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Well, I don’t know where to start, ok here I go, WHAT A PILE OF CRAP, I went from the brilliant HTC Desire to this crap, I was quite excited about the Samsung galaxy s, but I was shocked at the level of LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG, even to just make a standard call, I am waiting for a while for the Samsung to process the instruction, at times I have felt like throwing the fone out of the window, it is really bad, hopefully the update to froyo 2.2 will eliminate the LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG problem, or what I would advise is if possible install the Nexus1 version of Android 2.1, and forget about Samsung own crap software. HTC Desire here I Come.
This is a honest review from a very frustrated Samsung galaxy s owner, if I have upset anyone with my review, please accept my apologies, as that is not my intention
Thank you
drasifriaz said:
Well, I don’t know where to start, ok here I go, WHAT A PILE OF CRAP, I went from the brilliant HTC Desire to this crap, I was quite excited about the Samsung galaxy s, but I was shocked at the level of LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG, even to just make a standard call, I am waiting for a while for the Samsung to process the instruction, at times I have felt like throwing the fone out of the window, it is really bad, hopefully the update to froyo 2.2 will eliminate the LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG problem, or what I would advise is if possible install the Nexus1 version of Android 2.1, and forget about Samsung own crap software. HTC Desire here I Come.
This is a honest review from a very frustrated Samsung galaxy s owner, if I have upset anyone with my review, please accept my apologies, as that is not my intention
Thank you
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Click to collapse
:-| .. did you get the phone and go straight into posting this, or have you been following the forum?
I'll let you take a guess.
And i think we're getting trolled here, although some apps lag a bit when you open them, i NEVER had this problem with the dialer.
It always zooms right up.
Very troll like, theres 0 lag on my device, everything opens pretty much instantly.
Have you installed a task killer? I recommend doing so and getting into the habbit of running it every now and again if it slows.
to be honest, i've had the phone for about 2 weeks and i went from a old galaxy (i7500) which is the true king of lag. I notice slight lag on the galaxy S which increase over time, after being on for 3-4 days interface starts crawling almost to the same lever of i7500.
I dont know if the cause to the lag is an general android issue or if its samsungs incompetence...
2 things, go into settings and get rid of the animations and download launcher pro, this IS the best phone ive ever owned. incredibly light, comfortable to hold. just wish the camera was better/had flash and the screen had a higher resolution like the iphone. other than that i cant see how they would make a phone any better
KhaaL said:
old galaxy (i7500) which is the true king of lag.
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Click to collapse
Hehehe, cracked me up
KhaaL said:
I dont know if the cause to the lag is an general android issue or if its samsungs incompetence...
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Click to collapse
I think it's Samsung's incompetence, had similar issues on my Omnia II.
I wonder if Nexus one / HTC users had the same lag issues and whatnot
thatg said:
2 things, go into settings and get rid of the animations and download launcher pro, this IS the best phone ive ever owned. incredibly light, comfortable to hold. just wish the camera was better/had flash and the screen had a higher resolution like the iphone. other than that i cant see how they would make a phone any better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't it admitting defeat to the iPhone when you've got to turn off animations just to get the device to function properly?
I hate my iPhone and want to get the Captivate but stuff like this worries me.
TexUs said:
Isn't it admitting defeat to the iPhone when you've got to turn off animations just to get the device to function properly?
I hate my iPhone and want to get the Captivate but stuff like this worries me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not gonna lie, theyre both awesome phones, i just wanted the bigger screen, but honestly the camera on the iphone blows every other phones' out of the water. they just have the best sensor, which i dont get cause i thought they bought most their parts from samsung(why samsung started making their own phones) Samsung the new leader in android phones. HTC just doesnt have the production power
thatg said:
...but honestly the camera on the iphone blows every other phones' out of the water. they just have the best sensor, which i dont get cause i thought they bought most their parts from samsung...
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Click to collapse
Do you have some evidence of this? The results I've gotten from the Samsung camera have been better than I expected.
TravUK said:
Do you have some evidence of this? The results I've gotten from the Samsung camera have been better than I expected.
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Click to collapse
I know without a doubt the 5MP camera on the iPhone 4 looks better than the 8MP camera on the Evo.
TexUs said:
I know without a doubt the 5MP camera on the iPhone 4 looks better than the 8MP camera on the Evo.
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Click to collapse
ok, but the 8MP camera on the Evo is not the 5MP camera on the SGS
the orinal poster may be an idiot but I understnad where he comes from........ I am frustrated with the Samsung speed and see enough posts about the lag problem to know that it isn't just me.
I am also a blackberry user (9700) and that is much faster going from screen to screen and for Email, RSS, Twitter and Facebook.
OK the experiance is a little dull and not fro graphical but is usable.
Using somthing like Newsrob for RSS is unbearable (even with downloaded articals, the HTML rendering is to slow) or when using the standard mail client and moving from one mail to another.
The exchange sync is also flaky with the calendar sync breaking, resulting in the config having to be removed and re-added. Push mail doesn't seem to be push mail and tacks an age to come through when compared to the Blackberry.
It might be one of the best Android phones out there but it still needs a lot of work to be my main phone and not just a toy that I fiddle with on the train to work.
Will.1 said:
Hehehe, cracked me up
I think it's Samsung's incompetence, had similar issues on my Omnia II.
I wonder if Nexus one / HTC users had the same lag issues and whatnot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have much hope for samsung in Galaxy S either tbh, the hardware is good but i rely on the community on the software side of the phone.
And really, i dropped count of how many times i've was going to throw my i7500 into the wall, but stopped myself since i didnt want to pay for damages on the wall :-/
"LAAAAAAG" was never a big issue with this phone... compared to hd2 blackstone iphone and alot other smartphones i used to have over the years... after all u will have some if u decide to pick a smartphone .....
if u have lots of of it something is wrong ..
u can try using "advance task killer" and "minfreemanager" from market (free software)
this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=723002 also gives a good solution if u like to mess up with the phone a bit more
my galaxy right now outperforms like any other smartphone out there
The op's post kind of rings true about how I started to feel but that was until I flashed to jg 1 (which itself was an improvement) but then put the modaco rom on it and autokiller from the market and now it performs superb and am happy with it. By all accounts, korea are sure to get froyo in august too so I can't help but think the rest of the world won't be too far behind, and even then if froyo is on a korean phone then I dare say there will be a rom floating around that's based on froyo in the not too distant future; while I look forward to see froyo on this phone, the way it performs now for me is excellent.
I will say although I have practicly zero lag now,I did have to flash to jg1 and custom modoco rom to get there.Initially out of the box there was quite some lag(although not as much as the op is suggesting). I also use taskkiller which is the same as minfreemanager but applies at boot.With this combination the phone is lightning fast but i can understand people not wanting to flash,root etc.Out the box there are probably better phones but put the work in and galaxy s is second to none.
I've done what I can with out rooting the phone, use Launch Pro, Startup Audit and Advanced Task Killer with some effect but not good enough and is poor when compared to the Blackberry or even my HTC Snap or E71.
I know the UX is not as interesting at the Galaxy but above all else it has to be usable and fast.
