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Fed up with my Sensation, I purchased a Nexus 4 yesterday, which is supposed to hit the mail in two days. Having been with HTC for pretty much all of the time I've ever used Android, since the G1(though honestly, the G1 or MT3G weren't mine, the myTouch 4G and Sensation is mine), moving to another manufacturer is scary in a way. So I got a few questions.
1. Moving away from a removable battery and SD Card slot. I don't really resent it, but it's getting used to it that's the issue. In case I need to cut power and immediately shut off the Nexus, what should I do? All the other phones were simply a battery pull.
2. I got myself a 16GB Nexus 4, but I LOVE to download ****. Is it worth depending totally on Google Music, totally on Google Web Albums, etc? I have songs on Google Music, but I don't use it since all of my songs are stored locally. Can't use Google Music without a data connection, and I can't have a data connection in a train underground.
3. The size. It took me months to get comfortable with my Sensation's 4.3 inch screen, coming from a 3.8 inch screen. For anyone that came from any 4.3 inch or below, did you find the phone comfortable? I wasn't really buying based on comfort or anything, but why not ask.
4. With the Sensation, I dropped it. A lot. One time, I accidentally threw it across a room. Through all the damage it's taken, the screen has remained totally intact, and very minimal scratching, absolutely the most impressive screen ever (wish it didn't have a ghosting issue). How does the Nexus 4 fare? And that back glass... I haven't heard good things about it. How does that fare?
5. Rooting. I rooted my Sensation the minute I opened the box, already had the tools and such needed to root. The thing was, I was not using Sense. I HATE HTC Sense, but the camera is still phenomenal. I only wanted to get my hands on some AOSP flavored ROMs. Since the Nexus 4 is obviously already vanilla, should I even bother rooting? I mean, I occasionally use ScreenRecorder and such, but I don't want to root just for that. (I am, however, unlocking the bootloader). Should I even root?
6. Wireless charging.. No way in hell I'm buying the $60 orb, when I can plug in a 10 cent charger. But, is there any cheaper wireless charging pads? I'd definitely go for a cheap one, but $60... No thanks.
7. NFC. Does Google still give the free $10 to Nexus users who download the Wallet app? Because I could really use a double cheeseburger, and be a show off.
8. In another thread, I noticed that the Nexus 4 has had way more than 2 variants, the current being 303K. Is this just simply revisions, or anything major? Should I strive to get a pretty one?
That's all, that you awesome people, thank you. :fingers-crossed:
1. Holding the power button will force the device to shut down. Keep it held and it’ll boot up again.
2. Upload all your music to Google Music. Pin the albums you plan on listening to for offline use.
3. My last phone was the SGS2 which was (I think) 4.2” and I’ve no problems adjusting. By most accounts, the N4’s size is not an issue. It’s pocketable and the weight makes it feel solid, not heavy.
4. All bets are off if you drop or throw your N4. Some people say theirs survived. Others have stories of shattered glass. The takeaway is this: At least TRY to not drop or throw your N4.
The rear glass will scratch even if you take good care of it. You’ll need some sort of protection for it. I highly recommend the skins from dbrand.com
5. Root if you use apps that require root access. It’s that simple. Personally, I didn’t even bother using the stock ROM on the N4. I unlocked the bootloader and flashed CM10 right away.
6-8: Don’t know. I’ll leave this to others.
Former sensation owner here. Welcome mate, welcome to heaven.
1. You can press and hold power button for 10 seconds, and it will cut the power from battery immediately, like pulling the battery off.
2. I dont use google music tho, but i have 5gigs of music in my N4, and its enough for me. You can use combine between those two if you want more music.
3. Its very comfortable for me, typing is a pleasure in this phone. You will easily get used to it.
4. Buy a case, or bumper, or it will be shattered if you drop it, this glass back is very vulnerable.
5. I rooted my phone since my first 10 minutes with it, unlock it too, unlocking and rooting is way easier than any other phone. I suggest you to unlock its bootloader first, since it will wipe your data, just in case you want to try custom rom and kernel you dont have to set it up from scratch.
6. Any Qi wireless charger is compatible, search on google for more info.
7. I am not in USA
8. The difference is minimal, very minor. As long as it performs well, nothing to be worried about that number. Mine is 301k and it performs pretty well.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Welcome to Nexus 4. As a Sensation owner, I can share some of my impressions. I've had my N4 for about a month.
1) I don't really miss the removable battery. My battery lasts all day with moderate use, less with heavy use. Instead of a battery pull, hold the power button.
2) I have the 16gb. I just had to ween myself off downloading and installing any and every app I thought I might want/use/just need to have. I use Google drive, Google music, dropbox. Still have space to keep a Nandroid backup on the phone (but not 2).
3/4) Size. The sensation is thicker, heavier and much more solid. I have an Otterbox case and screen protector on the Sensation. Only dropped it on carpet once.I would expect the it to survive a fall onto a hard surface with the case. The Nexus, on the other hand feels fragile. I have a bumper case and front and read screen protectors. I'm worried about dropping it. There are beefier cases out there. Discounted Squaretrade warranty will help if I do break it. I went a week or 2 without screen protection, no scratches. The phone is the only thing that goes into whatever pocket I put it in.
5) No reason to not root. You can always un-root. I stayed rooted stock ROM until a couple weeks ago. Been using Faux123 kernel with stock ROM. Then decided to start flashing Roms. I'm running Xylon with Faux123 mainline turbo boost kernel. Xylon seems to have the right mix of customization options while being stable. Getting good battery life, and could make it better, but I prefer performance over battery.
6) I've got chargers and more chargers. I don't need wireless charging. My higher mA chargers charge the Nexus fast.
7) Don't think so, because they converted my $10 credit on wallet to a physical debit card. I loaded that card into wallet, same difference...
