Database Users

[Q] moving from iphone 5 to S4

ive had the iphone 5 for a while and im interesting getting the S4. i still have my S2 but i dont use it anymore. im wondering what are the pros of switching over? and which version should i get (i9500 or i9505)

Well considering your in the UK, your better off getting the I9505, then I9500 is for selected countries only so you either have import or risk buying of ebay ect, plus is you want to root, use custom roms or the Google Edition rom then the I9505 is the way to go.
Now the downsides if you don't plan to root or do anything with your S4, apart from using it stock & i'm guessing you want a simfree one, is that Samsung is slow to update simfree user's with the latest updates in the UK, Networks get priority first, while simfree gotta wait weeks before getting same update.
I gotta admit iphone 5 a good smartphone, it does what it does and does it well if you know what i mean.
As for the Pro's well that depends on you, your S2 isn't all that far behind the S4 software wise so all you be getting really is better specs, much better screen & Camera & lots of added Samsung Bloat such as air view ect.

9505 because of Google S4 edition, you get plenty of roms to choose from... and 9500 is USA version only, but you can of course find some in UK if you dig deeper...

nm8 said:
9505 because of Google S4 edition, you get plenty of roms to choose from... and 9500 is USA version only, but you can of course find some in UK if you dig deeper...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree atm i9505 is the best chice due to the google experience edition

ok thats one part sorted (i9505).
now i just need to find out why the S4 would be better than the iphone 5. pros and cons of both.
ive read a few review but ten people in the comments complain about false or biased review so im lost.

otispowell said:
ok thats one part sorted (i9505).
now i just need to find out why the S4 would be better than the iphone 5. pros and cons of both.
ive read a few review but ten people in the comments complain about false or biased review so im lost.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends what your use it for. Personally for me the camera is important as I'm a tattooist it saves taking an extra camera I upgraded from s2 just for that reason although I will mess about with rooting etc in time. I compared loads of phones before upgrading, inc iphone 5 and the s4 just come out top but its personal preference
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda premium

well there are the two obvious differences - the screen (bigger and higher resolution) and the operating system (android).
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

otispowell said:
ive had the iphone 5 for a while and im interesting getting the S4. i still have my S2 but i dont use it anymore. im wondering what are the pros of switching over? and which version should i get (i9500 or i9505)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The i9500 is a little faster than the i9505. However, the difference is so small and you can feel it only with benchmarks...
The i9505 is based on Qualcomm Snapdragron S600 CPU. This helps developpers to bring stable alternative ROMs for it. The i9500 is powered by a Samsung procesor, and its documentation is so poor...this is why we still don't have CyanogenMod for it. The i9505 is also LTE capable so you can have a better mobile internet speed connexion depending on where do you live...
Finally, a Google Play version, called i9505G, is available in US store and it has the same hardware than the i9505. We have already a lot of ports of the Google Edition on classic i9505 and it will probably helps developers to build new roms...:good:

I got the i9505 now Thank s for your helps
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Premium HD app

otispowell said:
I got the i9505 now Thank s for your helps
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I transitioned from IOS to Android myself with the S4 and found that the TouchWiz interface was counter-intuitive to the old IOS so I switched out the TouchWiz launcher for Go Launcher EX prime which gave a much better interface to use that was more akin to IOS.
Its very easy to root/swap roms & kernels etc so I'll give you the benefit of my experience:
The S4 has a big issue with charge / power. Its so powerful that it simply cant charge itself while your using it with anything less than 1000mA charge, this is most apparent in the car as a sat nav, or using the Samsung MHL out adapter for HDMI video on your TV. You can fix this easily by flashing a new kernel that support fast charge switching. I personally am using the Ktoonsez kernel.
The Samsung apps are all junk so to get rid of them grab a copy of wanamlites latest rom v1.4 and flash it using CWM. that will give you a stripped down, higher performing, latest version of the software with limited / no bugs.
The whole process takes about 20 minutes
Here is a guide to install CWM (do this first): http://androidtelegraph.com/guide-install-clockworkmod-cwm-recovery-on-samsung-galaxy-s4-gt-i9505/
Then install wanamlites rom: http://wanamlite.com/2013/07/18/wanamlite-xxubmga-v1-4-android-jb-4-2-2-clean-stable/
Then the Ktoonsez kernel if you need the fast charge switch http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2297379
Enjoy your new S4, you will never look back!