I've even had poor responce when answering calls and even though I have been pressing the answer button, the phone has not responded and call ended up going to vm.
I suppose that at somepoint when I have time, I will root the phone and install a modded rom but using modded roms should be about additional functionality, not about getting the phone to be acceptable.
I've just been trying to type a URL on the Galaxy while writting this and there is significant lag while typing, I can be several charatures in from of what is being displayed.
Just flashing firmware to jg1 makes it a hell of a lot better.Although jg3 will be better as the bugs were ironed out i belive
This makes me no longer excited about the galaxy? Why does it "LAAAAG" so much? It should have a very fast processor and only a 4" screen compared to the EVO's 4.3" screen. Although I do have issues with speed on my EVO... I think it's to be expected. It has a slower processor and a larger screen (more pixels to push around). Also, HTC Sense slows everything down.
I've never held a Samsung phone in my life... and I will definitely need to play with it before I actually buy it.
Hey guys, I've just recently sold my htc desire, and am now left to decide whether to buy a nexus one or a galaxy s. I have noticed that there are only 2 ROMs for the galaxy s. Do you think the community will grow? Is there anyone who has owned both the galaxy s and nexus?
and lastly, does anyone regret buying the galaxy s?
Thanks, Brandon
No doubt, both devices are really powerful, and worth buying.
The best thing to do is to go in a local store and "play" around with both devices. Although I THINK that Desire is an HTC official version of the google Nexus One, so there should not be many differences (at least hardware-wise) apart from the UI, which can be "customized"...
I love my sgs but would not recommend anyone buys one until they've confirmed the gps issue is not hardware related and has been fixed with a software update.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
I think newer firmware has improved that, reading the forums... in any case, it's not horrible neither. ymmv of course. It's an awesome phone that's certainly worth buying, in feel and use
Hello Brandon,
If you can let us know why you sold your Desire it might be a good starting point to figure out if you will be happy with a Galaxy S.
Tbh, the desire is virtually identical to the Nexus so I would find it strange to change to it from a Desire.
The Galaxy is better than a Desire because of the following:
Bigger and Better screen
8GB Internal Memory
720p Video
Lighter
Better Gaming Performance
Hummingbird CPU which is miles better than the Snapdragon
However the desire is a slightly better BQ, and has flash on the camera.
One other very important aspect of your decision is that the SGS is still in its infancy, and it currenty having alot of reported issues with its GPS, and occasional lagging.
Both of which all of us are hoping is software related and will be fixed with either a firmware update, or the Froyo update.
In regard to rom development..
The Desire / Nexus will have alot more as they have been out longer. The Sammy should start to catch up a bit, however will never have the same amount as the Nexus / Desire imo.
I hope this helps.
NO Don't buy it ! ! !
This smartphone isn't smart. The hardware is great but its not enough.
Samsung is really a very poor software author.
I don't want to spend more time fixing all the bugs they left (USB connection, hyperlinks missing in calendars, too much music files and it becomes crazy, bad synchronization with exchange, 5 seoncds delay when you start an app, ... the list is really long).
To fix some bugs, prepare yourself to spend at least 3 days reading the tutorials and a lot of forums.
If want to become a beta tester, buy a a Samsung Galaxy S i9000.
I'm changing for an HTC. They have at least 6 months advance in software development. Some developpers are trying to put HTC Sens software layer on the Samsung. All is said !
Of course, people like to convince themselves its a good phone because they bougth it.
Al.
humbledoor said:
This smartphone isn't smart. The hardware is great but its not enough.
Samsung is really a very poor software author.
I don't want to spend more time fixing all the bugs they left (USB connection, hyperlinks missing in calendars, too much music files and it becomes crazy, bad synchronization with exchange, 5 seoncds delay when you start an app, ... the list is really long).
To fix some bugs, prepare yourself to spend at least 3 days reading the tutorials and a lot of forums.
If want to become a beta tester, buy a a Samsung Galaxy S i9000.
I'm changing for an HTC. They have at least 6 months advance in software development. Some developpers are trying to put HTC Sens software layer on the Samsung. All is said !
Of course, people like to convince themselves its a good phone because they bougth it.
Al.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and you like to think its a bad phone since you had bad experience with it.
humbledoor said:
Some developpers are trying to put HTC Sens software layer on the Samsung. All is said !
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Click to collapse
Some people have already gotten TouchWiz to their own Android phones. So, despite the complaints, it seems that not everyone hates Samsung's work.. Different launchers appeal to different people.
It is true that Samsung's software isn't as refined as HTC's, however, HTC also had to start somewhere.
If you need something with GPS that works NOW, get something else, otherwise, the galaxy S is fine. The lag has been blown out of proportion I feel.
Actually, I realised the only time I experienced bad lag was whilst video recording (on a beta rom), and I have never since. But I'd probably recommend waiting for Samsung to release the Froyo ROM first, to see if it fixes the GPS issues before getting one.
But yes, I would still buy this phone again. If Samsung fixes the GPS issues (which seems heavily linked to firmware for me), I'll be VERY happy. If they add RAIM/FDE to their GPS, I'll be beyond happy.
Thanks for your replies. What exactly is the lag I've been hearing about so much on the forums (I have capped usage so I can't use youtube or anything atm). I never use GPS so that's not a problem. And I saw something about a lag fix (pretty sure it was a sticky), did it really fix it? and without the GPS problems and lag problems, are there any other problems?
I think i recall reading something about the wifi being screwed. Any info on that?
andrewluecke said:
But I'd probably recommend waiting for Samsung to release the Froyo ROM first, to see if it fixes the GPS issues before getting one.
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what if i said i couldn't wait that long. XD
lol
djglenn1337 said:
Hello Brandon,
If you can let us know why you sold your Desire it might be a good starting point to figure out if you will be happy with a Galaxy S.
Tbh, the desire is virtually identical to the Nexus so I would find it strange to change to it from a Desire.
The Galaxy is better than a Desire because of the following:
Bigger and Better screen
8GB Internal Memory (16GB on some models)
720p Video
Lighter
Better Gaming Performance
Hummingbird CPU which is miles better than the Snapdragon
However the desire is a slightly better BQ, and has flash on the camera.
One other very important aspect of your decision is that the SGS is still in its infancy, and it currenty having alot of reported issues with its GPS, and occasional lagging.
Both of which all of us are hoping is software related and will be fixed with either a firmware update, or the Froyo update.
In regard to rom development..
The Desire / Nexus will have alot more as they have been out longer. The Sammy should start to catch up a bit, however will never have the same amount as the Nexus / Desire imo.
I hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not just 8GB, depending where you buy it from, you can also get the 16GB model
humbledoor said:
I don't want to spend more time fixing all the bugs they left (USB connection, hyperlinks missing in calendars, too much music files and it becomes crazy, bad synchronization with exchange, 5 seoncds delay when you start an app, ... the list is really long).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
then you better not pick up a windows mobile phone, because it's twice as bad
perhaps you should not get HTC and go Apple instead
brandon1108 said:
Thanks for your replies. What exactly is the lag I've been hearing about so much on the forums (I have capped usage so I can't use youtube or anything atm). I never use GPS so that's not a problem. And I saw something about a lag fix (pretty sure it was a sticky), did it really fix it? and without the GPS problems and lag problems, are there any other problems?