8) Not sure about this one, haven't done any research on this.
Hope this helps. Enjoy the new toy.
Welcome to the club. The transition to the bigger phone was a little difficult, but totally doable. My wife went from her Glacier to a Note 2, if you can imagine that!
The storage thing may be an issue for you. You get just under 13gb of usable space on a 16gb model.
Get a case. This phone can't take a beating like an HTC. It's glass, and fairly thin glass at that.
Once the driver is installed, it literally takes 5 minutes to unlock the bootloader and root. Just do it and be happy. Think, ROMs galore. The stock ROM doesn't even have a T9 dialer. Who wants a third party dialer? Not me.
I forgot to mention, you will have to update your ADB drivers, which turned into a PITA for me. Probably because my laptop is a dinosaur. I managed to get Fastboot working, that's all you really need.
1. Hold power.
2. I don't keep music on my 8gb, I use pandora, but I do keep podcasts on there and it hold a few hours. It may come down to you needing a secodary device for music if you often find yourself in situations where you have no data connection but want to listen to music. I use dropbox for pics but it is essentially the same answer.
3. 4.3" is perfect to me, I have XL hands (if rubber gloves are anything to go by) and I can't touch the top right corner (when holding with my left hand) of the n4 which is something I could do with the sensation. If you are used to one hand operation right now, chances are there will be an adjustment and somethings you'll just have to use 2 hands for.
4. I have a launch device and nothing is damaged, yet, the sensation has the benefit of the removable casing which I love and makes for cheap mistakes (new housing is like $15) you aren't going to get any cheap mistakes with the N4. I had a tpu case and now have the poetic bumper (also have a superlegerra in the mail) the bumper is fine for me but I don't drop my phone, for the wife I got the superlegerra which should offer otterbox type protection.
5. Unlock the bootloader and make your decision on roms later
6. There are alternatives in the $40 range, it's a gimmick so I'm not even willing to spend that much.
7. Nope. NFC Task Launcher is awesome though and they have discounted tags in their app store so buy from there.
8. I'm on a launch device and I have a brand new one coming tomorrow...I'll let you know. I haven't had any issues with my current one though.
p.s. N4>>>>>>>Sensation running JB, you will be much happier.
Yay, replies Thanks guys!
A few more questions, and probably more to come later;
I'm seeing any Qi wireless charging mat should work with the Nexus 4. However, when the Lumia 920/820's mat was released (using Qi's tech), it kept connecting and disconnecting with the Nexus 4. This leads me to think that some mats may not work with it, even if it is a Qi mat. Has anyone experienced this?
And secondly, photo quality. That's a big deal for me. The Sensation was able to pull off some amazing pictures, and even more amazing photos when used with the HQ mod we had. Sadly it was onky in HTC Sense ROMa, and... i hate Sense. But when I switched to an AOSP ROM, picture quality was just horrible. Focusing was a nightmare, and we couldn't focus in video (not sure who's issue this is a part of). So, is picture quality amazing? As in, "damn, this came from a phone" I would Google some images taken with the N4, but I have a feeling they may be all slightly biased to look better than they really would under regular conditions.
Can you refocus the camera while recording video? Couldn't do it on Sensation AOSP ROMs. The camera was the only reason I ever kept going back to sense.
Edit: oh, and LTE! I hear the Nexus 4 already has LTE present, just inactive, and have seen a few activate it. Is it Band 4 LTE only? Does T-Mobile's new LTE network use this band? It would be nice to see some LTE on my Nexus, since their HSPA+ "4G" has become unbearably slow... Sometimes EDGE is faster, it's disappointing.
A note for #1, everyone is right about holding the power button to kill it. One thing I was curious about before I got mine, is what if its frozen. Holding the button button never fails. Doesn't matter if you have a sod, overclock problem, or anything else.
Yet another question, this one being shipping with incompetent-ass UPS. How long did it take for the phone to hit your doorstep? Knowing the fools that work at the UPS in my area, they'll find a way to screw this up. It's already been almost a day since I got a tracking number, and UPS has no records of it yet.
If it wasn't clear, I'm anxious as hell.
GazaIan said:
Yet another question, this one being shipping with incompetent-ass UPS. How long did it take for the phone to hit your doorstep? Knowing the fools that work at the UPS in my area, they'll find a way to screw this up. It's already been almost a day since I got a tracking number, and UPS has no records of it yet.
If it wasn't clear, I'm anxious as hell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should only take two days. Sign up for UPS my choice.
I will only say I'm coming from an HTC Inspire with only five days of use and I have already rooted and fallen in love with this phone. I don't miss Sense at all and I got used to the larger screen size, also 4.3 to 4.7, rather quickly. Now, when I pick up my Inspire, it looks and feels small. My Inspire does feel more durable, so I will try to be very careful with this phone, as I have also not read good things about the back glass. It took a day to show up in UPS, but then it delivered the next day.
As promised, although I only got a relatively short hands on, the newest revision of the n4 is slightly better built compared to my launch device. There isn't anything glaring but mine creaks a bit by the micro usb port but on the new one it feels completely solid. They've also added a few little things (extra "stickers" and such) in the packaging and the screen protector seems to be trimmed to better fit with a case almost as if LG wants you to use it.
GazaIan said:
Yay, replies Thanks guys!
A few more questions, and probably more to come later;
I'm seeing any Qi wireless charging mat should work with the Nexus 4. However, when the Lumia 920/820's mat was released (using Qi's tech), it kept connecting and disconnecting with the Nexus 4. This leads me to think that some mats may not work with it, even if it is a Qi mat. Has anyone experienced this?