JabawokJayUK said:
I transitioned from IOS to Android myself with the S4 and found that the TouchWiz interface was counter-intuitive to the old IOS so I switched out the TouchWiz launcher for Go Launcher EX prime which gave a much better interface to use that was more akin to IOS.
Its very easy to root/swap roms & kernels etc so I'll give you the benefit of my experience:
The S4 has a big issue with charge / power. Its so powerful that it simply cant charge itself while your using it with anything less than 1000mA charge, this is most apparent in the car as a sat nav, or using the Samsung MHL out adapter for HDMI video on your TV. You can fix this easily by flashing a new kernel that support fast charge switching. I personally am using the Ktoonsez kernel.
The Samsung apps are all junk so to get rid of them grab a copy of wanamlites latest rom v1.4 and flash it using CWM. that will give you a stripped down, higher performing, latest version of the software with limited / no bugs.
The whole process takes about 20 minutes
Here is a guide to install CWM (do this first): http://androidtelegraph.com/guide-install-clockworkmod-cwm-recovery-on-samsung-galaxy-s4-gt-i9505/
Then install wanamlites rom: http://wanamlite.com/2013/07/18/wanamlite-xxubmga-v1-4-android-jb-4-2-2-clean-stable/
Then the Ktoonsez kernel if you need the fast charge switch http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2297379
Enjoy your new S4, you will never look back!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My battery life is horrible after This even when not in use it drops by to 80 with no use.

Discussion: TouchWiz 4.1.2 vs. Android 4.3

Hello.
I'm in the mood for some discussion. Currently waging which rom to install on my note 2, TouchWiz or latest android (4.3). How would you people rate a 4.1.2 rom built on correct sources against the latest version of Android? Performance, battery and user friendly wise.
Bring it on!
/pemell

I think I know where your going with this but it might turn into something bad. Like comparing roms I think is against the rules.
Comparing Touchwhiz to AOSP usually depends on the needs of user.
I prefer TW than AOSP for the note because if the note 2 pen and camera but hey to each their own!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

Which ROM even has 4.3 on the Note 2? CM? I've looked around a little bit but haven't really seen much information in regards to that.
edit: Got my own question answered, disregard this post, I suck at searching.

@jetbruceli it's not about comparison of roms, I would like to discuss platforms in regards of performance, battery and user friendly factors.
@Clyzm there is some, for exempel the unofficial builds of cm 10.2 and paranoid android.
I'm thinking that TouchWiz will serve me good battery wise. For you who currently runs this what is your battery % drain per hour?

pemell said:
@jetbruceli it's not about comparison of roms, I would like to discuss platforms in regards of performance, battery and user friendly factors.
@Clyzm there is some, for exempel the unofficial builds of cm 10.2 and paranoid android.
I'm thinking that TouchWiz will serve me good battery wise. For you who currently runs this what is your battery % drain per hour?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's comparing ROms.
stock vs aosp. Then you will ask which one.
It's better to try on your own.
For Me stock odexed rooted with a lot of bloatware removed works the best
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