I think i recall reading something about the wifi being screwed. Any info on that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I´ve never seen the lag problem on my phone, and im running 5-6 apps at the same time.
Wifi seems to work fine atleast for me.
Galaxys S is a good device but could be a the best device in the market at the moment if the gps issue and lag issue can be resolved, to be honest laggng has pretty much dissappeared with the newer firmware (JM5). GPs is working better but not quite as good as the desire.
I also owned the desire and sold it for sammy gs, regretted it intially but since how grown to appreciate the sgs. The screen resolution, sharp and smooth graphics, bigger screen and better video playback and not forgetting the 16gb internal memory. I do miss some of the desire features like flash, htc widgets, htc internet browser and most of all the rom choices but overall I couldn't go back to desire as the sgs is far superior device. The pro's out weigh the con's in my opinion.
Despite the GPS acting out sometimes (well, more often than not), I'd definitely recommend Galaxy S to anyone (while mentioning the things I think could make Galaxy S better, like including a notification LED or trackball). I've seen and worked with my share of Android phones in the past year and yet I'm pretty amazed by this phone and don't regret buying it at all (which, if you knew me, is telling something, since I usually regret buying almost anything )
Then again, Nexus has the greatest community support and always will have, yes.
It is a good phone with an excellent screen, which is its best feature. The hardware is good, unfortunately the software leaves a lot to be desired:
* Considerable lag when starting applications. This can be made better using various fixes posted on this forum, however none of the suggestions are a permanent solution and Samsung has yet to comment on this.
* The GPS is, in my experience, completely unreliable. I have yet to get a good lock while driving, and most of the time while driving I get no lock at all.
* Every time USB is connected in mass storage mode and then disconnected it runs the media scanner. With stock firmware that makes the phone unusable for a minute or two.
I still like the phone however it requires a lot of tweaking to get it to work properly, and the GPS may or may not be fixed, depending on whether it is a software or hardware problem.
The lag is gone for me in JM5 firmware (as I've already said in some other thread).
New softwares have heavily improved lag problems. Also I am using GPS quite often (navigon) and there are no any problems. I totally recommend the purchase, especially because of the fancy look.
I recommend SGS , really. Only bad thing in this phone is touchwiz , i dont like it at all. Stock android would be better
jonidroid said:
I recommend SGS , really. Only bad thing in this phone is touchwiz , i dont like it at all. Stock android would be better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can remove the touchwiz (which i don't like either) and then install Launcher Pro, or HTC Sense
Hi
I'm a Samsung Captivate user. It's a Focus running Android basically. The captivate is PLAGUED with GPS issues, it has trouble catching a signal and cannot _for its life_ keep it when you're in a car. It locks up sometimes thanks to Samsung's retarded tweaks and overlays.
I'm looking at the Samsung Focus and having used Windows Mobile phones before and iPhones, I know what to expect. I'm concerned way more on style and looks over functionality -- I'm in school so that's natural. I'm not concerned with the reported data usage bugs since i'm on a grandfathered unlimited plan. The Focus looks like the perfect phone for me.
However, right now I have my Captivate where I want it. At school where they don't have a proper WiFi connection, i use Wifi thethering with my Captivate. I'm used to flashing ROMs practically every two weeks and keeping up with the latest releases. I NEED a way to thether with my phone and I'm not sure if the Focus has that. I'm also concerned with camera quality and sound quality because My captivate functions as my camera for my school projects as well as my audio player. i have a special kernal on my captivate that allows for studio monitor esque audio quality on it.
As a bit of a photographer, audiophile, and bolthead, could the Focus be my phone? I'm not really concerned with GPS because as I said I'm a student and I can't even drive yet :/.
Does the Focus have good sound quality, compareable to a standalone audio player? (Like Sony Walkman X, Microsoft Zune HD, etc.)
Does the Focus have a good and easy to use camera like a low-end point and shoot? (That's about all I need)
Have you guys gotten compliments on your phones from your iPhone using friends?
I remember when I first got my phone and i was so excited... But now the WOW factor is gone and it's becoming more of an annoyance. How's your wow factor?
Keep in mind I'm buying my Focus out of contract so I'll be down about $300-400 :/
Is it worth it?
I came from a captivate to the focus. The audio is the same quality in my own opinion. The camera is easy and can be accessed by holding down the camera button. Even when the screen is off. 720P video is a little choppy but the photos look great. There arenet as many options as their are with the captivate though. GPS works great. Keyboard in landscape is a little small. I would prefer the keyboard to stretch across the whole screen like the captivate. Otherwise this is a very user friendly phone.
shishir95 said:
Hi
I'm a Samsung Captivate user. It's a Focus running Android basically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it's a different SoC. The Focus runs the old Snapdragon processor, so it's a bit slower than hummingbird.
Having said that, I bought a Focus off contract for 300 out of boredom. I like it a lot, but MS needs to hurry up with the updates.
What keeps me from using it as a daily driver is simply APP choices.
1.) I would like a forum browser
2.) I'd like it to be a wifi hotspot (currently you can USB tether i believe)
3.) I need a chat client
However, if you game, Xbox live is very very cool. The phones interface is refreshing and unique.
eallan said:
Well, it's a different SoC. The Focus runs the old Snapdragon processor, so it's a bit slower than hummingbird.
Having said that, I bought a Focus off contract for 300 out of boredom. I like it a lot, but MS needs to hurry up with the updates.
What keeps me from using it as a daily driver is simply APP choices.
1.) I would like a forum browser
2.) I'd like it to be a wifi hotspot (currently you can USB tether i believe)
3.) I need a chat client
However, if you game, Xbox live is very very cool. The phones interface is refreshing and unique.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow really? I was under the impression that Samsung used its own SoC. So the only thing this phone has going for it is the SAMOLED :/ Does it use the PenTile arangement?
After reading your reply it's obvious the Focus isn't for me, but is there anything that you think i'd enjoy with the Focus? What made you buy it?
Please visit this forum.
I've written down my own review as well as a Youtube video about the Dark Side of the Samsung Focus.
Pros and Cons are discussed in the following thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=915685
I currently own the iPhone 3GS, Captivate, and Samsung Focus. I have to say they all have their good and bad. WP7 is still too fresh and lacking a lot of features but look promising.
eallan said:
What keeps me from using it as a daily driver is simply APP choices.
1.) I would like a forum browser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download Board Express. There is a free and paid version. The difference being you cannot reply with the free version.
shishir95 said:
Wow really? I was under the impression that Samsung used its own SoC. So the only thing this phone has going for it is the SAMOLED :/ Does it use the PenTile arangement?
After reading your reply it's obvious the Focus isn't for me, but is there anything that you think i'd enjoy with the Focus? What made you buy it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the phone isn't slow or anything.
I have an N1, an iPhone 4 and now the focus. I get bored with phones easily and like variety .