And secondly, photo quality. That's a big deal for me. The Sensation was able to pull off some amazing pictures, and even more amazing photos when used with the HQ mod we had. Sadly it was onky in HTC Sense ROMa, and... i hate Sense. But when I switched to an AOSP ROM, picture quality was just horrible. Focusing was a nightmare, and we couldn't focus in video (not sure who's issue this is a part of). So, is picture quality amazing? As in, "damn, this came from a phone" I would Google some images taken with the N4, but I have a feeling they may be all slightly biased to look better than they really would under regular conditions.
Can you refocus the camera while recording video? Couldn't do it on Sensation AOSP ROMs. The camera was the only reason I ever kept going back to sense.
Edit: oh, and LTE! I hear the Nexus 4 already has LTE present, just inactive, and have seen a few activate it. Is it Band 4 LTE only? Does T-Mobile's new LTE network use this band? It would be nice to see some LTE on my Nexus, since their HSPA+ "4G" has become unbearably slow... Sometimes EDGE is faster, it's disappointing.
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Click to collapse
The camera is much better on the n4, HDR mode alone is worth the upgrade IMO. I can't seem to refocus the camera during video, I might be doing something wrong since I rarely record video with my phone so I'm not that familiar with it.
LTE is inactive, you have to jump through a few hoops to get it going, TMO LTE is a ways away but they are supposed to be using band 4 IIRC. Not sure why your fauxG is slow though, nearly everybody I know has iphone 5's on verizon LTE and my n4 (on straight talk TMO) is usually comparable when it comes to data speeds (~10Mbps down ~3Mbps up) but the latency is typically worse.
GazaIan said:
Yet another question, this one being shipping with incompetent-ass UPS. How long did it take for the phone to hit your doorstep? Knowing the fools that work at the UPS in my area, they'll find a way to screw this up. It's already been almost a day since I got a tracking number, and UPS has no records of it yet.
If it wasn't clear, I'm anxious as hell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shipped on monday and I got it today (so 2 day air was really 1.)
2. I use Spotify and I'm very happy with it. Google Music would be the same, no need to have all the music stored locally, just sync what you want.
3. I was also afraid of it. And I hate big phones, 4,7" is not the bigger on the market, but I still notice it when I carry it in my pocket. I seems like more performance == bigger phones :crying:
4. 3 falls, 1 scratched screen. I had to send it to repair, 150 € :crying:. Now, I always have it in a case.
5. I have not rooted or flashed the phone. I come from a Samsung Galaxy S1 with cooked roms, but I love stock N4 so I'm not thinking on it.
6. I think wireless charging is the most useless feature on a phone. You still have to stop charging it to answer calls (unless you use a headset), so I prefer wire chargers (just my opinion).
Extra: I think N4 is the best mobile you can buy today in terms on price/quality relation
estallings15 said:
Should only take two days. Sign up for UPS my choice.
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Click to collapse
Tried to sign up, but apparently my name wasn't found in any public records, and I couldn't be verified. It's amazing how much public records of me are actually available, but UPS can't find one. Just another reason to hate UPS, I guess.
threeclaws said:
LTE is inactive, you have to jump through a few hoops to get it going, TMO LTE is a ways away but they are supposed to be using band 4 IIRC. Not sure why your fauxG is slow though, nearly everybody I know has iphone 5's on verizon LTE and my n4 (on straight talk TMO) is usually comparable when it comes to data speeds (~10Mbps down ~3Mbps up) but the latency is typically worse.
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When I first started using T-Mobile's HSPA, it was pretty fast, and in other locations it's still blazing fast. But ever since late 2012, the speeds have just slowed to crawl. In some cases, I get better speeds on EDGE. it's frightening. I'm willing to jump through hoops to get LTE, because you know... It's freaking LTE. Why not? (Aside from the battery issues I'm gonna have, thanks to no VoLTE).
rcampos said:
2. I use Spotify and I'm very happy with it. Google Music would be the same, no need to have all the music stored locally, just sync what you want.
3. I was also afraid of it. And I hate big phones, 4,7" is not the bigger on the market, but I still notice it when I carry it in my pocket. I seems like more performance == bigger phones :crying:
4. 3 falls, 1 scratched screen. I had to send it to repair, 150 € :crying:. Now, I always have it in a case.
5. I have not rooted or flashed the phone. I come from a Samsung Galaxy S1 with cooked roms, but I love stock N4 so I'm not thinking on it.
6. I think wireless charging is the most useless feature on a phone. You still have to stop charging it to answer calls (unless you use a headset), so I prefer wire chargers (just my opinion).
Extra: I think N4 is the best mobile you can buy today in terms on price/quality relation
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm gonna just start using Google Music again. I haven't used it in months, and forgot that songs still upload, so I have 3000+ songs on it, some of which I don't even like. As for wireless charging, that's my issue with it... and not just talking on the phone, but any general use. Why pay $60 for a charger where I have to stop charging my phone to do anything that involves holding my phone? At the same time, I'm someone who frequently forgets to put the damn phone on the charger, so it could help too.
Does anyone know the wireless charging range? I have a nightstand right next to my bed, I may just get a large powermat or something, install directly under the highest part of my nightstand, so I can charge with basically my nightstand. I heard the older ones we're only 5mm, and the surface of my nightstand is a around an inch thick. I've seen the mod before with a desk, so I know I can do it.
Also, my Nexus 4 has finally arrived unfortunately I won't be at my house for another 4 hours, and apparently they left it a my doorstep (can they do that? I have never seen them leave expensive packages like that). So I'll be on this in 4 hours.. Thanks guys! LD
One final thing, because I'm probably going to root at some point; Unlocking the bootloader is simple "fastboot oem unlock" for this phone, right? If someone can point me in the direction of a rooting and unlocking guide, that'd be sweet. I already have ADB set up, because why not. ADB is a life saver, and a best friend.
Enjoy your new toy. you will love it.