pemell said:
It's not about comparison of roms, I would like to discuss platforms in regards of performance, battery and user friendly factors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's not really a lot to discuss because the differences from 4.1>4.2>4.3 really aren't that earth shattering. Especially when you factor in Samsung's s/w modifications. Of the three, 4.1 is considered the most stable with 4.2 having a bunch of issues; some being corrected with 4.2.2 and others not (BT). 4.3 corrects the BT issue which Samsung had already fixed by using their own BT s/w in their 4.2.X ROMs.
Here's a summary of a great 4.1<>4.2 comparison done by Android Authority. A lot of what they are describing doesn't really affect TW-based devices and is more aimed at Nexi users.
So many of the goodies that you love from Android 4.1 Jelly Bean have been carried over to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Most of the stock apps and widgets are similar in both Android versions. To the eyes, there’s no big change in Android 4.2 at all. But, some new significant features and some minor alterations make Android 4.2 sweeter and fun. Here is a brief list of new features from Android 4.2 Jelly Bean:
Support for multiple users (for Android tablets)
Multiple lockscreen pages with widgets Wireless display
Revamped Camera app Photo Sphere HDR Mode (for supported devices)
New Clock app Quick Settings pull-down menu Daydream Gesture typing
Additional options in Developer Options
Magnification Gestures and Explore by Touch accessibility features
Security enhancements
UI design changes
Placed side by side, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean shows a slightly modified and slightly upgraded version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
http://www.androidauthority.com/android-4-1-vs-android-4-2-jelly-bean-149740/​
As for 4.2>4.3 the changes are even fewer.
http://www.android.com/about/jelly-bean/
4.1 is as solid as a rock on the N2 and the new features in 4.2/4.3 are either not that significant or wouldn't apply to a TW-enabled device. I'm looking forward to 4.2/4.3 (supposedly Samsung's skipping 4.2) coming to the N2 primarily to get some of Samsung's "S" additions that were introduced on the SGS4. But I’ll probably get a N3 which will most likely be on 4.3 before the N2 gets upgraded. Of the native Google features the one I'm most interested in is the more flexible lock screen with widget capabilities. Now that Android is mature the days of radically new versions coming out multiple times a year are pretty much over. 4.1 was introduced in June 2012 and here it is August 2013 and the evolution across 4.1/4.2/4.3 is pretty minor.

Some like the Touchwiz functionalities and it supports multi window and s- features. AOSP has other stuffs. basically depends on what u want and what you like

coolkratos said:
Some like the Touchwiz functionalities and it supports multi window and s- features. AOSP has other stuffs. basically depends on what u want and what you like
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I just flashed cm10.1 nightlies and found it super smooth and very well bare for the most part.
Like it felt stripped to the core but super fast and there was no real complaint on my part. You end up with more memory to use and of course it's almost pure stock android with some tweaks. I especially like the blue halo theme!
Now back to Touchwhiz I found myself loving it more than AOSP mainly for this device.
Having s pen related apps and gestures makes it an easy choice. We have pop note and other goodies from the pen.
Air gesture and even without the pen we have built in features like multiwindow and a much better camera experience.
Over all I think when we get 4.3 Touchwhiz, most of the other than users of aosp will switch!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I like the ProBam ROM, the s-pen features work and it has lots of free RAM. with all apps running the ram usage is around 1.2gb used
jetbruceli said:
Well I just flashed cm10.1 nightlies and found it super smooth and very well bare for the most part.
Like it felt stripped to the core but super fast and there was no real complaint on my part. You end up with more memory to use and of course it's almost pure stock android with some tweaks. I especially like the blue halo theme!
Now back to Touchwhiz I found myself loving it more than AOSP mainly for this device.
Having s pen related apps and gestures makes it an easy choice. We have pop note and other goodies from the pen.
Air gesture and even without the pen we have built in features like multiwindow and a much better camera experience.
Over all I think when we get 4.3 Touchwhiz, most of the other than users of aosp will switch!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

coolkratos said:
I like the ProBam ROM, the s-pen features work and it has lots of free RAM. with all apps running the ram usage is around 1.2gb used
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plus with Odexed TW, I believe in my OPINION, that's its the smoothest experience!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

jetbruceli said:
Plus with Odexed TW, I believe in my OPINION, that's its the smoothest experience!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't say I tried ROMs for Samsung, but while I had HTC I did flash a lot - since DHD wasn't getting JB and I experimented a lot with JB ROMS. IMHO, all the "smoothest experience" stuff and how this ROM is better than the other is ONLY due to the fact that when you flash it - your phone is EMPTY. This is also the fact when we buy our phones and we go ooooohh and aaaahhh, how smooth it is. Then, after few months, we fill 'em up with al sorts of widgets and background running processes and they're not so smooth anymore. IMHO, no matter what ROM you use, the performance will always be the same, no matter what. OK, it might be slightly better or worse, but so little that you won't be able to tell. That's why I use stock ROM, since it has most functionality. I just know ANY ROM will be slow after x months of use....

