot be save....
- You have to switch the large display to tablet mode in order to get tabs in the browser or multi window in outlook, this setting is only visible if you have the display open. Took me time to find it. Only then the large inner display makes real sense
- I am a heavy user of the small display and mainly use the large one for media consumption, which results in something like 60/40 usage small/big. With this setup, the battery seems to be fantastic, although to early to provide any detail. The German magazine CHIP made exactly that test and came to incredible runtime with the small display.
- The haptic of the whole thing made a big step forward compared to fold 1, especially the hinge. Real great feeling.
- Not really a dealbreaker, but strange: The flashlight is the weakest I had on a phone for years
- I am everything but an expert for smartphone cameras, more the point and shoot average user. Photo quality seems great to me, but look for better experts to talk about that. The usability is great, fast and responsive
- Generally, same comment applies to N20U and S20U, I think the OneUI made big steps forward in the last two years. Especially looking at the whole eco system with watch and earbuds, the whole user experience is now really great and close to an other phone (can' remember the name, someting with an i as far as I remember)
This are my initial impressions. I am happy with my purchase up to now.
Digging the Samsung Notes app on the big screen. Obviously doesn't support S-Pen but finger writing works surprisingly well.
Sent from my SM-F916U using Tapatalk
So after 5 days, thoughts...
First of all, the delivery was surprisingly on time, (never bought directly from Samsung Germany before) so that was a good start with the experience.
I wasn't overly impressed with the unboxing though. But still, unwrapping the warnings of was a good feeling. Then closing the device for the first time was a "wooow" moment. Coming from the Fold, that hinge feels so sturdy and worthy. I guess I played around, opened , closed the device for a minute or 2 before booting up the device.
It's screen protector in and outside are perfectly fine for the moment. The inside feels a bit "rubbery" and cheapish if I may say so, but it does the job fine.
The big screen is bright enough and clear enough for the everyday use. Regarding the flex mode, I do not give much about it. It's not mature enough yet to use it fully IMHO.
The outer screen, geez I use it a lot. I already used it quit often on the original Fold, but this upgrade is an enlightening. One hand usage, swiping my messages away. A quick look at social media is lovely, reading quickly any article is OK.
The build in general is sturdy, mature and a joy. I have the Mystic Black version. No need to tell anyone it's a fingerprint magnet. It's slippery as well.
And that's what annoys me a bit. I don't care they didn't put any extras in it this time. I mean, you just spend 2000 euro/dollar on a device. Then 60 Euro shouldn't be that big of a problem either. But they should've had it available in shops, online etc to get a case, cause you want to protect it, and this Mystic Black version is slippery as an eel.
I need a case or skin for this version.
But the conclusion is, samsung nailed it, to give us a 2000 euro experience, that feels like a 2000 euro device.
Did I need they phone? No, do I wanted the phone? Yes. But can I go back to a "normal" phone after 2 generations of foldable phones? Probably, but difficult it'll be...
After heavily utilizing my Mystic Black Fold 2 for a weekend, here are some of my thoughts below. I'll try not to repeat common things that I've read here or seen in reviews, but overall, I'm loving this device and having a pocketable large screen!
- The narrower front screen is surprisingly easy to type on, even without swiping. I have nubs for thumbs and I was shocked that I wasn't producing typos left and right.
- The visibility outside for both screens is pretty good, though the inside screen suffers from high reflectivity when outside in the sun. It doesn't affect you as much if you're looking straight on and slightly closing the hinge to angle the display helps.
- This device is so slippery it continually falls out of my pocket when I get in my car or sit at an angle. Where are you Fold 2 cases?! So far no damage but there have been a couple close calls.
- I have tried to be extra careful with this device but the inside screen protector is scratched up. I only notice it at certain angles under bright light but it makes me sad. I'm tempted to remove the inside screen protector but I'm not sure the ultra thin glass would hold up any better.
- The power button is a bit awkwardly placed for my hands and I found that I was constantly swiping up/down on it by accident which opened/closed the notification shade so I turned off that gesture.
- Speaking of that power button, it's tough to feel the button when attempting to scan my fingerprint but that could be due to me being used to face unlock with my iPhone 11 Pro and Pixel 4XL. I'm sure this will become more natural over time and the fingerprint scanner is mighty quick.
- I haven't found many widgets I like as they're not yet optimized for the screens (this includes some of the Samsung apps which surprised me). Many take up a lot of room on my homepages but then have small/compressed text/images. Hope this improves over time.
- I love the ability to be able to have multiple apps open but I initially got confused (and frustrated) with the Android split screen multi-tasking. I hope to be able to take advantage of this more as I use the phone.
- Very minor gripe but I wish there were more stock live wallpapers like how Google provides with their Pixels.
- Not sure if anyone else is encountering this but when I open to the bigger screen, there's a click that happens if I press down on the hinge on a bit. I found that opening to the larger screen by applying more pressure with the tips of both thumbs prevents this.
- Sometimes I get "disoriented" over which screen orientation I'm on when using the larger screen (i.e. is it currently in portrait or landscape?).
- When I have the device open in landscape, I like to keep the speakers on top both to project the sound a bit better and b/c the back half with the camera is a bit more grippy compared with the front screen (I took off the front screen protector).
- Haven't had any issues using Samsung Pay with this device.
- This device is amazing when you're out shopping with a significant other and need to keep the kids entertained with the large screen and loud-ish speakers!
Needs a TOTAL makeover!
I love it yeahhh!
My absolutely favorite phone is ... Nokia e90 Comunicator. I had this 3 times ln the past. Still have one Nokia e7 in perfect condition. I had also Htc Z . My first Android. I love foldables because... I love it, just love this Wow effect and of course more functionality. Bar phones looking like soaps. Even bigger and bigger Soaps!
propov8 said:
I love it yeahhh!
My absolutely favorite phone is ... Nokia e90 Comunicator. I had this 3 times ln the past. Still have one Nokia e7 in perfect condition. I had also Htc Z . My first Android. I love foldables because... I love it, just love this Wow effect and of course more functionality. Bar phones looking like soaps. Even bigger and bigger Soaps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Love the Nokia Communicator. And even flashbacks to the Psion Organiser that I still have in a drawer somewhere.