Database Users

[Q] N4 Good Upgrade from Galaxy Nexus?

Hey,
My phone contract is up for renewal on the 11th January 2013 and wanted to get some opinions from people who used to own the phone I currently own which is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
I really can't fault my current Nexus, it is running Rasbean ROM with Franco kernel with very smooth, fast, reliable results.
However, with my free upgrade coming soon I'm a little bit stumped as to what my next move is. I don't want to move away from my current Tariff because it is the only tariff (mobile network) in my area that gives me good coverage around my house, so I'm more than happy to carry on paying monthly instead of going down the PAYG phone with a GiffGaff tariff etc...
I've just watched a video comparing the Nexus with the Nexus 4, yes the Nexus 4 does seem half a second or so quicker at starting apps etc and the screen looks completely different to the Nexus.
- Is there any other differences that you noticed from your upgrade?
- Now you have been using the Nexus 4 for a couple weeks+ would you do the same upgrade again?
- Is the non-removable battery a problem at all when flashing buggy Kernels/ROM's?
- Is the signal coverage roughly the same as the Nexus?
- Can you get the stock Nexus browser on the custom ROM's instead of the slow Chrome browser that came with the Nexus 4?
Any other pointers would be a massive help in me upgrading or not. Either I upgrade and sell the phone on as brand new or I keep the Nexus 4 upgrade and sell my 10 month old Nexus as used.
What would you do?

Why would the non removable battery be a problem with roms? The signal should be equal or better than the Gnex. You can get whatever browser you want on any android phone you want (almost).

The Nexus 4 is a beast. Its fast, fluid and just incredible.
If you're concerned about not getting the phone out of a bootloop you can always press vol up + power to force reboot(afaik).
Install CM10.1 and you will get the stock AOSP browser but theres also an alternative in the themes and apps section.
My signal seems better than with my Xperia S and it was already good, so I would say its the same or even better.
I would definitely upgrade(ok i did ) if I were in your situation.

I just got mine today but I say Yes. It is completely worth it. As for the non removable battery. It shouldn't be a problem as you can always get into fastboot. I don't know about other roms but you get stock android browser on Paranoid Android. The screen is much nicer. Fast processor. Pretty much everything you need unless you want LTE.

I had a galaxy nexus before this. Here's some points in the nexus 4's favor:
-Much much better screen
-Better battery life
-Better camera
-Faster and smoother UI
-Looks and feels like a higher quality device
-Music output significantly better through earphones, and louder through speaker
-Wifi reception is better. Cellular signal slightly better or the same.
Also note:
-Almost all custom ROMs come with the AOSP browser and ditch chrome.
-You can reset the device at any time by pressing and holding the volume and power keys together. There are loads of devices without removable backs and they all use this kind of reset combo. Don't worry about not being able to battery pull.
Cons of the nexus 4 to the galaxy nexus:
-Not as much development happening in the N4 forums as yet compared to the galaxy nex. I'm sure that will shift with time and is only the case due to poor availability of the N4.
-Not as durable as the gnex. Will probably take a lot less to break it.

tatltael said:
I had a galaxy nexus before this. Here's some points in the nexus 4's favor:
-Much much better screen
-Better battery life
-Better camera
-Faster and smoother UI
-Looks and feels like a higher quality device
-Music output significantly better through earphones, and louder through speaker
-Wifi reception is better. Cellular signal slightly better or the same.
Also note:
-Almost all custom ROMs come with the AOSP browser and ditch chrome.
-You can reset the device at any time by pressing and holding the volume and power keys together. There are loads of devices without removable backs and they all use this kind of reset combo. Don't worry about not being able to battery pull.
Cons of the nexus 4 to the galaxy nexus:
-Not as much development happening in the N4 forums as yet compared to the galaxy nex. I'm sure that will shift with time and is only the case due to poor availability of the N4.
-Not as durable as the gnex. Will probably take a lot less to break it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better battery life is subjective. You can get official extended batteries at around 2000 mah whereas n4 is 2100. Not much of a difference and the hsic wake lock is a problem for most people at least until Google panes out a update or flag a custom kernel
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

its basically the same. its maybe a tiny tiny bit faster in daily use, it doesnt scroll faster or anything but the transitions are nicer. so, first thing you notice is ... nothing. i know i'm getting tortured now but its the truth. its a nice little upgrade, beautiful screen (if you calibrate, otherwise its greatly inferior to your nexus), i love that its wider. in some games you notice slight differences, theres new lightting effects, flares, etc. overall it feels more precious and shiny and you can be sure it will withstand the next 24 months - and thats the thing with nexus, the software is the same, but it lets you enjoy what android has to offer without having to worry about silly stats. the new one is just making sure it stays like that bringing enough punch for tomorrows demands.

I'm coming from the GSM galaxy nexus.
The N4 has a wonderful screen, I like it a lot more than my Galaxy Nexus' screen.
But if you have the 2000 mah OEM battery, you will find the battery life of the N4 on 3G very disappointing. On WiFi they're pretty comparable.

Brilliant feedback folks, thanks a million for the in depth conclusions.
I'm swaying towards the Nexus 4 - for the pure reason of it been more future proof than the Galaxy Nexus.
The ROM and Kernel issues don't worry me, as they will get stronger and stronger as time go on, and both my favourite DEV's have got one and are developing ROM/Kernel so that's a bonus.
I was worried about the battery life of the Nexus 4, but by the sounds of it if you are on wifi the battery is not too far from the performance of the Galaxy Nexus.
I'm just slightly nervous about selling my nexus as it has been faultless.

chrisgtl said:
Brilliant feedback folks, thanks a million for the in depth conclusions.
I'm swaying towards the Nexus 4 - for the pure reason of it been more future proof than the Galaxy Nexus.
The ROM and Kernel issues don't worry me, as they will get stronger and stronger as time go on, and both my favourite DEV's have got one and are developing ROM/Kernel so that's a bonus.
I was worried about the battery life of the Nexus 4, but by the sounds of it if you are on wifi the battery is not too far from the performance of the Galaxy Nexus.
I'm just slightly nervous about selling my nexus as it has been faultless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't be nervous, it's about a $100 upgrade depending how much you get for your phone. I'd say it's worth it if you are selling ur old device for a good amount. Battery life, I wouldn't worry.
Franco Kernel + ROM of your choice, you shouldnt be disappointed.

Well........that was a quick decision if I ever I made one.
My Nexus 4 will be delivered by o2 tomorrow. Nexus is up on the popular bidding channel.
See you around the dev forums
Cheers and Happy New Year.

chrisgtl said:
Well........that was a quick decision if I ever I made one.
My Nexus 4 will be delivered by o2 tomorrow. Nexus is up on the popular bidding channel.
See you around the dev forums
Cheers and Happy New Year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats nice to see you have fast stock there. First things first would be to fastboot oem unlock of course (manual method, not toolkit )

zephiK said:
Congrats nice to see you have fast stock there. First things first would be to fastboot oem unlock of course (manual method, not toolkit )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think most of the major shops have plenty Nexus 4's left, its just Google play store that doesn't have any.
Yes, fastboot oem unlock & USB debugging will be carried out quite quickly.

chrisgtl said:
1- Is there any other differences that you noticed from your upgrade?
2- Now you have been using the Nexus 4 for a couple weeks+ would you do the same upgrade again?
3- Is the non-removable battery a problem at all when flashing buggy Kernels/ROM's?
4- Is the signal coverage roughly the same as the Nexus?
5- Can you get the stock Nexus browser on the custom ROM's instead of the slow Chrome browser that came with the Nexus 4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1- Better camera, better materials, looks nicer, better audio quality, better screen, feels solid
2- Yes
3- No
4- I can't tell you cause I always get full signal here...
5- I have both on Xylon ROM, but dolphin and chrome are great browsers

Nexus 4 turned up last night so had a couple hours to play round with it now it is all setup with rascarlo ROM and franco kernel.
What have I noticed so far (in order):
1) It's quicker, installing apps from play is very snappy
2) Screen looks different, its like it is raised up compared to the Nexus
3) Boots up v.quick
4) Feels heavier, more solid
5) Camera is better
Quite happy with my new purchase! Just need to see how much I can claw back from ebay on my old Nexus.