dalanik said:
Can't say I tried ROMs for Samsung, but while I had HTC I did flash a lot - since DHD wasn't getting JB and I experimented a lot with JB ROMS. IMHO, all the "smoothest experience" stuff and how this ROM is better than the other is ONLY due to the fact that when you flash it - your phone is EMPTY. This is also the fact when we buy our phones and we go ooooohh and aaaahhh, how smooth it is. Then, after few months, we fill 'em up with al sorts of widgets and background running processes and they're not so smooth anymore. IMHO, no matter what ROM you use, the performance will always be the same, no matter what. OK, it might be slightly better or worse, but so little that you won't be able to tell. That's why I use stock ROM, since it has most functionality. I just know ANY ROM will be slow after x months of use....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well that's why when I flash a new ROM. I wait a day after to determine the speed and stability.
Anyone can say this or that about a ROM or system but in the end its about the user. And I use my device like no other. So performance and stability are the main factors for me!!
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I'm also a big fan of stock, rooted. Custom roms are fun and all yet there are times where you will hit issues because the Dev made a mistake or a change inadvertently affected something else. In my experience the improvements in battery life are negligible at best and at the end of the day I need my phone to be reliable. My latest experience with a custom rom has me with a phone which won't wake from deep sleep if I put it in airplane mode. I'm just waiting to get back home from a business trip and then the first thing I'll be doing is reverting my phone to stock. The last thing I need is a phone which randomly dies in my when I'm away from my laptop and regular access to a high speed Internet connection. These days I'm able to travel light. Besides clothes a note 2 and a note 8 are all I need to get things done but they must be reliable above all else.
Sent from my GT-N7100

If you have been on 4.2.2 on an S4 u would not expect to see much other differences on the android front except added security. Whatever goodies samsung adds to the note 3 I would expect to see on the note two update. Therefore we will know nothing until September October.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium

I'm running unofficial Cyanogenmod 4.3 on my N7105 and must say it's suprisingly stable. Of course there is a long way to go before it can serve as a daily driver, but it's amazing these guys can do so much in such a short time.

Apart some issues with camera , the cm 10.2 is really smooth and battery life is very ok for me.

[Q] newbie note4 owner - which ROM should I use?

Hi,
I just got my new Note4. I have to tell I was expecting much more out of it. I think it is slow and it lags from time to time. When I press contacts it takes about half second to open the agenda. And this lag is happening with other programs too. On top of this is full of apps I never use and I can not remove them. And I am not a big fan of Touchwiz.
In conclusion I want to make it faster with no bloatware. I read that a custom rom can help me.
I need a rom/firmware (or whatever the name is) that can do the following:
1. Make it faster, remove the lags. If this implies getting rid of Touchwiz I have nothing against it.
2. Remove the bloatware
3. Keep all the other functions: s-pen, hart rate, fingerprint scanner, bluetooth, gps.. . .
4. Be rock solid. As you probable noticed I am no specialist in android. I need a solution that will not need daily tinkering, research, experimenting etc.
5. I don't need Knox. If it have to be removed, I'm ok with that.
Here are my Note4 details:
Model number: SM-N910F
Baseband Version: N910FXXU1ANK4
Android version: 4.4.4.
I would very much appreciate any recommendations from you guys,
musca