Now I`m not even looking back at my Sensation... maybe someday
So far, I'm loving this phone. What's scary is that it's extremely smooth, and I only now notice some lag on my Sensation. This thing is huge, but way easier to hold than I expected. Took me months to get used to my Sensation. The screen is so sexy :d so far, I've unlocked the boot loader, (to avoid having data i actually need getting wiped out) but haven't rooted yet.
Just have to get my SIM Card cut now, and ill be ready to go! Thanks for all your help guys! I think I'm gonna have a good time in this subforum
I've only had my n6 for a day, but thought my initial impressions might help somebody who's up in the air about buying it. I had the N5 for a year, and only had the note 4 for a day so take my impressions of it with a grain of salt.
Great things so far about the n6: speakers, smoothness, screen, feel in hand, did I mention speakers?, and the GPS signal is better than both the n5 and note
Not great: the size is taking some getting used to, but that wasn't a surprise. Like every review says, it's not really a 1 handed phone like the N5 is.
Compared with the n5, its basically the same except bigger and faster. If you like the n5 I really think you'll like this even more. Like I said, it is getting better gps signal side by side than the n5 and looks just as good, just bigger.
Compared with the note 4: I know the reviews and tests all say the display is much better on the note and I'm sure that's true, but in real life use I don't see a difference. Maybe if you're in direct sunlight a lot during the day the note will be better, but I really don't see any real difference between them in the store, and using it now it just looks great.
I also really think the note has lag issues, whether people want to admit it or not. I put Nova launcher on it and was using "faster than light" settings and it would still hesitate every now and then, for no apparent reason.
I hate TW settings, if you haven't looked at them yet, that should be the first thing you check out. I thought I could get used to it but it just irritated me every single time I opened them. Just way too unwieldy and long.
I also thought I could get used to the physical home button, but the more I used it the more annoying it got. There's a long lag whenever you press it to go back to the home screen which is also annoying.
The GPS also wasn't very good, definitely not better than the n5 which was known for not-too-great signal. Side by side with the n5 the note would pick up 1 less satellite anywhere I was, with the best lock around 40 feet. The n6 is getting 2 or 3 more sat's with a lock around 10 to 13 feet, also a quicker lock.
I use my phone for watching youtube, netflix, hulu, and listening to google music or siriusXM. I only have 4 songs actually downloaded (ringtones) and only keep a single backup at a time on the phone itself. My other backups and movies I keep on a meenova mini-usb, bright orange so it doesn't get lost and on a lanyard. The 32 gb nexus 5 worked fine for me, I never even came close to filling it, so I bought the 32 gb n6 instead of waiting weeks to get the 64 gb. If storage is important to you, get the note.
Finding the n6 was difficult, I called the 5 Tmobile stores nearest me and none had it, expanded my search and found a store 40 mins from me that had 3 in stock. By the time I got there they only had 2 so if you don't want to wait for the backordered ones try calling around. None of the stores and 2 CS reps on the phone could tell me anything about when more would be received, 1 rep actually said it would probably be a few weeks before I'd get the 64gb. Who knows if they knew what they were talking about.
Anyhow, I hope this is at least somewhat useful for people still on the fence. I still have my n5 so if anybody wants any comparisons I can do that. I had to pay a $50 restocking fee for the note but it really did annoy me that much, I am just not a samsung person I guess.
EDIT: I almost forgot, the ambient display works pretty well. When my phone is just sitting and I pick it up it activates the screen, but I'm just now noticing when it's playing music and I pick it up it doesn't always register.
Also, I haven't used it enough to give any report about the battery life, but so far it seems much better than the n5. I'll write more after a few days of use. I did root it and have greenify installed.
Awesome, thanks. Still using the n5 and loving it. I'm kind concerned about not having led notifications or a good moto active display type notifications. I hear the ambient notifications is not functional every time. I'm receiving mine next week.
The sad part about the "long lag" when pressing the home button is because of a feature that Samsung has; S-Voice.
When you press it, it waits a certain amount of ms to see if you press the button again, in which you activate S-Voice.
Really, really dumb. Disabling the feature altogether fixes that problem, but you disabled something that is unique to the Samsung devices, which is kind of a reason why you bought it I would assume.
Thanks for the review. I have a OPO and will be waiting for the 64G Nexus. This will be my first Moto phone since the X2. Phone calls and GPS are so much better on Moto phones. Again, thanks.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
androidballer said:
Awesome, thanks. Still using the n5 and loving it. I'm kind concerned about not having led notifications or a good moto active display type notifications. I hear the ambient notifications is not functional every time. I'm receiving mine next week.
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Did you see this thread?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/led-speaker-confirmed-t2947625
Ambient display, while not as robust as motos active display, has worked pretty well for me so far. If you end up not liking it or don't want to root to enable LEDs, you could try a play store app that does almost as well as motos active display. I forget the name, but shouldn't be hard to find.
I have noticed quite a few Galaxy Note II users online that are close to pulling the trigger on a new phone. I have been in that camp for a few months and finally did. I really don't have and major complaints about the Galaxy Note II but rather small quibbles about the device. So you have a basic idea of where I am coming from I'll let you know what I like and dislike about the Galaxy Note II.
GNOTE II Pros:
Good Specs - The phone has specs that are still considered above mid level and should still be a viable phone for at least a couple more years if properly updated...if.
Camera - I get pretty fair image clarity from the phone and when I need something better I'll break out a DSLR or my Galaxy Camera.
Voice - Very clear and loud.
S-Pen - Oh how I'll miss thee.
Capacitive Buttons/Physical Buttons - Well thought out for one-handed use.
Weight Its a bit heavy but I actually like the weight of this phone and could probably use it as a throwing-star analog to get the drop on somebody if I hit them square in the temple. But that really is not a concern for most people.
Hardware - Its well made and very resistant to drops with a simple TPU case.