Eric-1987 said:
Why would the non removable battery be a problem with roms? The signal should be equal or better than the Gnex. You can get whatever browser you want on any android phone you want (almost).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My previous phone was a g2 and several times a rom would become unresponsive or if I was testing a nightly rom it came in handy being able to take out the battery to reboot the device
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Coming from Gnex.
Using the N4 in everyday life is not a big difference (same software, sometimes a bit faster). Not a milestone ahead.
But - the phone is so solid, good-looking and has a better camera compared to the Gnex.
If it is really worth to change is more emotional than stick to facts.

floppyears said:
My previous phone was a g2 and several times a rom would become unresponsive or if I was testing a nightly rom it came in handy being able to take out the battery to reboot the device
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Holding down the power button for ten seconds performs this same action
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

[Q] Considering a Nexus 4, a few questions for long time N4 owners

Considering picking up a Nexus 4 and would love to hear some pros and cons from long time users of the N4 on XDA that have had the phone for months now, and their real-world usage and opinion (like how the performance/battery holds up after x months of use). I also wouldn't mind hearing about comparisons to other phones with regards to performance if other N4 owner have/use other phones, older or new.
Some background info:
I'm coming from a 2010 HTC Windows Phone, so I'll probably be blown away by what a 2012/2013ish phone hardware is like. WP7 on my HTC HD7 still runs very fast/smoothly in the core OS experience, but once you get to 3rd party app load times on startup, it becomes painful. On top of that MS has all but abandoned WP7, and features-wise, its seriously dated and missing key basic but essential features of smartphone OS's, like ahem orientation lock and a more modern mobile web browser, not even 3rd party apps can help there.

Like you said any 2012/13 phone will amaze you from the phone you have now. You might not even notice the differences between all these new phones.
The closest comparison to this phone would be the s3.
nexus 4 slightly outperforms the s3, you would most notice the smoothness between the two. Battery life, they're roughly the same, except if you use your phone a lot... like extensively than the better choice is the s3. Camera is also better on the s3. Storage goes to s3. But I feel the nexus is the more complete phone... I guess you can say less hiccups.
I would probably choose s4 and htc one over nexus though. Haven't played with them yet, but simply because they're newer lol
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

I love my n4. I'm not a "long time" owner being 2 weeks of owning it, but I'll tell you I love it. I came from a One X running a custom rom and it didn't compare to the speed of the stock n4. It may be a dual core vs quad but still, aosp is just fantastic. Battery is pretty good I'd say. It gets through the day, I'll show some pictures. The lack of LTE and storage isn't a big deal to me because all my music is coming from the cloud and HSPA is fast enough. I haven't even switched to the HSPA+ plan yet because lazy. However, it doesn't play music near as loud as my One X through headphones, but they have a mod for that.
Oh and it charges pretty fast.
Sent from my fridge using XDA Premium

I love my n4. I'm not a "long time" owner being 2 weeks of owning it, but I'll tell you I love it. I came from a One X running a custom rom and it didn't compare to the speed of the stock n4. It may be a dual core vs quad but still, aosp is just fantastic. Battery is pretty good I'd say. It gets through the day, I'll show some pictures. The lack of LTE and storage isn't a big deal to me because all my music is coming from the cloud and HSPA is fast enough. I haven't even switched to the HSPA+ plan yet because lazy. However, it doesn't play music near as loud as my One X through headphones, but they have a mod for that.
Oh and it charges pretty fast.
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Sent from my fridge using XDA Premium

Nexus all the way. It's been a little less than a month of owning it, and it's great. Everything works like it's supposed to work, custom ROMs are easy to install, and I unlocked the bootloader/rooted it in a little less than an hour.

I got mine since december of the past year, and I love it more than ever, looks amazing, runs smooth, can run any game without lag, it fit my needs.
I must warn you to be careful don't drop it
My sister have an galaxy s3 and honestly the Nexus 4 is at higher level

I have the S3 and Nexus 4 and Whereas I love my S3, the N4 is the better phone all around. The S3 has it's better things like storage, LTE, S Calendar, OMLEAD (sp.) Screen (where black background takes no power but on N4 it does) and the camera. The camera is by far the best. Beats the heck out of N4 so if you take alot of pics, you'll want the S3. The N4 does okay on its camera but is no where near S3. BUT...performance wise, the N4 wins, hands down. ASOP is better in my opinion as some of these custome UI's really take a lot of power, etc. Plus, for $350, you get a highend phone for a midrange price. It's a no brainer in my opinion.

I'm happy with my N4. If you need an unlocked phone, for the price you seriously can't beat it. If price is no issue, I agree with Teo032 and I'd go with S4 or HTC One based on hardware.
The one thing about the N4 I'm still getting used to is the lack of storage size. I STRONGLY suggest getting the 16 GB. I got the 8 and I would totally pay $50 for another 8 gigs. I think it currently comes with a free bumper, if not, get one, they're actually pretty cool and my N4 kept slidding off crap because the screen is so smooth.
Good luck!

Nearing two months here. Upgraded from the LG Optimus 2X, the world's first dual core Android.
I absolutely love my N4. For the price it's a steal. The performance just blows me away (I am running CyanogenMod, not overclocked) compared to my old phone which had s**tty drivers and often had lag spikes even with overclocking.
If you compare the N4 to a stock unrooted Galaxy S4 or HTC One (the two powerhouses of 2013), you will actually find that when exiting apps and going around the home screens, the N4 is faster than either phone, because those two powerhouses have to deal with the overhead of rendering an ugly custom skin that adds no value Of course when actually inside an app those two phones will be the performance kings, but the N4 is no slouch either - it nails pretty much every game I throw at it.
These are the only real reasons to forgo the N4 in favour of something else:
1. You have the $$$ and want better build quality
2. You can't live with only 16 GB of internal storage, non-expandable
3. You like having a removable battery (or at least a removable cover to make accessing the SIM easier)
4. You want officially supported LTE that isn't 1700 Mhz
5. You think 4.7" is too big (a fair reason) and want something more compact.
If none of those points apply to you, then by all means, GET THE NEXUS 4!!! Also as a bonus you can load on a Metro UI skin if you miss WP

It's been like ~2 months now, and as most lads above I can sincerely say that it was the best choice possible at the moment (still is imo). Seeing that I simply agree with most of whats above this post, peformance wise n stuff, ill poke it from another point of view. Being an iphone4 user (jailbroken of course), the very first time I had the chance to fiddle with the nexus4 - it stole my heart completely. Versatility is just beyond any limits and if youre looking for a smart purchase, good performance/price ratio AND quality product - N4 is the best choice possible right now. The reason ive been using an iphone for quite a bit was actually lack of android based quality products (well, apart from a couple of htc's maybe ). It is crucial for me since I hate using a phone that reminds me of a plastic toy. N4 is the perfect solution in this case - official android based product combined with decent materials. You have to keep in mind though - it is a fragile piece of equipment and if you have like slippery hands (lol) or simply drop the phone pretty (too ) often - you must get yourself a case/bumper (i would recommend a piece of screen/back protector as well) cuz it might hurt if it bangs the floor