All the Samsung phones and the N1 use the pentile arrangement until the Infuse 4G comes out.
There is a lot to like about it. It's a fresh new OS, different in many ways from android or iOs. Once it's a bit more fledged out and has a bigger homebrew scene it will be a terrific OS! The screen looks great, the camera takes great photos and being able to wake up to the camera from the lockscreen is amazingly useful. Audio quality seems good to me.
Just made the same switch. So far I am in love with the Focus. Its everything the captivate has except the issues.
Only complaint is ringtones being restricted and loss of alot of the great google features that come with Android.
I used to think my Captivate was a 10 out of 10 but after having the focus a few days now its raised the bar and Captivate (even with Perception 10) is down to a 4.
I posted this in the Note 2 forums aswell but I'm just curious as to what you guys think, having presumably had the phone for a while. I'm planning on getting a S4 that's brand new tomorrow as a swap for my Note 2 which I've had for 3/4 months. Any thoughts?
youguesswho said:
I posted this in the Note 2 forums aswell but I'm just curious as to what you guys think, having presumably had the phone for a while. I'm planning on getting a S4 that's brand new tomorrow as a swap for my Note 2 which I've had for 3/4 months. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it depends on your taste and needs. I prefer S4 as it is not that big, yet has a marvelous display and is fast enough for my daily use.
I did, am happy!
I did the switch after using Note 2 for over half a year.
I'm very happy with its size (got tired of holding Note 2) and its display.
Once official CM build for I9500 is released, I'm sure I'll be even happier.
Cheers!
As a person who did this, I'll help you decide with some simple questions.
Do you hate warm devices? The S4 gets hot compared to the almost always room temp Note 2.
Do you want to root it? No? Get it if the above doesn't bother you.
Yes? If you stay on stock kernel, then again, get it. If not, you might have some very annoying camera lag issues. If you don't use the camera a lot you'll live with it, but it might ruin some moments, or keep your friends doing awkward faces while the camera loads.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app
MohammadAG said:
As a person who did this, I'll help you decide with some simple questions.
Do you hate warm devices? The S4 gets hot compared to the almost always room temp Note 2.
Do you want to root it? No? Get it if the above doesn't bother you.
Yes? If you stay on stock kernel, then again, get it. If not, you might have some very annoying camera lag issues. If you don't use the camera a lot you'll live with it, but it might ruin some moments, or keep your friends doing awkward faces while the camera loads.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for Camera lag issue
What kind of lag issue? I was debating between the Note 2 and S4 and ended up with an S4. I am very happy with my decision. S4 has no camera lag issues and no issues anywhere else. I'm almost always on my phone doing whatever and no lags....yeah it gets hot from time to time but that's normal if your playing a big graphic and processing hogging game and/or always on the internet uploading and downloading.
Sent from the Nexus 7
I don't have a Note II to tell you the main differences, however I believe you should hold on to your Note until next S comes if you're really willing to change your device . My cellphone before S4 was a Xperia X10 Mini Pro lol (yea, it's from 2010), Note II is still a recent and nice device! However if you really want to change now I'll tell you my experience with GT-I9505:
Pros:
FAST AS HELL! Can run any game on it with no problems
Display is amazing, vivid colors and very sharp quality. Jaw dropping quality IMO.
Slim and light.
Easy to root, good developer forums (at least GT-I9505)
Installed AOSP 4.3 and is even faster now (GT-I9505G = GT-I9505)
Superb camera (dad has a HX-1 camera from Sony, because of the fast processor I was able to take 3-4 photos while he was taking one, however you can't compare quality lol, not that S4 camera is bad, it's one of the best now, but Sony HX-1 is a CAMERA, while S4 is a CELLPHONE)
Sound is fine (will discuss later about this one in *Cons*)
Cons:
Gets really hot
Battery don't last too long (6-9h with moderate usage)
Screen too bright
Speaker placed in the bottom (after using my Nexus 10 with front speakers you notice the difference, I see myself putting my S4 over something without the speaker touching the surface to get better sound)
The personal opinions:
Screen size - Depends of your interest, I found it the perfect size for me (I'm 190cm with huge hands lol)
Beautiful device overall - I think it is at least
Physical "Home" button - I'm looking at you HTC One
That's it, hope it clarifies a little. Closing up:
This review was based on my experience with GT-I9505, I don't know about the GT-I9500, however viewing from developer perspective I'd recommend you getting the GT-I9505, as it's similar to GT-I9505G and has official CM support .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PS.:
My experience reported was using TouchWiz Stock ROM (4.2.2), Google Edition 4.2.2 and AOSP 4.3, my current ROM is the AOSP 4.3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow. Thank you guys for all the feedback, I am a pretty small guy to be honest with small hands, that was why I was compelled to get a smaller device without losing any of the software features and the S4 seemed the only viable option to me, however saying that, I think I'd be best off waiting, the overheating seems abit of a problem as I do make long calls daily and the lack of use of custom kernels without the camera bugging up is a bit of a shame as I was looking forward to using it alot. But anyway guys, thanks for the help !!
JOKERx2 said:
What kind of lag issue? I was debating between the Note 2 and S4 and ended up with an S4. I am very happy with my decision. S4 has no camera lag issues and no issues anywhere else. I'm almost always on my phone doing whatever and no lags....yeah it gets hot from time to time but that's normal if your playing a big graphic and processing hogging game and/or always on the internet uploading and downloading.
Sent from the Nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does, but only if you use a custom kernel. The lag gets even worse when using third party apps, sometimes it even reboots.
Stock kernel doesn't cause these issues.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app
The only time I've seen my S4 lag after a picture is if I have "Night Mode" on. After every picture it would say "processing." Once I turned that off, all the pictures that I've taken just snapped and kept it moving. I also have the review off. No point if your the type to take several pics and just keep the one that you like the most. That's what I normally do.
Hey guys my nexus 4 was recently stolen :crying: and now its time to start looking for a new phone
This is probably the best option i've found so far in my price range but... I have a few questions I'd like to ask to people who actually own the phone, not biased internet reviewers
First of all, I will not ask about benchmarks or specs as we all know they mean nothing if the software is not optimized... but here are a few doubts I have before I buy it
1- How is the overall user experience, I mean, are the transitions smooth and do apps open fairly quick?
2- What do you think from the display? Ive read that its pretty good for a mid/almost high-end smartphone but viewing angles aren´t the best
3- Should i be worried about ram? On my fist android phone, apps crashed because there wasnt enough ram, for example if I was playing a ram intensive game, while listening to music, the music suddenly stoped playing
4- How is sony's support, has anyone had any problems with their phone?
5- What are the most popular roms arround here? and kernels? This is a big one for me, as i consider my self a flashoholic hehehe I ask because after a quick look at the android development forum in here i haven´t found much althrough Im happy to see DoomLord around (remember him, and his awesome kernels for the Xperia play)
6- Is there any specific thing you hate about this phone? Anything?
7- How is the wifi reception? Ive read somewhere that it was terrible but that seems unlikely, so what do you think about it?