GNOTE II Cons:
Updates - I'm on T-Mobile which has taken any chance it has to kill the possibility of future updates. Occasionally an errant voice on a messageboard out of T-Mobile Customer Support stating they have seen this in the works wafts across my screen but I have yet to see it come to fruition.
Samsung Ideology - Samsung products are good for a year then they release a new one as if you really need a new product from them. Samsung makes great products but rarely do they fix glaringly obvious mistakes after a year past its original creation. I currently am working on a Samsung monitor with a color calibration issue that has been reported and known by the company for years but never fixed but they fixed it on the new model of this monitor. My Galaxy Camera, while nice, suffers from insane Touchwiz lag and could use an update on fixing that but we won't see it because they released the Galaxy Camera 2. I am in the game for technology to last a minimum of 3 years running well. I realize the market is bleeding edge but the edge has gotten far less bloody than the G1 days. I shop for phones like I do TV's or computers now.
S-Pen Manufacturing - I've been through four S-Pens. I use it a lot for taking notes throughout the day as it feels more natural than typing on a computer screen. The S-Pen tends to randomly stop working without provocation. Then if you order a "100% OEM Samsung Factory S-Pen" most likely its a Chinese knock-off. I can't find true S-pens anymore which is a concern for owning a new Note.
Lack of Stable ROMS - Nearly everything I have tried causes issues with NFC or Bluetooth. I use bluetooth all the time for music to various speakers, headphones, or my car.
Knox - It does its stinking job too well. SU can run but it can't hide. I have lost SU so many times on this stupid phone it is ridiculous. Let alone the every 10 minutes my phone lets me know that Triangle Away is being activated. I don't do a lot of coding or tinkering but I do like finding ROM's with good utilitarian purposes. I remember swapcache back in the G1 days and enjoyed finding the next cool thing to do with my phone! We are past that time now, honestly, but if it isn't Samsung branded then Samsung doesn't want you to do it.
Samsung Services - "You have started S-Voice" NO I DIDN'T. "Saving contact to Samsung Contacts" Bad Samsung, stop it! I insanely dislike...nay..HATE how Samsung will not let you get rid of its version of things. My contact list was a thing of beauty running in the 100's with every person I needed to work with (I'm a teacher that does coordination work and administrative work for a school of 600+), their room numbers, email addresses, and everything you could think of until I bought a Samsung product. I have some names with 20 duplicates due to the way this beast handles contacts. I eventually just had executive function overload and decided to give up on being organized. I might bring that back to life soon.
Now that you have an idea of where I'm coming from this is what I think of the Nexus 6....
I like it!
The first thing I really enjoyed about this phone was the speed. I'm running it Stock, Rooted, and Encrypted (for now...maybe forever...I work at a school where my kids know how to build robots and get linux running on projectors so I wouldn't mind encryption on my devices) and loving the heck out of it. I was so impressed by simple things at first such as animations from opening folders as soon as my finger touched the screen whereas my Note II would lag for a good time without animations. In fact, turning on the device is so overwhelmingly stupidly simple to turn on. I can check the time by just pulling it out of my pocket without touching buttons where if I wanted to check the time on my Note I would have to wait 5 - 10 seconds after pressing the power button while pondering the ever present question, "Did I press that button?" which inevitably leads to "#$&(*, I pressed it again and turned it off!"
The next thing I noticed was the size and weight. It is a bit harder to use than my Galaxy Note II with one hand. I think if they reversed the capacitive Back button it would be a lot easier to use for us right handers. I may look in to figuring that out. Honestly, I almost feel like this thing is too thin and light. It feels well built and solid. Even with the SUPCASE I bought it still feels a little odd in my hands but that may be due to the weight being very centered in the deep area of the curve opposed to being consistently weighted. As a personal aside this is the first phone I have ever put a screen protector on WITHOUT BUBBLES....I..AM...A ....GOD!!! Well..maybe demigod. Needless to say, Spigen makes a fine screen protector.
Unlocking and rooting this thing was a breeze. Once I get paid in a couple of weeks I plan on donating to @WugFresh for at least a case of beer for his amazing Toolkit that will even walk you through setting up Windows 8 drivers! You can find that at http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/development/toolkit-wugs-nexus-root-toolkit-v1-9-8-t2947452
The camera is better than my Note II by simply being clearer which I'm assuming is to the better camera sensor. I haven't messed with it that much.
The screen and adaptive lighting are by far my favorite thing on this phone. I am probably in the minority on this but adaptive lighting is brilliant. I have seen a lot of people talking about how AMOLED is causing the reddish/purple/yellowish hues to blacks and grays at low light levels. I do not believe that is the fact. It seems like they are using some sort of blue light filtering for this in low light. As an insomniac I tend to send the wee hours of morning which I consider night perusing XDA, Twitter, and various other odds and ends of the internets and am so happy the screen actually gets dark. My Gnote II on the lowest setting was annoyingly bright. I thought I was a genius one day when I thought to use a blue screen filter and made it darker but lo and behold the backlit capacitive buttons attached directly to the stinking hardware on the Gnote II. Its like having someone flash their brights at you when you use one of those programs on the Note. Its annoying. The Nexus 6 takes no part in this and I would 100% recommend it for fellow insomniacs. It has helped me to get sleep a little bit quicker over the last couple days which is a nice benefit. Lets see if that keeps up though. I'm pretty immune to sleep.
Also the screen is really nice quality and reproduces blacks amazingly well. I'm an art teacher and art history buff so I usually check out different high quality images on my phone to see how good it looks. It seems to work very well at recreating the color and light of some of the paintings. My favorite to use for this test is Van Gogh's Starry Night Over Rhone. Eventually my phone gets used in the classroom when a student needs to look up an image and put on an easel (or kickstand case but haven't seen one I like yet) to display when my tablet or laptop is in use.