See if there is a non carrier branded firmware available for your model and country at sammobile.
If there isn't is your device a Exynos or snapdragon?
Edit: just read your model number, snapdragon variant... I have no idea about custom roms as I have a Exynos.
Sent from my fabulous Note 4 Exynos

This is in the wrong section, but you should try them all, everyone has different opinions. Cm12 will be very quick but you lose out on the touchwiz features like heart rate, fingerprint scanner etc. but there are also a number of touchwiz based ROMs. I'm happy with stock rooted touchwiz for now, hopefully the Lollipop update reduces the lag somewhat

Tom540 said:
This is in the wrong section, but you should try them all, everyone has different opinions. Cm12 will be very quick but you lose out on the touchwiz features like heart rate, fingerprint scanner etc. but there are also a number of touchwiz based ROMs. I'm happy with stock rooted touchwiz for now, hopefully the Lollipop update reduces the lag somewhat
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Tom. Should I understand that there is no non-touchwiz ROM that have all the above mentioned features (hart rate, fingerprint)?

Check out Fire Kat in the tmobile note 4 section.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Premium HD app

Best Custom Rom for Note 4?

Howdy,
I've just rooted my snapdragon note 4 and I'm now trying to decide between the many great look custom ROMS available.
I prefer something that is close to stock so I don't loose the access to the features unique to the Note 4 but at the same time I like additions that make the device faster, better battery and more functional. A ROM with enhanced audio features would be useful as well.
CM12 looks good but it sounds like the camera issues have not been resolved and I would miss some of the S-pen features.
What custom ROM do you guys use or recommend?
Thanks.

My favourite ROM for the S6

Hi. I want to share my experience with a couple of ROMS. Maybe people new to ROMS or to the S6 would like to know.
Before my S6 I used iPhones for years (ever since the 3GS). I always jailbroke my phones and customized iOS as much as possible. For that reason I immediately rooted my phone and looked in to any improvements I could make.
Just so you know: Rooting usually trips Knox and yes you probably lose your guarantee. That's a whole other subject.
The S6 is a fantastic phone, no matter what everyone says about battery life, etc. It's still freaking great and much better than an iPhone 6.
1. My second favourite (but many people's favourite and #1 choice as ROM for the S6): XtreStoLite Deo-Mod Edition
If you want to immediately improve your S6 I suggest you install the XtreStoLite Deo-Mod Edition. It's a super lightweight version of the original Touch Wiz rom. It's got all of the Samsung bloatware removed. It's extremely fast, animation speeds are adjusted, and it makes it a 100% better experience than the original Touch Wiz that comes with the phone.
It comes with a companion zip file called the Aroma Package. It's like a second installation which includes tons of optional apps and customizations you can add to your phone. It's developed by @edgarf28. Go download it, and give him THANKS.
2. My favourite ROM (and also for many others): back-to-n0t3; Bring the larger fun to the flagship
The absolute best ROM for me is the back-to-n0t3; Bring the larger fun to the flagship. It's the Galaxy Note 5 firmware ported over to the S6. Since the Note 5 and the S6 are basically the same phone, the developer @arter97 noticed that in the Note 5 many finishing touches, memory management and performance was handled better than in the S6, so he ported the ROM.
I'll just say that after using this ROM my S6 has been on another level. It works great, it gives me 3 hours of SOT (and many people report even 5 hours). I use my phone non-stop: Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc. I give myself no restrictions.
Animation speeds are great, RAM never reaches max usage, and the higher DPI resolution is also something I love.
I also now have some of the features of the Note 5 in my S6: I can stream videos directly to Youtube, can use the "one handed" settings, etc.
So download it and thank the developer.
Both these ROMS will make you a happier S6 user.

Great explanation.

Fingerprint reader Funtionality
@gaston_garcia Does Fingerprint reader work in any of the roms you mentioned?

Does your private mode works properly on back to n0t3?

Fingerprint works in both Roms
Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

i know exynos is not friendship for devs. but idont know that;
when is the coming cm 12 or miuı roms for galaxy s6?
sorry for bad grammar