The Best...just saying

I have it for a long time and i must say its a nice phone.
You must be aware tho that there are random wifi issues on this phone that will probably be corrected with a system update.
The stock rom is ok and the stock google kernel uses the perf. branch so do not expect great battery life on stock even when the phone's idle.
A protective case is required or you will screw the back glass easily.
Photosphere is a nice feature included on the phone.
Phone overheats easily
You see the digitizer on screen
But its a great phone and im happy with it. Nothing would beat the galaxy s2 i had lol
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Ordered mine on day one and received it the following week. I came from an iPhone.
I have had no issues other than Android itself. Some of it is half baked, and fixes can be non-existent. Battery life is OK if you come to the conclusion that some apps are the main cause of poor battery life on Android... it is a bit of a free for all here. I have seen significant improvement since installing Qualcomm's Battery Guru. I have seen 13.5 hours on battery with 2hr 46min screen time and 50% battery left. While it ain't quite an iPhone, it is more than sufficient.
The phone is very poorly documented and much of how it works is a "discovery by braille" experience. The stock mail client is unusable for business... thankfully I found a better one (AquaMail). The little speaker on the back is useless. I mean USELESS.
If I had it to do over again I don't think I'd do anything differently. The only other phone I would consider at this point is the HTC One (almost twice the price). At $350 I am very comfortable using my phone and not worrying about damaging/losing it. If I toast it it is not that big a deal to replace it (unlike the $600-$800 for some competing phones). It does almost everything well, and the little rough spots are minor. I do miss the accessory/software ecosystem that is iOS, but at this point I think I would miss widgets and the open file system even more.

As far as aging goes, I've had mine for a while and it's stood the test of time. My battery life has only gotten better and better, but that's mostly due to constantly improving custom kernels (I use Faux123's). It plays all the games out there. The only drawback is storage.
Sent from an N4 blessed with AOKP and sanctified by Faux123!

Nexus 4 or Xperia SP, Please advice

I'm in a dilemma as to which phone to go for. I'd really really appreciate if you'd take a minute to post your opinion. For now, I have decided to go for Nexus 4 or Sony Xperia SP.
Price Difference:Xperia SP is ~40$ cheaper than the Nexus 4 here
The price difference isnt really my concern though, I might as well put in a few extra bucks to get the best phone, if necessary. Ive researched quite and here are some stuff i really need clarifications about the Nexus 4:
What's the battery backup I can get out of Nexus 4[approx of Standby,SOT[browsing],SOT[gaming, say, subway surfers] with custom rom+kernel and stock? [Standby=No Data,Wifi,Bluetooth,GPS]
Is the back glass very prone to shattering? Assume it falls on the ground from waist height, is it sure to crack?
Do you think the Nexus 4 would be outdated in terms of hardware hence i should be waiting for the Nexus 5? Here in India, Nexus 4 launched recently so I'm assuming the nexus 5 might take quite some time as well compared to the US release
IF you do know some stats about battery in the Xperia SP, do put it out as well.
The major advantage i hear about the Nexus is direct updates from google but aren't other phones like the Xperia SP likely to get custom Rom's with the latest software? So what's the big advantage in it? This would be my first android.
Thank you!

I don't know about the sp, but I have a ZL that I can't decide whether or not I like more than the N4. I'll give you some pointers on it since they are similar, to an extent.
My N4 hasn't broken and my kids and I are pretty rough on it. I have a ringke fusion case though. (I'm not a fan of any case for the device though, it has an of form factor to me). Battery gets me about 6-7 hours with battery guru enabled before a recharge is needed.
The ZL is awesome, I don't like the power button or the goofy scratch prone screen protector that is installed at the factory though. Battery lasts almost 24 hours with regular use, about 5 -6 hours of screen on. Almost two days with light use (I leave stamina on 24/7 and low power mode kicks in at 15%) Sony has a lot of nice options in their OS, but a lot of them also feel like they're in the way. If you've ran stock android, it'll feel way more similar than the Samsung and HTC devices, with a few extras baked in.
Ultimately, I love the feel and the display of the ZL, but I miss the stock lock screen and Google wallet too much to use it regularly. Rooting and flashing the ZL really was a pain too, broke NFC with every non stock ROM.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

It really depends on what you need/want. I find Nexus 4 really good but the lack of expandable memory really bugs me and the camera isn't really that good. Battery is so-so, it'll last a day with light use but only 12-16 hours with moderate to heavy use, oh, but I'm on stock with franco kernel and only had this phone for a week so far.
As for Xperia SP, since it has half the spec of Nexus 4 and bigger battery, it will definitely stay longer than Nexus 4. And as per review on Youtube, the performance is not really that much different than Nexus 4 and it has a cool stylish design. But, Sony's reputation on updates is what really stops me and also the lack of devs (hey, it's still new).
If you want better hardware and updates, get Nexus 4, but if you want a regular to use phone and better battery get Xperia SP. Best of luck dude.

Much appreciate the inputs, thank you.
I really don't mind compromising on the camera or the expandable memory however on the SP the lesser 1gb ram does set me back as I'm not too sure how big this lack of ram would affect the phone in the future. Is the lack of 2gb ram a deal breaker for future updates/appa/games?
The only concern about the nexus 4 is the battery. If it can last me for an hour of music on loud speaker with screen off, an hour of browsing,1-2 hours of light gaming and standby for ~9hrs(with data enabled) id go for it. But I don't know if it can give me so much battery backup either. So if you can help me out, thatd be great
Sent from my Lumia 710 using Board Express

One gig should be enough as rumor has it that Key Lime Pie will be runnable even on a 512 MB RAM, rumor though. The only noticeable drawbacks from a lesser RAM is during multitasking, but it won't be that bad on 1 GB.
As for battery life of Nexus 4, most users can get up to 3-4 hours of screen time max. With a few music, browsing on Opera Mini, and some light gaming I think you can get at least 9 hours on stock. Dunno on custom ROMs or kernels, probably better.
Sent from my blazing fast Nexus 4

Here are some pros and cons of nexus 4
Pros :
Good hardware that is future protected at least for two major android updates .
The stock nexus experience , I like the software navigation bar instead of hardware keys .
Great support from developers , look at the xda threads .
Great bang for buck .
Cons :
Battery life is not that great , I could last a day with 3 to 4 hours of screen on time on 2g but lot less on 3g . (future updates may improve it but my 3g network drops a lot , even under good coverage)
Camera quality and screen quality not up to par with s3 but don't take me wrong here , it's still good.
Sound quality is not good , I missed a lots of calls when phone is faced up , but custom kennels and mods improved it .
Storage and battery are fixed.
Heats up if you ate going to game continuously for half an hour or more , or under any heavy load . mine reached 40 degree but that depends on your surrounding temperature .
I think the point here is that if you are not going to root the device then you may find some problems but for all the non nexus devices I had , the development support ended and cease after an year or so .
©

Yes I will be rooting it for sure and trying out anything possible to get the best out of it. I really wish the battery backup was better, I don't really think I could deal with just 3hrs SOT. I mean I don't see the point in getting a powerhouse and not being able to make use of it while your on the move, especially for gaming and stuff. If I were to have to plug in so much I might as well play on my laptop. Even a SOT of 4-5hrs would have been great for me. But I'm really not sure if I could deal with 3.