Battery life and charger! Its great. 'Nuff said.
I think the biggest negative so far is the volume of calls. My wife said I sound quieter than usual. I also can't hear people as loudly as I used to. The speakerphone does not travel as far as the Note when it absolutely should seeing as the speakers are fairly decent for a cell phone. I could see someone fixing this pretty easily in a ROM.
The other negative is the lack of some multitasking programs that Samsung had and of course the lack of S-Pen. I use a Huion H610 Pro at home for digital art and graphic design so I loved the fact that Samsung phones used similar tech but I absolutely abhor using capacitive styluses (styli?). I'll have to figure out something I can carry with me that will work like that with a similar feel.
Anyway, as of right now I'm extremely happy with this phone. I have had no issues as of yet and luckily no burn in however I do not like my phone to cause sunspots when I look away from it so I'm not expecting to have a huge problem with it. If you have some similar issues with the Galaxy Note II (which T-Mobile amplifies) then I would suggest jumping ship especially if you have crackflashing tendencies because there is no Samsung product without a Nexus name attached to it that will be as easy to deal with as this.
-Travis
Let me go ahead and apologize for the poor grammar and lengthy sentences. I'm sitting home from work sick today (XDA fun time does not happen between the hours of 7am to 5pm at work normally) with bronchitis. The medicine(s) I'm on must really like run-on sentences after I re-read that wall of text. I hope it helps someone after deciphering it, haha.
From one educator to another (I'm a school administrator and former classroom teacher), let me say 'well done!'. Before the Nexus 6, I was a proud Note owner for the last three years - Note 1 and Note 3 to be exact. After finding out that the Note 4 would be even more locked down than the 3, and deciding that I was getting really really tired of TouchWiz and truly loved what Lollipop's UI brought to the table, I made the jump. And I am just as pleased with my choice as you are. No more crazy contacts lists or S-Voice intrusions, amen. ......I do miss my old S-Pen though....
I'm using the Note 2 atm and I "really want" the Nexus 6 (64gb infact, hard to come by in Australia otherwise I probably would have one by now).
Using SlimKat now because the stock ROM was absolutely dreadful!! (Laaag!) The S-pen does not work out of the box on the current rom and I'm not missing it either... I'm ready for the Nexus and looking forward to using "modern speakers" on a phone.
PerthSGS2 said:
I'm using the Note 2 atm and I "really want" the Nexus 6 (64gb infact, hard to come by in Australia otherwise I probably would have one by now).
Using SlimKat now because the stock ROM was absolutely dreadful!! (Laaag!) The S-pen does not work out of the box on the current rom and I'm not missing it either... I'm ready for the Nexus and looking forward to using "modern speakers" on a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also came from the note2 on tmobile and like the OP said, there was a lack of ROMs for the phone.
i ended up pulling the trigger on a white 32gb nexus 6 (i was looking for a 64gb but they were hard to find) the other day and like it very much. I think i rooted and unlocked the bootloader within 30mins of having the phone.
just trying to enable tethering on it right now is the only obstacle for me.
simplyTravis said:
Let me go ahead and apologize for the poor grammar and lengthy sentences. I'm sitting home from work sick today (XDA fun time does not happen between the hours of 7am to 5pm at work normally) with bronchitis. The medicine(s) I'm on must really like run-on sentences after I re-read that wall of text. I hope it helps someone after deciphering it, haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a Note 4 from T-Mobile for a few days and I didn't care for it at all & I was coming from a S4 before getting the Note 4, So I decided to return it and got the Nexus 6 which is way better. I'll also be paying less then I would of been with the Note 4.
How does the screen brightness compare between the two?
How's the focusing speed compared to the note 2?
I'm trying to decide between this and the HTC m8. I have small kids so I need something with a quick focus and overall good durability. (I'm not really concerned with megapixel count.)
Thanks!
lschuman said:
From one educator to another (I'm a school administrator and former classroom teacher), let me say 'well done!'. Before the Nexus 6, I was a proud Note owner for the last three years - Note 1 and Note 3 to be exact. After finding out that the Note 4 would be even more locked down than the 3, and deciding that I was getting really really tired of TouchWiz and truly loved what Lollipop's UI brought to the table, I made the jump. And I am just as pleased with my choice as you are. No more crazy contacts lists or S-Voice intrusions, amen. ......I do miss my old S-Pen though....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I plan on getting things back to normal now thankfully. My contacts are so much easier to get through now. Right now I'm in the midst of dealing with starting up after school programs for our school and will be editing Google Docs with this thing next week so I'll get a real test of how it works. I work at a charter school (part of the biggest charter school system in Texas: Harmony Public Schools) and since we don't have a bus system our after school clubs tend to be in the hundreds daily. I run around circles making sure everything is going right and people are in the right place so its helpful to be able to pull up a list on a decent size screen to find information on the go. Our school has been around 7 years and I've been there 6 years of that with only 2 people there longer than me so I tend to be the guy to ask about anything.
Tubgirl said:
How does the screen brightness compare between the two?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With adaptive brightness off the Nexus 6 is noticeably brighter with better black levels and a warmer tone (not yellowish.) I keep it on most of the time and haven't had any problems seeing things. It has been raining here in South East Texas since I've owned the phone so if it ever clears up I'll let you know how it compares outside but I'm assuming it will be a bit better than the Note II.
anrkee said:
How's the focusing speed compared to the note 2?
I'm trying to decide between this and the HTC m8. I have small kids so I need something with a quick focus and overall good durability. (I'm not really concerned with megapixel count.)
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I did a couple of tests. First from picking it up off of a black countertop and letting it autofocus on its own in a decently lit room. The Nexus 6 won by like less than half a second to a second.