8- Camera... How is it? And how does the front facing camera perform? I use it a lot in low light situations, and my nexus camera was kind of terrible
9- Finally, would you recommend a different phone (in a similar price range of course) over this one? How do you think it compares to the s4 mini, or an lg L7 as those are probably the only other options available in my country
1- How is the overall user experience, I mean, are the transitions smooth and do apps open fairly quick?
Yes - it's a fast phone. A high clock speed and the fact it renders to 720p rather than 1080 means it's very snappy
2- What do you think from the display? Ive read that its pretty good for a mid/almost high-end smartphone but viewing angles aren´t the best
A good screen, not great like flagship devices. Viewing angles are fine IMO - Sony has a bad rep for this but the SP's viewing angles are a vast improvement on their older xperia phones
3- Should i be worried about ram? On my fist android phone, apps crashed because there wasnt enough ram, for example if I was playing a ram intensive game, while listening to music, the music suddenly stoped playing
I don't think you should be worried, this is improving with each update, but people have complained about this.
4- How is sony's support, has anyone had any problems with their phone?
Sony have a good support network, but there are some issues they seem unwilling/unable to address with this phone. Wifi is clearly a problem
5- What are the most popular roms arround here? and kernels? This is a big one for me, as i consider my self a flashoholic hehehe I ask because after a quick look at the android development forum in here i haven´t found much althrough Im happy to see DoomLord around (remember him, and his awesome kernels for the Xperia play)
A relatively new device and not especially common IMO, but development is steady, a rom a week maybe. I don't know which are popular, but stripped back ROMS and ones attempting to give the feel and look of flagship Xperia devices dominate. Kernels are all stock based at the moment, but FreeXperia and some independent developers are planning to bring CM10.1 and CM10.2 to the phone. After that I expect things to gather pace - MIUI and AOSP roms should follow on pretty quickly I imagine. There are a decent amount of mods as well
6- Is there any specific thing you hate about this phone? Anything?
The internal storage - around 5gb is available for the user, this is just about adequate, coming from a 2011 device I thought it would be enough, but because you can't move apps to an external SD, it get's used up quickly. I'm not a power user and it doesn't feel like enough. There are ways around it if you're rooted, but you wish Sony would do what Samsung have done and mod their builds to allow this
7- How is the wifi reception? Ive read somewhere that it was terrible but that seems unlikely, so what do you think about it?
I think it helps if you've got a newish router, but my experience isn't great and this is echoed by many others here and on Sony's support forums. There are ways to improve it, but out of the box performance for some users is unacceptable IMO. However with the tweaks in place I now get reception in parts of my house where none of my other devices (laptop, netbook, old phone) get reception - for me range has always been excellent, but connecting in the first place sometimes took several attempts or needed a phone reboot
8- Camera... How is it? And how does the front facing camera perform? I use it a lot in low light situations, and my nexus camera was kind of terrible
The camera is average, don't know whether this is a hardware issue or Sony's image processing - but the fact that people complain about the cameras on better Xperia devices suggests that Sony's software may be at fault. They definitely cut costs with the front camera - fine for video calls and basic snaps but not suitable for photography. Ultimately, whoever the manufacturer, people complain about cameras
9- Finally, would you recommend a different phone (in a similar price range of course) over this one? How do you think it compares to the s4 mini, or an lg L7 as those are probably the only other options available in my country
The S4 mini has a smaller screen (lower resolution too?), but more RAM, I think it's a better device if you want a more compact phone. The SP feels better in the hand IMO, it is somewhat chunky and heavy but feels solid and well made. If you've come from an N4 going to a smaller screen may be difficult. The SP is almost flagship standard - the corners cut aren't that important to sensible users, do mobiles really need 4 core processors, 1080p and 2gb of ram? I don't think you can do much better for the price - so it's really about the screen size when it comes to choosing between this and the S4 mini. I don't know about the L7
Parkside said:
1- How is the overall user experience, I mean, are the transitions smooth and do apps open fairly quick?
Yes - it's a fast phone. A high clock speed and the fact it renders to 720p rather than 1080 means it's very snappy
2- What do you think from the display? Ive read that its pretty good for a mid/almost high-end smartphone but viewing angles aren´t the best
A good screen, not great like flagship devices. Viewing angles are fine IMO - Sony has a bad rep for this but the SP's viewing angles are a vast improvement on their older xperia phones
3- Should i be worried about ram? On my fist android phone, apps crashed because there wasnt enough ram, for example if I was playing a ram intensive game, while listening to music, the music suddenly stoped playing
I don't think you should be worried, this is improving with each update, but people have complained about this.
4- How is sony's support, has anyone had any problems with their phone?
Sony have a good support network, but there are some issues they seem unwilling/unable to address with this phone. Wifi is clearly a problem
5- What are the most popular roms arround here? and kernels? This is a big one for me, as i consider my self a flashoholic hehehe I ask because after a quick look at the android development forum in here i haven´t found much althrough Im happy to see DoomLord around (remember him, and his awesome kernels for the Xperia play)
A relatively new device and not especially common IMO, but development is steady, a rom a week maybe. I don't know which are popular, but stripped back ROMS and ones attempting to give the feel and look of flagship Xperia devices dominate. Kernels are all stock based at the moment, but FreeXperia and some independent developers are planning to bring CM10.1 and CM10.2 to the phone. After that I expect things to gather pace - MIUI and AOSP roms should follow on pretty quickly I imagine. There are a decent amount of mods as well
6- Is there any specific thing you hate about this phone? Anything?
The internal storage - around 5gb is available for the user, this is just about adequate, coming from a 2011 device I thought it would be enough, but because you can't move apps to an external SD, it get's used up quickly. I'm not a power user and it doesn't feel like enough. There are ways around it if you're rooted, but you wish Sony would do what Samsung have done and mod their builds to allow this
7- How is the wifi reception? Ive read somewhere that it was terrible but that seems unlikely, so what do you think about it?
I think it helps if you've got a newish router, but my experience isn't great and this is echoed by many others here and on Sony's support forums. There are ways to improve it, but out of the box performance for some users is unacceptable IMO. However with the tweaks in place I now get reception in parts of my house where none of my other devices (laptop, netbook, old phone) get reception - for me range has always been excellent, but connecting in the first place sometimes took several attempts or needed a phone reboot
8- Camera... How is it? And how does the front facing camera perform? I use it a lot in low light situations, and my nexus camera was kind of terrible
The camera is average, don't know whether this is a hardware issue or Sony's image processing - but the fact that people complain about the cameras on better Xperia devices suggests that Sony's software may be at fault. They definitely cut costs with the front camera - fine for video calls and basic snaps but not suitable for photography. Ultimately, whoever the manufacturer, people complain about cameras
9- Finally, would you recommend a different phone (in a similar price range of course) over this one? How do you think it compares to the s4 mini, or an lg L7 as those are probably the only other options available in my country
The S4 mini has a smaller screen (lower resolution too?), but more RAM, I think it's a better device if you want a more compact phone. The SP feels better in the hand IMO, it is somewhat chunky and heavy but feels solid and well made. If you've come from an N4 going to a smaller screen may be difficult. The SP is almost flagship standard - the corners cut aren't that important to sensible users, do mobiles really need 4 core processors, 1080p and 2gb of ram? I don't think you can do much better for the price - so it's really about the screen size when it comes to choosing between this and the S4 mini. I don't know about the L7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer everything I asked!!!