Actually the more power a phone has, the more battery hungry it becomes. You'll
have to wait until our technology reach a new era, my guess would be around 2 to 5 years until we get some proper full touch screen phones with a good battery without bumping up the battery capacity. Or wait till Google optimizes Android to work efficiently and smoothly without sacrificing the battery.
Sent from my blazing fast Nexus 4

Um any idea what now much SOT other phones in the price range offer? Like the S3,Xperia SP or even the S4,Note 2,HTC ONE? If its the same case with all of them, then I guess it's alright. I just felt 3hrs was a bit too low, like I've said before I haven't used an android before so not too sure if this is the general issue

Sorry but I only know Nexus 4's SOT, I never checked my old devices SOT, just realized how to do it now
You should try asking at the respective device's forum or PM some owners to compare them. Good luck dude.
Sent from my blazing fast Nexus 4

earlier i use to have 3hrs of sot but with the new franco kernel and pa i have a sot of ~3hrs right now and my battery is 40% remaining
i watched videos played some music and took some photos
its always on wifi no 3g but with sync,location acces and all those thing unchanged and a total ~10hrs on battery now
also about heating i undervolt mine by 100mV and its not heating that much
also about screen i changed the color preset to bundi22 and the screen alot more better sometimes i feel that screen of nexus 4 is better than my earlier amoled experience but its all matter of your taste how you like it
hope i helped

mangomonkey00 said:
earlier i use to have 3hrs of sot but with the new franco kernel and pa i have a sot of ~3hrs right now and my battery is 40% remaining
i watched videos played some music and took some photos
its always on wifi no 3g but with sync,location acces and all those thing unchanged and a total ~10hrs on battery now
also about heating i undervolt mine by 100mV and its not heating that much
also about screen i changed the color preset to bundi22 and the screen alot more better sometimes i feel that screen of nexus 4 is better than my earlier amoled experience but its all matter of your taste how you like it
hope i helped
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's very encouraging. As long as I get about 4hrs of SOT ill be very satisfied. The other minor problems don't matter much, I won't be gaming all day long so even if it does heat up its gonna last for only a while. I love the design,dev support and everything about the nexus. The only concern is about the battery. Also do you think it's a good option to wait for the nexus 5?

nithin1992 said:
That's very encouraging. As long as I get about 4hrs of SOT ill be very satisfied. The other minor problems don't matter much, I won't be gaming all day long so even if it does heat up its gonna last for only a while. I love the design,dev support and everything about the nexus. The only concern is about the battery. Also do you think it's a good option to wait for the nexus 5?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have no idea when nexus5 is coming if its coming soon then you should wait and buy new nexus5
but if you see in that way there will always be something new,powerful,better to buy in future and even i bought this around 1 month before
and according to me nexus 4 should not be outdated next 1 or 2 years
rest is upto you

mangomonkey00 said:
i have no idea when nexus5 is coming if its coming soon then you should wait and buy new nexus5
but if you see in that way there will always be something new,powerful,better to buy in future and even i bought this around 1 month before
and according to me nexus 4 should not be outdated next 1 or 2 years
rest is upto you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mhmm. Thank you for the advice mate, much appreciated

Im tempted by the Xperia Z!

superleeds27 said:
Im tempted by the Xperia Z!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's past my budget though so I'm gonna have to pick one between the 2 and it looks like its gonna be nexus!

nithin1992 said:
That's past my budget though so I'm gonna have to pick one between the 2 and it looks like its gonna be nexus!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was in the same boat as you but i also decided to buy nexus 4 and guess what , best decision ever no regrets ! my only fear was about battery life which i am getting same as the galaxy s2 which is pretty awesome too so yeah awesome phone

Nexus 4 got better CPU and more RAM. Nexus series will receive new android version very fast but if you have other device, you may have to wait about 0.5-1.5 year to get that android update (or you may not receive an update forever).

Buying advice: Asus ZenFone 2

I am in the market for a new cell phone to replace my current Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini. Given my budget, I have nearly settled on the Asus ZenFone 2. At $299 for an upper-middle tier cell phone with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, it seems like a solid bet. The only real downfall I have discovered from my research thus far is the ZenUI which overlays the stock Android experience and the massive amount of bloatware that comes pre-installed on the phone.
If I were able to safely get rid of the bloatware and make the phone more like a pure stock Android experience, I would buy it in a heartbeat.
I consider myself fairly able to work with technology, although I have never actually rooted, flashed, or otherwise modded a cell phone. So, I am looking for some guidance. Do you think the ZenFone2 warrants a purchase in spite of the concerns outlined? If no, do you have any suitable reocmmendations in that budget range? More importantly, do you think I would be able to modify the phone to get rid of bloatware and make it a more stock Android experience?
Sorry if this questions has been asked previously. As I mentioned, I am very new to this, certainly new to the forums, and just looking for guidance. Thanks!

Bloatware thing is overblown, you can disable every single preinstalled app on the phone. The performance is amazing, this is a lag free phone. However, I do no recommend this phone simply based on the battery life, its terrible. There is no way around it.

yumms said:
Bloatware thing is overblown, you can disable every single preinstalled app on the phone. The performance is amazing, this is a lag free phone. However, I do no recommend this phone simply based on the battery life, its terrible. There is no way around it.
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I'm not as concerned about the battery life as I am generally near a charger. But, do you think the battery issues might be address through an Android update (I hear 5.1.1 is coming soon to Asus) or even a root/mod like Cyanogenmod?

dchadjohnson said:
I'm not as concerned about the battery life as I am generally near a charger. But, do you think the battery issues might be address through an Android update (I hear 5.1.1 is coming soon to Asus) or even a root/mod like Cyanogenmod?
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Battery life is little fixed for me on this new updates,it's not that bad,but just wait for 5.1.1 update or Android M 6.0 update,zenfone 2 will shine for sure
---------- Post added at 04:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:35 PM ----------
and btw don't install Cm 12.1,i tried it and it's worse than asus stock rom,trust me...

The only bad thing about the phone (550ML) is the battery backup and the memory usage.
Except that, it is good.
Depending where you are, i could advice your to buy the redmi note 2, lower price, more powerfull, pictures a bit better in low light environment, sound better, 5 hours SOT and not three like this phone, lower and brighter screen...

I bought the WW version of the phone you are considering, after upgrading from a S4. Unlike a lot here on XDA, I have left it at stock, with 64gig of storage and 4gig of ram who cares about the bloatware. With Auto Start Manager you can disable anything you want to anyway. It does what I want it to do and I am not stuck to the carrier's software update schedule as I was with the S4.