The next test was when I would tap the screen to set white balance and autofocus in a decently lit room. From the tap the Note II won by less than half a second.
The last test was in a dark room looking then picking it up to focus on a computer screen to test white balance setting and autofocus. The Nexus 6 won this hands down by a bit over a second. I think it simply achieves much quicker white balance but autofocus is slightly slower. I'll try to do some comparison shots tomorrow when I get home from work if you want.
Thanks for that. No need for test shots. You answered my question perfectly.
Totally off-topic from the Nexus 6: if you enjoy the extra duties in addition to your classroom, please consider administration! Keep up the good work for our kids.
Here we go another boring review of the ZF2, I'll try to make it short and sweet...
Canadian Version, Asus Zenfone 2, 4g/64gb Silver version
What I came from?
Samsung Galaxy S5 16g, truly loved this phone when I got it less then a year ago. Has been serving me good until Lollipop update which on a 16gb version phone doesn't leave you much to play with. Even apps/games copied to MicroSD, I was left with 1 gb left on the phone to use and no idea what was chewing up the memory. My S5 was starting to lag a bit on a daily usage.
When I got the ZF2...
I wasn't looking to get a new phone but when my neighbour bought one, she had me set it up for her, that did it, I went out and bought it the next day, it was truly that good in my hands. It literally blew my S5 away in so many ways and I'll outline some of them here.
Unrealistic reviews...
I did a lot of reading that evening on the ZF2 before I got it, a good 10 hours of reading to be exact. The only things that I didn't like pre-purchase was the obvious, battery life, top power button and the non-removeable battery. I was quite amazed that a lot of people were listing negatives of the ZF2 compared to high end phones, ok ppl, this is not rated as a high-end phone although it competes quite close to them. You need to understand that you are comparing a $380 cdn phone to $800 to $1100 phones, apples and oranges folks.
Some glitches I've noticed...
Well, only one but not a huge deal. A couple of my games start up fine but controls are way off, ie. the controls are mirrored, meaning where the screen joysticks are, the sensitive is actually mirrored vertically, weird. The rest of my games are fine, just a couple I've noticed. Again, I don't play a lot of games so not a big deal. The other is we have LTE here and I'm use to the LTE icon on the status bar, on the ZF2, it just says 4G, which is basically the same thing, again, cosmetics, the speed is the same if not faster then my S5 for internet.
What I love...
Not sure what everyone is complaining about the battery, I haven't noticed any excessive drain then the usual, I get a whole day of usage from mine and even a bit left over before it hits the charger. This was the same as my S5 maybe a tad more probably because of the bigger screen. The fast charging makes up for this, the S5 took forever to charge. Also, the S5 was waterproof IF you remember to close the sync door lol.
In the end my decisions were the 64gb, you don't know how much nicer that is compared to a 16gb until you have the amount of apps/games I do Speed, this phone is insanely smooth and fast, I've used the Galaxy S6 and I'm not able to tell the difference between the two under normal use. Dual-sim, I use a US/Mexico Roam Mobility sim, so I can just leave this in my phone and activate it when I'm in those areas, nice and convenient. Screen size is nice and big but I'm not a big screen phone fan, single hand use is tough. Fast battery charging, this phone charges super fast.
Overall this phone I've had for about a week now has served me well. The screen is not as bright as my SuperAMOLED S5 but again, the price makes up for that. Screen looks good to me though, pictures are vivid, HD MKV movies play perfect, no complaints there. The outer case is fine, a little slippery, doesn't look cheap, volume buttons are oddly in the center on the back but I'm starting to like it there, I use to have fiddle around with my S5 on the sides and almost dropped the phone a couple of times doing so, the ZF2 volume buttons I think is more accessible because my index is naturally there when talking on the phone. A couple of things I did find interesting, the ZF2 has better call quality and reception then my S5 which I find quite odd for a phone that's much cheaper. Unassisted GPS works and syncs very fast using Sygic.
For the price and the caliber of this phone, I say I made the right decision. Unlocked, dual-sim, 4 gb/64gb, Quard-core, 5.5" screen, fast charging, you really can't lose. I just can't wait to get my protective case and glass screen protector, I'm really paranoid about dropping or scratching it now So, I will give it another week or so, if it performs like it does now still, my unlocked Galaxy S5 will probably go on sale with the unfortunately ZF2 incompatible Galaxy Gear watch (damn Samsung )
I can highly recommend the zenwatch to go along with your ZF2. It also punches well above its weight for the price.
Congrats Minim3. I just picked up a 4gb/64gb model in gold today from NCIX. Loving it so far.
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Free mobile app
What I hate about zf2 is its black plastic bezzel got scratches easily if you are not using any case, second its button does not have any background lights
Yea I've literally received mine today but the first thing I've done is put it in a case. No matter how small a nick you get it will always annoy you.
As to backlit capacitive buttons that's a matter of preference. The last phone I had with them was the S3 and the first thing I did with it was switch the lights of as they annoyed me so much. (-:
Sent from my ASUS_Z00ADA using Tapatalk
When ppl are reviewing this phone how come no one mentions the 100GB Google drive offer, at least for me this was a fifty dollar value.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA
Yes codgib, that was a very welcome bonus. I am so pleased with this phone and the bonus.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA Free mobile app
nice review,
the 2nd sim slot is useful for me too, and the double tap to turn on/off is very useful on that big screen (even it consume power)
I've had mine for a few weeks now. I got the 1.8GHz/4GB/32GB model. I came from a 1st gen Moto G.