This really seems like a good phone, specially for the price. Regarding the screen size, thats why im interested in this phone more than any other "budget" phone, I know it will be hard to go any smaller than 4.5" and 720p. Anyways thanks a lot for your time, guess Ill try to go to a store where I can use it for a while and compare it with others
fcb-1899 said:
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer everything I asked!!!
This really seems like a good phone, specially for the price. Regarding the screen size, thats why im interested in this phone more than any other "budget" phone, I know it will be hard to go any smaller than 4.5" and 720p. Anyways thanks a lot for your time, guess Ill try to go to a store where I can use it for a while and compare it with others
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plus... If you're a gamer, then this is it! Amazing performance!
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
Go for it mate.. Using it since 3 months.. Amazing performance.. With the latest Update all bugs are solved for me.. Camera is not great but not bad.. And u will get upcoming android 4.3 and 4.4 ( may be)
Rajeev said:
Go for it mate.. Using it since 3 months.. Amazing performance.. With the latest Update all bugs are solved for me.. Camera is not great but not bad.. And u will get upcoming android 4.3 and 4.4 ( may be)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I will! thanks a lot man, I've seen you around a lot on this forum, glad to know we have people like you guys helping the community!
I have one more question, do I have to unlock my bootloader in order to intall custom roms and kernels, or iin order to make them perform better? If so , I hope any of you can guide me on how to unlock the bootloader without loosing any features as I've read that you'll loose bravia engine and some other stuff... Please excuse my ignorance but the method to do this on the N4 was pretty straight forward and Im a little confused right now lol
Btw: I know I don't even have the phone yet but usually the first thing I do is rooting and unlocking the bootloader and installing a rom so I really want to know a bit more before doing anything stupid :silly:
Thanks again
To open the bootloader it is easy but not like n4, if you open bootloader then you will loose be2 etc.
You can root and install cwm without opening bootloader.
Many Sony xda members use software called flash tools to install ftf files these contain all the stock ROM files.
To install custom stock ROMs you generally can use on locked bootloader, for some custom ROMs like cm 10.xx you will need to unlock bootloader to use kernels(this applies to all kernels)
Sent from my C5303 using xda premium
zolaisugly said:
To open the bootloader it is easy but not like n4, if you open bootloader then you will loose be2 etc.
You can root and install cwm without opening bootloader.
Many Sony xda members use software called flash tools to install ftf files these contain all the stock ROM files.
To install custom stock ROMs you generally can use on locked bootloader, for some custom ROMs like cm 10.xx you will need to unlock bootloader to use kernels(this applies to all kernels)
Sent from my C5303 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah thats what I thought, but I think ill install a "stock enhanced" rom or something similar, Xperia pureness seems to be a good rom with a bit of customization while keeping all Sony features. No custom kernel for me, although I was kind of exited to try doomlodr's
Once again, I appreciate your quick response and support. Think ill buy this little guy today
fcb-1899 said:
Hey guys my nexus 4 was recently stolen :crying: and now its time to start looking for a new phone
This is probably the best option i've found so far in my price range but... I have a few questions I'd like to ask to people who actually own the phone, not biased internet reviewers
First of all, I will not ask about benchmarks or specs as we all know they mean nothing if the software is not optimized... but here are a few doubts I have before I buy it
1- How is the overall user experience, I mean, are the transitions smooth and do apps open fairly quick?
2- What do you think from the display? Ive read that its pretty good for a mid/almost high-end smartphone but viewing angles aren´t the best
3- Should i be worried about ram? On my fist android phone, apps crashed because there wasnt enough ram, for example if I was playing a ram intensive game, while listening to music, the music suddenly stoped playing
4- How is sony's support, has anyone had any problems with their phone?
5- What are the most popular roms arround here? and kernels? This is a big one for me, as i consider my self a flashoholic hehehe I ask because after a quick look at the android development forum in here i haven´t found much althrough Im happy to see DoomLord around (remember him, and his awesome kernels for the Xperia play)
6- Is there any specific thing you hate about this phone? Anything?
7- How is the wifi reception? Ive read somewhere that it was terrible but that seems unlikely, so what do you think about it?
8- Camera... How is it? And how does the front facing camera perform? I use it a lot in low light situations, and my nexus camera was kind of terrible
9- Finally, would you recommend a different phone (in a similar price range of course) over this one? How do you think it compares to the s4 mini, or an lg L7 as those are probably the only other options available in my country
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1- So far very smooth and great experience. I have around 50 apps installed and so far no noticeable lag or performance issues.
2- The display is pretty good, the viewing angles are not very good but it doesn't bother my much as I'm usually holding my phone straight or have it propped up against something. Other than that the screen is very crisp and beautiful.
3- Like in point #1, no ram issues so far but I haven't tried any resource intensive apps to test it to it's limit yet.
4- Haven't needed to contact Sony so far hope it stays that way. Bear in mind their support services might change from one region to another.
5- Personally I'm really enjoying the stock rom so I didn't feel like I need to install any custom ones. There are a few custom roms out there though including Cyanogen Mod
6- There is something that bothers me about this phone but I don't hate it, it's just an annoyance. The phone feels a bit fragile and if you're clumsy or paranoid like me you'll want to get a case for it. The problem is this model doesn't have that much accessories out for it (and no official accessories) so you might have a hard time finding something. I had to order stuff for it online and it was quite costly.
7- WiFi reception is pretty bad, especially when I use it side to side with my other devices. There is a couple of WiFi fix threads on this forum, I haven't read them yet but you should definitely check them out.
8- Camera isn't amazing but it's not bad either. In low light conditions you have to fiddle around the settings a bit first to get a decent shot. Again there's a thread on this forum with users' camera shots to give you a good idea on how good or bad the camera is
9- The Galaxy S4 mini is a decent competitor for this phone, it has a better camera and better viewing angles if that's important for you, but it has a smaller screen.
The Sony Xperia ZR is slightly more expensive than this phone but has higher specs and some extra features. Mind that the water proof models have all their ports covered with water tight flaps and the sound on the speakers sound a bit muffled probably also because they are made water proof. (http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_zr-5421.php)
There are some nice mid-range HTC phones but the new HTCs often have internal battery and memory (no SD card slot).
Overall I'm absolutely in love with this phone. I love the battery life, the screen and the sound (loud speakers included). If you're into gaming this phone performs good and it also supports Sony Playstation's Dual Shock 3 controller which is a nice little bonus. (Hook it up to your TV and play with the controller :victory: )
fcb-1899 said:
I think I will! thanks a lot man, I've seen you around a lot on this forum, glad to know we have people like you guys helping the community!