I've had ZenFone 2 for about 1 month now. My previous phone was first gen Moto G.
ZenUI is surprisingly good. I usually have Google Now launcher or Nova Launcher but I've been sticking with ZenUI. The bloat is only a minor inconvenience.
As for performance: the phone is a beast! Astonishing considering the price. I have 1.8ghz 4gig ram version.
The screen is good. It doesn't get dim enough and so is not ideal for nighttime use. I tried to use rootdim to no avail. I use phone at min brightness for most of day.
Battery life is poor! Struggle to get 3hrs screen on time. I'm a medium to heavy user. Have to charge it twice a day. Hoping this can be improved with 5.1.1. If, not then might consider one plus one.

m98221 said:
I've had ZenFone 2 for about 1 month now. My previous phone was first gen Moto G.
ZenUI is surprisingly good. I usually have Google Now launcher or Nova Launcher but I've been sticking with ZenUI. The bloat is only a minor inconvenience.
As for performance: the phone is a beast! Astonishing considering the price. I have 1.8ghz 4gig ram version.
The screen is good. It doesn't get dim enough and so is not ideal for nighttime use. I tried to use rootdim to no avail. I use phone at min brightness for most of day.
Battery life is poor! Struggle to get 3hrs screen on time. I'm a medium to heavy user. Have to charge it twice a day. Hoping this can be improved with 5.1.1. If, not then might consider one plus one.
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Click to collapse
Use lux light as it dims the screen to great nighttime viewing and I get decent screen time and I'm a heavy user as well
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA Free mobile app

I have never experienced the poor battery life others complain of on this phone.
Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk

corrsea said:
I have never experienced the poor battery life others complain of on this phone.
Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk
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yeah me too, I get battery backup around 5 hrs easily and the only thing I dont like is memory management and blaotwares that's all but as someone said earlier you can disable and I did around 13 apps xD
Camera and performace and battery is very good. Waiting for 5.1.1'

[/COLOR]and btw don't install Cm 12.1,i tried it and it's worse than asus stock rom,trust me...[/QUOTE]
Well what people need to understand is that ALL of the AOSP roms for the zenfone 2 are in BETA STAGES! Meaning its not 100% stable. Not the devs fault as they are doing there best to get it to a stable release.
As for recommending the phone to OP. Yes I do, is in my list its one of the top phones for 300 and under this year. Now its not perfect(battery, junk bloat, screen brightness, screen to body ratio) but for the 4gb model if you tweak and make it yours you will love the speed and its flagship experience at a mid level price point.

Well, many people have already give you a help but here it goes another one. This phone is just amazing. For this price you only have OP2 or Moto X to compete (both are a little bit expensive).
My battery reach to 4.30h SOT and i have always wifi, bt and 4g on. Play about 1h games, lots of browsing and social networks. 30m talking. In the end of day still have my battery around 25%. Not bad but with 5.1.1 hope this improve. There is very little bloatware and you can remove them or disable easily.
The bad things is the screen body ratio is bsd and make the phone biggest, the camera is not brilliant, the power button on top, the screen brightness.
But every phones have pros and cons so, for me, this is the best for the price
Already bought another for my sister and i recommend alot. Very happy user

Kambz1994 said:
and btw don't install Cm 12.1,i tried it and it's worse than asus stock rom,trust me...
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Strongly disagree with that, it is improving daily and imho already surpasses the ASUS stock firmware. CM has given me a new found love for and enjoyment of this excellent phone.

Delgadovsky said:
Well, many people have already give you a help but here it goes another one. This phone is just amazing. For this price you only have OP2 or Moto X to compete (both are a little bit expensive).
My battery reach to 4.30h SOT and i have always wifi, bt and 4g on. Play about 1h games, lots of browsing and social networks. 30m talking. In the end of day still have my battery around 25%. Not bad but with 5.1.1 hope this improve. There is very little bloatware and you can remove them or disable easily.
The bad things is the screen body ratio is bsd and make the phone biggest, the camera is not brilliant, the power button on top, the screen brightness.
But every phones have pros and cons so, for me, this is the best for the price
Already bought another for my sister and i recommend alot. Very happy user
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Click to collapse
I get more than 5 hrs xD

See xD

903tex said:
[/COLOR]and btw don't install Cm 12.1,i tried it and it's worse than asus stock rom,trust me...
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Click to collapse
Well what people need to understand is that ALL of the AOSP roms for the zenfone 2 are in BETA STAGES! Meaning its not 100% stable. Not the devs fault as they are doing there best to get it to a stable release.
As for recommending the phone to OP. Yes I do, is in my list its one of the top phones for 300 and under this year. Now its not perfect(battery, junk bloat, screen brightness, screen to body ratio) but for the 4gb model if you tweak and make it yours you will love the speed and its flagship experience at a mid level price point.[/QUOTE]
Lol, cm12.1 and aosp roms are in beta version so they need time to be stable. They aren't ridiculous noob

If you're not a hardcore gamer, then better wait for the Zenfone 2 Laser (ZE550KL) variant with Snapdragon 615 and 3GB RAM. I had almost decided to buy the ZE550ML, although I was apprehensive about the battery life, when I read about the new model. It costs marginally higher than the ZE550ML, but should have better battery if somewhat less performance. Plus 3GB RAM should still take care of the ZenUI bloat.

Gustapo said:
If you're not a hardcore gamer, then better wait for the Zenfone 2 Laser (ZE550KL) variant with Snapdragon 615 and 3GB RAM. I had almost decided to buy the ZE550ML, although I was apprehensive about the battery life, when I read about the new model. It costs marginally higher than the ZE550ML, but should have better battery if somewhat less performance. Plus 3GB RAM should still take care of the ZenUI bloat.
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Click to collapse
2 Gb ram is enough for gaming if you know how to use phone

ASUS ZenFone2 is a great phone!
Okay, so I'm a bit biased...but this phone is actually really good! (I came from a Nexus). Battery life is really dependent on your location, signal, usage scenarios, etc. But I'm on T-Mo in the Bay Area where signal isn't the best, I use the phone for work and have gotten through an entire day 7-10PM with at least 20% left. Bloatware can be disabled on the latest firmware.

Yeah, I've disabled 23 bloatwares xD

Note 4 or LG G4?

Hi Guys,
I know I am bound to face some bias here, since this is a Note 4 forum, but I am owner of an LG G4, previously G3 and Note 2 and 3, but have also bought a Note 4. Now, of course, I should just sell my LG G4, which I happen to like very, very much. I just can't stand the less than 3 hours screen on time, and am longing for some AMOLED, larger screen, and finger-print scanner goodness on the Note 4.
Still, before I sell away my G4, thought I'd post here and get some of your experiences/opinions on this topic, especially if you have by any chance made the same decision as me?
Thanks in advance for all your advice!

I have had both since June, and honestly it's a tough call. I really like that the G4 is fully up to date, and has Stagefright patched, and overall feels much faster and snappier than the Note 4 after deleting carrier bloat. It's also smaller and lighter and sits in the hand better for me. The only thing I like about the Note 4 is the bigger and AMOLED screen (much better colors to me plus no on-screen navigation taking up space). Also, the G4 camera does better in low light - it captures more detail. With the spare battery, the G4 is fine for me, as I always carried a spare battery for my Note 4, too.

siraltus said:
I have had both since June, and honestly it's a tough call. I really like that the G4 is fully up to date, and has Stagefright patched, and overall feels much faster and snappier than the Note 4 after deleting carrier bloat. It's also smaller and lighter and sits in the hand better for me. The only thing I like about the Note 4 is the bigger and AMOLED screen (much better colors to me plus no on-screen navigation taking up space). Also, the G4 camera does better in low light - it captures more detail. With the spare battery, the G4 is fine for me, as I always carried a spare battery for my Note 4, too.
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Click to collapse
Gotcha, thanks for chiming in bud! Have you rooted and custom ROM'd your Note 4? Wondering if that upped the performance on it, like the G4? I know Stagefright is also patched in Custom ROMs? Thanks again for your help!

ProFragger said:
Gotcha, thanks for chiming in bud! Have you rooted and custom ROM'd your Note 4? Wondering if that upped the performance on it, like the G4? I know Stagefright is also patched in Custom ROMs? Thanks again for your help!
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Click to collapse
Oh yeah, I'm on rooted, deodexed OG2 (5.0.1) ROM on T-Mobile, all bloatware deleted. It's fast, but not as fast as the G4. I'm sure that once 5.1.1 finally drops for it, whenever that will be, it will be as snappy as the G4, because people who got 5.1.1 (Sprint, and various international variants) report the performance improves vastly with the update.
Stagefright is not automatically patched in custom ROMs as they are based on the unpatched Samsung software, unless the ROM is AOSP/Cyanogen-based as far as I know. But maybe I'm wrong.

I currently own both. Staring at them right now and I can't decide which one to sell. I love them both because they each offer something different that the other doesn't. I am currently using my G4 because refreshing to hold. One of the most comfortable phones I have ever used. The other reason I'm using the G4 right now is because of battery life. Don't know what it is, but the G4 lasts a heck of a lot longer than the Note 4, bone stock and rooted. That's the one thing LG has always been good at, battery life. I remember when I had a G Pro that lasted 2 months on standby just sitting there with wifi and bluetooth on, emails were syncing and everything. Took 2 months to die. My G4 was up for 2 days straight last week when I got it and I got 5hrs of screen time. No video watching, just mostly work, texting, school(Schoology) and XDA.

siraltus said:
Oh yeah, I'm on rooted, deodexed OG2 (5.0.1) ROM on T-Mobile, all bloatware deleted. It's fast, but not as fast as the G4. I'm sure that once 5.1.1 finally drops for it, whenever that will be, it will be as snappy as the G4, because people who got 5.1.1 (Sprint, and various international variants) report the performance improves vastly with the update.
Stagefright is not automatically patched in custom ROMs as they are based on the unpatched Samsung software, unless the ROM is AOSP/Cyanogen-based as far as I know. But maybe I'm wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know I am the noob to this community, but fairly certain, the 910T3 firmware especially comes with Android 5.1.1 Stock. I could be wrong though?
Jammol said:
I currently own both. Staring at them right now and I can't decide which one to sell. I love them both because they each offer something different that the other doesn't. I am currently using my G4 because refreshing to hold. One of the most comfortable phones I have ever used. The other reason I'm using the G4 right now is because of battery life. Don't know what it is, but the G4 lasts a heck of a lot longer than the Note 4, bone stock and rooted. That's the one thing LG has always been good at, battery life. I remember when I had a G Pro that lasted 2 months on standby just sitting there with wifi and bluetooth on, emails were syncing and everything. Took 2 months to die. My G4 was up for 2 days straight last week when I got it and I got 5hrs of screen time. No video watching, just mostly work, texting, school(Schoology) and XDA.
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Click to collapse
Jammol - Thank you for your response. I love my G4 in form factor and also looks too, I've got the Leather Back model. But my battery life is nowhere near what you said. On the G3, it was stock, debloated, Greenified, and I still could barely hit 4 hours of SOT. On the G4, rooted, debloated, not Greenified, I am barely able to hit 2.5 hours of SOT, and that is WITHOUT gaming, extensive videos and etc. Just WiFi most of the day and long conference calls for work. Example today: 5.5 hours on battery, 4 hours of calls, 1 hour 16 minutes SOT, WiFi, and no videos, I am at 51% already! Care to share your model/variant and battery set up?
Also, you forgot to mention the upside of your Note 4 ? Care to comment on it's performance and etc compared to the G4? Thanks!

ProFragger said:
I know I am the noob to this community, but fairly certain, the 910T3 firmware especially comes with Android 5.1.1 Stock. I could be wrong though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, and there is a "hybrid" 5.1.1 ROM that you can theoretically use on the T variant, but I don't know how stable/reliable it is, given the baseband and bootloader are different.
Pesronally, I only run deodexed stock ROMs that I modify myself to my liking, as I don't like all the extra garbage and ****ty themes that most XDA devs bake into their ROMs, so I'm **** out of luck until Samsung releases the official 5.1.1 update for the T variant.
EDIT: Apparently I am out of the loop. There is Xposed for Samsung for 5.1.1 now: http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/unofficial-xposed-samsung-lollipop-t3180960

siraltus said:
True, and there is a "hybrid" 5.1.1 ROM that you can theoretically use on the T variant, but I don't know how stable/reliable it is, given the baseband and bootloader are different.
Pesronally, I only run deodexed stock ROMs that I modify myself to my liking, as I don't like all the extra garbage and ****ty themes that most XDA devs bake into their ROMs, so I'm **** out of luck until Samsung releases the official 5.1.1 update for the T variant.
Plus, there is no Xposed for 5.1.1 on Samsung devices, which is a deal-breaker for me.
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I am super "noob" confused, @siraltus - I thought 910T3 comes with Official 5.1.1 from T-Mobile US/Sammy and TEKXodous comes with Xposed 5.1.1 installer, no?

ProFragger said:
I am super "noob" confused, @siraltus - I thought 910T3 comes with Official 5.1.1 from T-Mobile US/Sammy and TEKXodous comes with Xposed 5.1.1 installer, no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, T3 comes with 5.1.1, but there is no offical 5.1.1 update for the regular T (not T3) variants, so we can only run a "hacked port" of 5.1.1 taken from the T3. The official update would include a T-variant baseband, bootloader, and other firmware bits (sbin, tz, etc.) that the phone needs matched up to the ROM version for trouble-free performance, the baseband being the most important.
As for Xposed, you're right - http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/unofficial-xposed-samsung-lollipop-t3180960 I had no idea.

ProFragger said:
I know I am the noob to this community, but fairly certain, the 910T3 firmware especially comes with Android 5.1.1 Stock. I could be wrong though?
Jammol - Thank you for your response. I love my G4 in form factor and also looks too, I've got the Leather Back model. But my battery life is nowhere near what you said. On the G3, it was stock, debloated, Greenified, and I still could barely hit 4 hours of SOT. On the G4, rooted, debloated, not Greenified, I am barely able to hit 2.5 hours of SOT, and that is WITHOUT gaming, extensive videos and etc. Just WiFi most of the day and long conference calls for work. Example today: 5.5 hours on battery, 4 hours of calls, 1 hour 16 minutes SOT, WiFi, and no videos, I am at 51% already! Care to share your model/variant and battery set up?
Also, you forgot to mention the upside of your Note 4 ? Care to comment on it's performance and etc compared to the G4? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I touch the Note 4 first:
I love it, I really do, but for me when a dev has to release a custom Rom to fix stupid little bugs, that's a huge turn off for me. TekHD Roms are the best so far for the Note 4 and that's what I run. I love my SPen, though I don't use it every single day; I do use it for 2 weeks straight every quarter because of my job. Beats walking around with my laptop or tablet getting readings from machines. AMOLED; I don't get the hype about the blacks. I'm black and I don't even like the colour black that much(LOL, that was a pun). The screen is indeed beautiful and I love it to death, but there's something about an LCD screen that just tickles my pickle!(another one). Last but not least...the amount of Roms; DAMN!
G4:
I think it's your calls that are killing your battery. I have the T-Mobile 8511 version and I turned off VoLTE/HD Voice. It kills battery so bad when you're on a call. I was losing 5% battery for just a 10-15 minute phone call with my wife. That's ridiculous so I turned it off. I am running stock rooted, no bloat removed(there really isn't any), and I use most of LG's apps that are on there. I was using xposed at one point but that was also affecting my battery so I got rid of it.