I have one more question, do I have to unlock my bootloader in order to intall custom roms and kernels, or iin order to make them perform better? If so , I hope any of you can guide me on how to unlock the bootloader without loosing any features as I've read that you'll loose bravia engine and some other stuff... Please excuse my ignorance but the method to do this on the N4 was pretty straight forward and Im a little confused right now lol
Btw: I know I don't even have the phone yet but usually the first thing I do is rooting and unlocking the bootloader and installing a rom so I really want to know a bit more before doing anything stupid :silly:
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good thing you asked this because I stupidly unlocked my bootloader without paying attention and I permanently gimped my phone in the process. Xperia devices have a hidden partition that contains DRM keys. Without them the Bravia Engine and certain non-essential features in the Walkman app won't work. There is a way to back up and restore that partition before unlocking the bootloader. This will keep your phone's full features and warranty intact if you need them.
Check this thread here before unlocking the bootloader :
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598
ByteFalcon said:
1- So far very smooth and great experience. I have around 50 apps installed and so far no noticeable lag or performance issues.
2- The display is pretty good, the viewing angles are not very good but it doesn't bother my much as I'm usually holding my phone straight or have it propped up against something. Other than that the screen is very crisp and beautiful.
3- Like in point #1, no ram issues so far but I haven't tried any resource intensive apps to test it to it's limit yet.
4- Haven't needed to contact Sony so far hope it stays that way. Bear in mind their support services might change from one region to another.
5- Personally I'm really enjoying the stock rom so I didn't feel like I need to install any custom ones. There are a few custom roms out there though including Cyanogen Mod
6- There is something that bothers me about this phone but I don't hate it, it's just an annoyance. The phone feels a bit fragile and if you're clumsy or paranoid like me you'll want to get a case for it. The problem is this model doesn't have that much accessories out for it (and no official accessories) so you might have a hard time finding something. I had to order stuff for it online and it was quite costly.
7- WiFi reception is pretty bad, especially when I use it side to side with my other devices. There is a couple of WiFi fix threads on this forum, I haven't read them yet but you should definitely check them out.
8- Camera isn't amazing but it's not bad either. In low light conditions you have to fiddle around the settings a bit first to get a decent shot. Again there's a thread on this forum with users' camera shots to give you a good idea on how good or bad the camera is
9- The Galaxy S4 mini is a decent competitor for this phone, it has a better camera and better viewing angles if that's important for you, but it has a smaller screen.
The Sony Xperia ZR is slightly more expensive than this phone but has higher specs and some extra features. Mind that the water proof models have all their ports covered with water tight flaps and the sound on the speakers sound a bit muffled probably also because they are made water proof. (http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_zr-5421.php)
There are some nice mid-range HTC phones but the new HTCs often have internal battery and memory (no SD card slot).
Overall I'm absolutely in love with this phone. I love the battery life, the screen and the sound (loud speakers included). If you're into gaming this phone performs good and it also supports Sony Playstation's Dual Shock 3 controller which is a nice little bonus. (Hook it up to your TV and play with the controller :victory: )
Good thing you asked this because I stupidly unlocked my bootloader without paying attention and I permanently gimped my phone in the process. Xperia devices have a hidden partition that contains DRM keys. Without them the Bravia Engine and certain non-essential features in the Walkman app won't work. There is a way to back up and restore that partition before unlocking the bootloader. This will keep your phone's full features and warranty intact if you need them.
Check this thread here before unlocking the bootloader :
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you talking about the TA partition? Just curious...i did back it up before i unlocked bootloader..so if i restore it, will my "features" be back? Also..any special procedure for restoring the backup? By the way i am on .254 ..i made the backup while on .245 . So will restoring, in any way, harm the device? And also. Does restoring TA wipe data of the phone? ..sorry for so many questions.
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
That was quick! Congrats on your new phone
Yep, I mean the TA partition. What did you use to back it up? Either FlashTool or TA_Backup script (the .bat file) should give you the option to restore, so use the same one you used in the first place. Yes, it should restore all your features back. I haven't tried restoring before since I lost mine, but I would assume it would wipe your phone since it also re-locks your Bootloader.
As for firmwares, I'm not sure. You can check this thread (use the "search this thread" box) or maybe even ask them directly. If you're feeling brave you can go ahead and try it. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598
Edit: Sorry, my internet is a bit slow today. I did a quick search and it seems it's safe to restore to any firmware. I still highly recommend you check the thread for yourself first. Don't take my word for it.
That was quick! Congrats on your new phone <br />
<br />
Yep, I mean the TA partition. What did you use to back it up? Either FlashTool or TA_Backup script (the .bat file) should give you the option to restore, so use the same one you used in the first place. Yes, it should restore all your features back. I haven't tried restoring before since I lost mine, but I would assume it would wipe your phone since it also re-locks your Bootloader.<br />
<br />
As for firmwares, I'm not sure. You can check this thread (use the "search this thread" box) or maybe even ask them directly. If you're feeling brave you can go ahead and try it. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292598<br />
<br />
Edit: Sorry, my internet is a bit slow today. I did a quick search and it seems it's safe to restore to any firmware. I still highly recommend you check the thread for yourself first. Don't take my word for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh thanks man and i'm not the one who made this thread XD i just wanna restore to stock completely
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
Sadman Khan said:
Oh thanks man and i'm not the one who made this thread XD i just wanna restore to stock completely
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oops! Looks like my internet isn't the only thing that's slow today xD
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
ByteFalcon said:
Oops! Looks like my internet isn't the only thing that's slow today xD
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha XD and just letting you know, i did a full wipe and returned to .245 , then rooted it and THEN restored TA partition. Afterwards i clean flashed 245 and updated to 254 via OTA.everything's fine now and i finally feel the effects of Bravia Engine
Sent from my C5303 using xda app-developers app
Very Very good phone.
Hi,
I'll try to give you my most honest feedback, unbiased as much as possible. I'd like to state that XSP is my 1st droid phone ever, my last phone was nokia E52 (which had a high velocity encounter with a wall) so it is quite a change so my opinion might be and prolly is influenced by that. Ofc i played around with other droid phones like my brother's HTC wildfire S so i have some minor comparison to the inferior phones. Lest get started...
fcb-1899 said:
Hey guys my nexus 4 was recently stolen :crying: and now its time to start looking for a new phone
This is probably the best option i've found so far in my price range but... I have a few questions I'd like to ask to people who actually own the phone, not biased internet reviewers
First of all, I will not ask about benchmarks or specs as we all know they mean nothing if the software is not optimized... but here are a few doubts I have before I buy it
1- How is the overall user experience, I mean, are the transitions smooth and do apps open fairly quick?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The overall Xperia'ence is very good if not great. I would say that 99% of apps you will find run flawlessly, the one i remember that manages to stutter having influent scrolling is A1 SD bench (it also doesnt recognize SD card as a external card). Every game i installed and toyed with ran beautifully be it Osmos, PvZ or nearly anything else. The most extreme fps drop i've managed to get is in (this is the "nearly") arcane legends where there is like 30 people at once on the screen. i think that fps might drop there to like ~25 fps, personally i find it a very secluded and specific case and i am not bothered with it. For crying out loud this little gadget runs full HD 1080p mkv movies like its nothing... The processing power is insane and you really have to find/do some crazy stuff to encounter any kind of unsmooth transition. The only other situation i can think of when things get a bit jerky is the first few seconds after boot up. But i guess it's normal when there is a crapload of things to load up at once.