siraltus said:
Yes, T3 comes with 5.1.1, but there is no offical 5.1.1 update for the regular T (not T3) variants, so we can only run a "hacked port" of 5.1.1 taken from the T3. The official update would include a T-variant baseband, bootloader, and other firmware bits (sbin, tz, etc.) that the phone needs matched up to the ROM version for trouble-free performance, the baseband being the most important.
As for Xposed, you're right - http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/unofficial-xposed-samsung-lollipop-t3180960 I had no idea.
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That's interesting bud... I haven't run across any threads saying that people are having trouble with the T variant phones on 5.1.1, maybe you've seen some? Otherwise, I am really not even sure which variant is "better" or to hope for tomorrow when I finally get the phone in hand ! Some say the T3 has a better GPS and feels smoother... I wonder if it's just big time placebo effect? Haha!
Jammol said:
I touch the Note 4 first:
I love it, I really do, but for me when a dev has to release a custom Rom to fix stupid little bugs, that's a huge turn off for me. TekHD Roms are the best so far for the Note 4 and that's what I run. I love my SPen, though I don't use it every single day; I do use it for 2 weeks straight every quarter because of my job. Beats walking around with my laptop or tablet getting readings from machines. AMOLED; I don't get the hype about the blacks. I'm black and I don't even like the colour black that much(LOL, that was a pun). The screen is indeed beautiful and I love it to death, but there's something about an LCD screen that just tickles my pickle!(another one). Last but not least...the amount of Roms; DAMN!
G4:
I think it's your calls that are killing your battery. I have the T-Mobile 8511 version and I turned off VoLTE/HD Voice. It kills battery so bad when you're on a call. I was losing 5% battery for just a 10-15 minute phone call with my wife. That's ridiculous so I turned it off. I am running stock rooted, no bloat removed(there really isn't any), and I use most of LG's apps that are on there. I was using xposed at one point but that was also affecting my battery so I got rid of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jammol, first of all, really funny response bud! I like a man who is able to take things lightly and joke around :good:! @TEKHD ROMs look like they absolutely, by far have the most users as demonstrated by it's Views and Responses! But, it's also possibly the most complicated ROM thread I have ever seen ! I really love the @TEKHD 's hard work, thank you friend! But I am not sure if it's the ROM for my needs, which, light, battery life, and just need enough tweaks to turn the Status Bar icon to Red, and change Toggle colors, and super bonus if Dialer could be black and red, and I am set! Wonder what kind of AnTuTu scores people get on that ROM?
Reading through, seems like Rapture maybe the best fit for my needs, but I just don't know. Care to share your experiences on different ROMs if you have tried those?
About the G4, I don't think AT&T offers VoLTE, but even if they do, I don't see an option to turn it off in the phone. Not to mention, how would it be working with my data off, any way?
Thanks again for your valuable input!

ProFragger said:
That's interesting bud... I haven't run across any threads saying that people are having trouble with the T variant phones on 5.1.1, maybe you've seen some? Otherwise, I am really not even sure which variant is "better" or to hope for tomorrow when I finally get the phone in hand ! Some say the T3 has a better GPS and feels smoother... I wonder if it's just big time placebo effect? Haha!
Jammol, first of all, really funny response bud! I like a man who is able to take things lightly and joke around :good:! @TEKHD ROMs look like they absolutely, by far have the most users as demonstrated by it's Views and Responses! But, it's also possibly the most complicated ROM thread I have ever seen ! I really love the @TEKHD 's hard work, thank you friend! But I am not sure if it's the ROM for my needs, which, light, battery life, and just need enough tweaks to turn the Status Bar icon to Red, and change Toggle colors, and super bonus if Dialer could be black and red, and I am set! Wonder what kind of AnTuTu scores people get on that ROM?
Reading through, seems like Rapture maybe the best fit for my needs, but I just don't know. Care to share your experiences on different ROMs if you have tried those?
About the G4, I don't think AT&T offers VoLTE, but even if they do, I don't see an option to turn it off in the phone. Not to mention, how would it be working with my data off, any way?
Thanks again for your valuable input!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I ask how come you turn off your data?
I've tried a lot of the other Roms as well but I always went back to Tek's Rom. He does have a very little customized one for the T and T3 models. It's pretty much stock with just a few tweaks to it. I've tried DynamicKat and Pop, both are really awesome but the customization is rather small on the Pop version. Rapture is already also pretty good as well as PopRocks. When it comes to AOSP/CM, I always went with CM12.1 or XenonHD which is AOSP but with a few CM tweaks.

Jammol said:
Can I ask how come you turn off your data?
I've tried a lot of the other Roms as well but I always went back to Tek's Rom. He does have a very little customized one for the T and T3 models. It's pretty much stock with just a few tweaks to it. I've tried DynamicKat and Pop, both are really awesome but the customization is rather small on the Pop version. Rapture is already also pretty good as well as PopRocks. When it comes to AOSP/CM, I always went with CM12.1 or XenonHD which is AOSP but with a few CM tweaks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I turn off data because: I am on WiFi, don't have unlimited data, and when not using data, I like to turn off the data radios to save power. Would you agree those are good reasons to turn it off?
I am so tempted to start off with Tek's ROM on my Note 4, but let's see what variant I end up with. What kind of screen on time's have you seen with the Note 4 and which ROM and Battery saving set ups? Some people hear swear by 5+ hours of SOT which would be a dream for me!

ProFragger said:
That's interesting bud... I haven't run across any threads saying that people are having trouble with the T variant phones on 5.1.1, maybe you've seen some? Otherwise, I am really not even sure which variant is "better" or to hope for tomorrow when I finally get the phone in hand ! Some say the T3 has a better GPS and feels smoother... I wonder if it's just big time placebo effect? Haha!4
Thanks again for your valuable input!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The T3 variant most likely exists because Samsung changed suppliers for one of the key parts, like the display controller, power management, or one of the radio chips (WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.) which required a separate version of the OS (different drivers, configuration). They did this with the Note 3 before - units manufactured after May 2014 had a different display controller chip that broke things like brightness control in custom ROMs and TWRP.
Functionally, they're most assuredly identical. I have had two T variants, one manufactured October 2014 and one manufactured April 2015 and my GPS has been rock-solid on both, so not sure why people are having issues. The T3 feels smoother not because it's a T3, but because it's running 5.1.1. People who had their international variants and Sprint variants updated to 5.1.1 reported it was much smoother after the update as well.

siraltus said:
The T3 variant most likely exists because Samsung changed suppliers for one of the key parts, like the display controller, power management, or one of the radio chips (WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.) which required a separate version of the OS (different drivers, configuration). They did this with the Note 3 before - units manufactured after May 2014 had a different display controller chip that broke things like brightness control in custom ROMs and TWRP.
Functionally, they're most assuredly identical. I have had two T variants, one manufactured October 2014 and one manufactured April 2015 and my GPS has been rock-solid on both, so not sure why people are having issues. The T3 feels smoother not because it's a T3, but because it's running 5.1.1. People who had their international variants and Sprint variants updated to 5.1.1 reported it was much smoother after the update as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the education again, bud. I can't believe the T variant folks haven't freaked out at T-Mobile yet for the lack of 5.1.1 upgrade! Wonder if ATT and sprint have given in their's?

I had this dilemma as well. When my wife broke her s4, I went and got g4 for her (she is a big fan of removable battery, so s6 was not considered, s5 did not make sense, and note is too big). I must say, i fell in love with it once I started setting it up and played with it for a bit. I liked it so much, that I got one myself 2 days later to replace my Note 3. And it was really great, I cannot complain. But. Ended up using Jump and getting Note 4.
So in my case:
- G4 has a great form factor. REALLY comfy to hold. 5.5 seems to be a sweet spot, still big but not too big. Slightly curved shape was great. +1 for g4
- camera is hands down better then N4. Its simply amazing. Manual mode blew my mind. Cant say enough about it. +1 for g4
- g4 felt really fluid. Stock, as is, without screwing with it. Has much less bloat. Happened to love UI a lot, its classier, for a lack of a better word (totally subjective of course). Loved the knock code functionality. N4 has fingerprint scanner, but one-hand unlock is really awkward and difficult in real-life use, so I have it turned off. Now that 5.1 is available for n4, things are better for sure, and there are custom roms star popping up, but if you compare phones as is, out of the box, again, +1 for g4
- Screen/picture quality. Using Sammys phones exclusively for last 5 years (starting from original galaxy), I am too spoiled by super amoled. as great as g4 LCD dispaly is, I found myself missing that extra "pop". +1 for n4
- battery life is not in a same league as n3/n4. By significant and noticable margin. Plus virtually no power saving functionality in OS. +1 for n4
- Sound quality better on N4 to my ears, lot of other people seem to feel this way as well. Also Samsung professional audio makes things like iRig for guitar possible. +1 for n4
- Dedicated vs. on-screen buttons. I am a huge fan of good ol' Home key and I am used to it a lot. +1 for N4
- Multitasking. Even though g4 has it, it has nothing on TW, especially on LP iteration of it, with a swap from a corner. +1 for N4
- I personally did not find myself missing s-pen a lot, but I suppose its still a +1 for N4
So, ultimately, better battery life, better screen/colors, better sound and to a lesser gegree physical keys/multitasking made me go back to Note. Miss G4 camera a lot though.)
Sent from my SM-N910T3 using XDA Free mobile app

ProFragger said:
I turn off data because: I am on WiFi, don't have unlimited data, and when not using data, I like to turn off the data radios to save power. Would you agree those are good reasons to turn it off?
I am so tempted to start off with Tek's ROM on my Note 4, but let's see what variant I end up with. What kind of screen on time's have you seen with the Note 4 and which ROM and Battery saving set ups? Some people hear swear by 5+ hours of SOT which would be a dream for me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was just curious why you turned it off. That's a good thing to do to save battery. I recommend using Tek's Rom most definitely. I noticed you said let's see what variant you end up with; are you referring to T-Mobile T and T3 or carrier variants? Definitely go with T-Mobile because of the Roms.
Tek's Roms come with the Emotion Kernel. I always use Synapse to tweak the settings to balance out performance and battery. Right now I'm using Intelliactive; sleeps like a baby.
I see someone posted that the G4 has no battery saving settings. That's totally negative. You can turn on battery saver to kick in at 15% or higher than that. Sorry but the G4 lasts a lot longer than the N4 on pure stock no mods on both.
Functionality: Note 4(SPen)
Longevity: G4.
Camera: G4
Roms: Note 4(for now as G4 community is very small at the moment)
Performance: Both
Temperature: G4(BY FAR. Stays way cooler than the Note 4)
This is all based on Stock.
Update: I decided I'm going to take my G4 back to T-Mobile; not because anything is wrong with it and I don't like it, but because I rather have the money. Looking back on my post here I realized I really just got it because I wanted to scratch an itch of having a new device. Started using my Note 4 again starting yesterday and man I did miss it, even if I gotta charge it up before the end of the day! Lol. I'm a very impulsive person when it comes to smartphones, it's the only thing I don't mind shelling out a ton of money for but then later I think back about the amount of money and just would rather have it. I can always borrow my wife's and use hers for a few days if I get the itch.

Most def Note4

Note 4 is the right choice.
Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

nib said:
I had this dilemma as well. When my wife broke her s4, I went and got g4 for her (she is a big fan of removable battery, so s6 was not considered, s5 did not make sense, and note is too big). I must say, i fell in love with it once I started setting it up and played with it for a bit. I liked it so much, that I got one myself 2 days later to replace my Note 3. And it was really great, I cannot complain. But. Ended up using Jump and getting Note 4.
So in my case:
- G4 has a great form factor. REALLY comfy to hold. 5.5 seems to be a sweet spot, still big but not too big. Slightly curved shape was great. +1 for g4
- camera is hands down better then N4. Its simply amazing. Manual mode blew my mind. Cant say enough about it. +1 for g4
- g4 felt really fluid. Stock, as is, without screwing with it. Has much less bloat. Happened to love UI a lot, its classier, for a lack of a better word (totally subjective of course). Loved the knock code functionality. N4 has fingerprint scanner, but one-hand unlock is really awkward and difficult in real-life use, so I have it turned off. Now that 5.1 is available for n4, things are better for sure, and there are custom roms star popping up, but if you compare phones as is, out of the box, again, +1 for g4
- Screen/picture quality. Using Sammys phones exclusively for last 5 years (starting from original galaxy), I am too spoiled by super amoled. as great as g4 LCD dispaly is, I found myself missing that extra "pop". +1 for n4
- battery life is not in a same league as n3/n4. By significant and noticable margin. Plus virtually no power saving functionality in OS. +1 for n4
- Sound quality better on N4 to my ears, lot of other people seem to feel this way as well. Also Samsung professional audio makes things like iRig for guitar possible. +1 for n4
- Dedicated vs. on-screen buttons. I am a huge fan of good ol' Home key and I am used to it a lot. +1 for N4
- Multitasking. Even though g4 has it, it has nothing on TW, especially on LP iteration of it, with a swap from a corner. +1 for N4
- I personally did not find myself missing s-pen a lot, but I suppose its still a +1 for N4
So, ultimately, better battery life, better screen/colors, better sound and to a lesser gegree physical keys/multitasking made me go back to Note. Miss G4 camera a lot though.)
Sent from my SM-N910T3 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great analysis and break down Sir, and I mostly agree. I think for now, I will move on from the G4, and perhaps return to LG with the V10.
Jammol said:
Was just curious why you turned it off. That's a good thing to do to save battery. I recommend using Tek's Rom most definitely. I noticed you said let's see what variant you end up with; are you referring to T-Mobile T and T3 or carrier variants? Definitely go with T-Mobile because of the Roms.
Tek's Roms come with the Emotion Kernel. I always use Synapse to tweak the settings to balance out performance and battery. Right now I'm using Intelliactive; sleeps like a baby.
I see someone posted that the G4 has no battery saving settings. That's totally negative. You can turn on battery saver to kick in at 15% or higher than that. Sorry but the G4 lasts a lot longer than the N4 on pure stock no mods on both.
Functionality: Note 4(SPen)
Longevity: G4.
Camera: G4
Roms: Note 4(for now as G4 community is very small at the moment)
Performance: Both
Temperature: G4(BY FAR. Stays way cooler than the Note 4)
This is all based on Stock.
Update: I decided I'm going to take my G4 back to T-Mobile; not because anything is wrong with it and I don't like it, but because I rather have the money. Looking back on my post here I realized I really just got it because I wanted to scratch an itch of having a new device. Started using my Note 4 again starting yesterday and man I did miss it, even if I gotta charge it up before the end of the day! Lol. I'm a very impulsive person when it comes to smartphones, it's the only thing I don't mind shelling out a ton of money for but then later I think back about the amount of money and just would rather have it. I can always borrow my wife's and use hers for a few days if I get the itch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again buddy. I must be doing something wrong with Synapse, but whenever I try to overclock the phone, somehow, tried many different Governors like Lionheart, Performance and etc, the settings go right back to normal. Do you know what I am doing wrong?