fcb-1899 said:
2- What do you think from the display? Ive read that its pretty good for a mid/almost high-end smartphone but viewing angles aren´t the best
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At first when i got the phone i was in 3 days awe, things looked insane. When i started to read reviews there is indeed some truth to it but lets face it... why would anyone need some sick viewing angles on a 4.6" display? Its not a display large enough to view from to great distance to get in the bad angle range. When you are looking at it straight or even on some minor angle, like 3 people looking at the display at once things look great. So... angles aren't THE best, true but are really really great. Not only for this price, but in general they display is performing great. You also have to be aware that you (you as eye-brain) get used to things. So if you are using a very high end IPS display day to day with 120 Hz+ refresh rate you are likely to be not satisfied ONLY due the fact are used to something so much better. I use S27B350 Samsung display daily so my eye is used to similar class or quality and i am very satisfied with XSP display. I am sorry i cant give you any angle values but i didnt measure it so i can only give some examples from practice.
fcb-1899 said:
3- Should i be worried about ram? On my fist android phone, apps crashed because there wasnt enough ram, for example if I was playing a ram intensive game, while listening to music, the music suddenly stoped playing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont think you should be worried about that. I very rarely seen app crash but i did nonetheless. I cant even recall what were the apps to crash since it was so rare. At some point i used Google navigation, music and had a browser opened in the back - no problem, phone not breaking a sweat (apart from insane battery drainage and some heat).
fcb-1899 said:
4- How is sony's support, has anyone had any problems with their phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be influenced a little by your country. I once called polish support, since i am polish, and the lady i talked to... god id rip her throat out, quite a b*tch she was. The one problem i encountered is the LTE. Let me explain, when my phone is set to LTE (preffered) / WCDMA / GSM the gsm reception (signal) is often lost - i get 0 bars and red x for few seconds. This goes away when i set to WCDMA (preffered) / GSM.
fcb-1899 said:
5- What are the most popular roms arround here? and kernels? This is a big one for me, as i consider my self a flashoholic hehehe I ask because after a quick look at the android development forum in here i haven´t found much althrough Im happy to see DoomLord around (remember him, and his awesome kernels for the Xperia play)
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I cant help on this one i use stock, rooted, locked bootloader (btw rooting with DoomLord's method nearly always generate an offline charging bug - fixable but needs some work). Isnt Cyanomod an option?
fcb-1899 said:
6- Is there any specific thing you hate about this phone? Anything?
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Yes in fact there is but minor. I hate the color inconsistency of apps. I would shoot in the head the one responsible for not making black/dark gui (only white) as a stock option for sms phonebook etc. I love that smartconnect in stock is black but hate with passion that updates are white and no longer support gps toggle. Last one is more about 4.1.2 not XSP, i hate that i cant get a popup when i connect to PC via USB asking which mode to connect in. The option to choose either Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) or Mass Storage mode (MSC) is only manual and "hidden" very deep in options (settings > Xperia > USB connectivity > USB connction mode).
fcb-1899 said:
7- How is the wifi reception? Ive read somewhere that it was terrible but that seems unlikely, so what do you think about it?
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That one might be true. Prolly one of the biggest if not the biggest issue of this phone - quite bad wifi antenna. It really works bad with weak signals, where laptops or other devices have like ~30% wifi strength the XSP might not have it at all. Where my silly old E52 had 100% the XSP has 50-75%... It is also very likely to lose wifi connection on very weak signals. Some people claim that the 2.254 soft fixed the issue but the only fix i noticed, compared to 1.257, is that i dont need to wait few seconds after unlocking the phone to connect to wifi (at home situation). Sadly I cant see the signal strength to be one bit better.
fcb-1899 said:
8- Camera... How is it? And how does the front facing camera perform? I use it a lot in low light situations, and my nexus camera was kind of terrible
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Personally i am not too satisfied with the camera, neither of the 2.[Rear] I think that compression of images is way to great. I wouldnt mind having 4 MB photos from 8 Mpix camera and not 2-2.2 MB like now. I cant compare to your nexus but i feel that camera could have been a tiny bit better. However, many/most people say it is very good and are happy with it. I dont do too many photos so i am living with that but if you really like or need to do good photos... you might wanna think twice. [Front] And front facing? It's a tiny, little thing in VGA, let's not expect miracles from 640x480 resolution form optics that are the size of a needle (?). Although, I dont know if you would get anything better in that price range...
fcb-1899 said:
9- Finally, would you recommend a different phone (in a similar price range of course) over this one? How do you think it compares to the s4 mini, or an lg L7 as those are probably the only other options available in my country
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Personally i hate samsung phones mostly cos they **** them out like they had a diarrhea which leaves little time to introduce updates. Only because like 50% of the market is samsung doesnt mean its good. The LG L7 i dont know... literally i have no opinion. I for one am very happy with XSP. It has one of the highest capacity batteries out there: 2370 mAh, compared to high end considered Xperia Z's 2330 mAh it looks darn good. Beaten by far afaik only by Xperia's Z ultra's 3050 mAh battery. With moderate and reasonable usage the battery can last even 2 days which is quite a feat for any new generation smartphone with a display of that size. XSP to this day has one of the best dual core CPUs and GPU which performs superbly in practice. It is also made quite well, u dont see any "cheapness" in the material. If i were to chose again from the three S4 mini vs LG L7 vs XSP id still go for the Xperia. One more good thing is that we are expecting the 4.3 JB update soon, which gives hope that this phone won't be disregarded and leaves hope for upgrades in foreseeable future. The phone seems optimized dead on in terms of software efficiency which perhaps why many people on XDA are quite glad with stock rom - simply it really is good and well made, not perfect simply because there is are no perfect things in this world.
Personally i think it is the best choice it its class.:good:
Any Front camera samples?
Not expecting any miracles tbh just want to see how it looks.
They should'v ereally put a 1.3 on the front tbh
I can vouch for Sony Support, a few drops of water were in my screen and the aluminum casing was totally messed up(scratched and chipped) from an awful fall, I sent it in using warranty, saying that the display was acting up, and they replaced the screen and the aluminum casing ^_^
it seems that there are fairly decent reviews for SP in this thread.
Actually, I cant decide between a N4 and a SP since I can get either one for the exact same price
I am an average user who tends to do some light gaming, browsing and whatsap
I just wish to have a smooth user experience. Personally I am inclined to have a sony sp, given that the various bugs (wifi, touch screen sensitivity) are actually solved by the recent updates.
Are they major differences between the two handsets ( apart from 3g and 4g) or I would be happy with either one of them?
Thank you.
Main issue for me is the lack of internal storage on the n4. The n5 is rumored to only be a month away and its supposed to be quite competitively priced. Only a rumour though.
Sent from my C5303 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Im between several phones tbh.
Been looking at the HTC One X, not brand new but used, better camera and what not but I heard the battery lifes horrible.