Pros
- Big, colourful display
- Good performance (in general and on gfx-heavy games)
- Multitasking is a breeze thanks to the RAM
- Great reception (at least compared to my previous phone)
- Native call recording
- Expandable memory
- OTG (although seemingly not NTFS. Disappointing)
Cons
- Average camera (although the app itself is much better than the base Google Camera)
- Average sound volume. I had to bump the dB levels of my mp3s before transferring to the phone (although it's fine through headphones). Misleading speaker grille at the rear of the phone (I was aware of this before purchase)
- Below average sound quality (bass seems almost non-existent/tinny)
- Average screen brightness. Can be very difficult to use in direct sunlight (The 720p model apparently has better brightness)
- Average battery life
- Power button is awkward to reach at times, saved only by double-tap on/off screen
- Volume up/down button on the rear. I use my phone to play radio/music so it sits on a table etc. Having to lift the phone to adjust the volume is a bit of a nuisance
- Can get sluggish after a while (granted, this is really more down to the 5.0 LP memory leak issue)
- Too much pre-loaded software
Yes I forgot those, good call. Was so use to my s5 buttons lighting this will take time to get use to.
Nice review, I have also had mine for almost a month now.
I am quite fond of the device, and have no major issues with it. I am still getting used to the size, and ZenUI is not my favorite., but a custom launcher makes it "feel" better to me. The latest update has done wonders for battery life, which I was initially concerned about as mine was drastically different then the one a good buddy picked up on the same day. For my usage patterns the phone works perfectly well; call quality, camera, audio, radios, and screen responsiveness included.
Some of my biggest pros for the device are: overall speed, storage, SD Card, battery life, camera, quick access lock screen apps, USB OTG, and tap to wake. Oh, and quick charging is awesome, I love it.
My cons are mostly related to all of the ZenUI apps now listed on "My Apps" in the Play Store, the occasional missed gesture, and lack of customization options for the tools on the quick settings panel (which is a nice option to have, but I would like take better advantage of it, especially from the lock screen). I would have loved to have had wireless charging, but if that is a trade off for quick charging, I am fine with it.
All in all, I am more than pleased with the device, and will recommend to anyone not scared of the size.
Maybe we are one of the lucky ones not experiencing the battery drain issue, I get a full days use with some left over on mine, which is what I got from my Galaxy S5. Yeah, I hear ya, the ZenUI is a bit gruesome but I'm a big fan of Nova Prime and that was installed pretty quickly after.
As for the bloatware, some are actually useful, it's not really creating an issue for me, just hide the apps if you don't want to see it and I use the Startup Manager to disable startup on most of them, no biggie. I am however a bit disappointed and I hope Asus reads these threads, with all the bloatware, you would think they could at least put in an app that syncs with Outlook Contacts and Calendar, it is a pretty widely used program but I'm force to buy a 3rd party app that syncs contacts and calendar. I've tried Outlook.com etc, but I'm not a big fan of dumping my contacts and calendar online and syncing that way. Samsung has Kies to do this and so does LG, really, with all the bloatware how hard is it for Asus to create a simple and effective sync app for Outlook.
I hear you with the size thing and the phone is a bit slippery, until my case and screen protector arrives, this is will be handle with extra care, gorilla glass or not I thought my S5 was big to handle, this one is bigger, will take a bit to get use to but I think the phone is worth it.
jaysus145 said:
Nice review, I have also had mine for almost a month now.
I am quite fond of the device, and have no major issues with it. I am still getting used to the size, and ZenUI is not my favorite., but a custom launcher makes it "feel" better to me. The latest update has done wonders for battery life, which I was initially concerned about as mine was drastically different then the one a good buddy picked up on the same day. For my usage patterns the phone works perfectly well; call quality, camera, audio, radios, and screen responsiveness included.
Some of my biggest pros for the device are: overall speed, storage, SD Card, battery life, camera, quick access lock screen apps, USB OTG, and tap to wake. Oh, and quick charging is awesome, I love it.
My cons are mostly related to all of the ZenUI apps now listed on "My Apps" in the Play Store, the occasional missed gesture, and lack of customization options for the tools on the quick settings panel (which is a nice option to have, but I would like take better advantage of it, especially from the lock screen). I would have loved to have had wireless charging, but if that is a trade off for quick charging, I am fine with it.
All in all, I am more than pleased with the device, and will recommend to anyone not scared of the size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
godgib said:
When ppl are reviewing this phone how come no one mentions the 100GB Google drive offer, at least for me this was a fifty dollar value.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
phppt. In my case because I got 1TB when I picked up the i3 Acer chromebook last fall... 100GB is nothing...
Something that I forget to mention on the negatives, now having had the phone for several weeks now using it daily are the non-backlit capacitive buttons. In the dark, I generally hit them correctly but having them lit would've been nice to have.
The top power button doesn't really bother, but I'm not sold on the rear volume buttons.
Side mounter externally accessible uSD and SIM slots would've been better as well as a more readily user replaceable battery, beyond that I'm with the review coming from a nexus 5 with the added bonus that this phone is capable of twice the bandwidth(4G) that my n5 was capable of in the identical geopgraphical locations as well as apparently overall better antenna design(better signal reception from just above the n5 to WAY better in many cases...).
cutterjohn said:
phppt. In my case because I got 1TB when I picked up the i3 Acer chromebook last fall... 100GB is nothing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing when compared to 1TB maybe, but it's still a considerable chunk of 'free' cloud space. I still have my 50GB from my Moto G offer and that was ~18 months ago. To be honest, I only use ~8GB on my Dropbox/Drive anyway so it wasn't a big pro.
I think their gist was that they didn't make a big (or any) deal of the 100GB. I (and most others) didn't even know it was a thing until we got the phone. The 1TB on those Chromebooks was offered as an incentive and as a kind of offset for the small SSDs that normally come with them. What's on yours? 32/64GB?
I appreciate the free 100gb of cloud storage.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA Free mobile app
100 GB or 1 TB, all I know is you can never have too much Google Drive :good:
cutterjohn said:
phppt. In my case because I got 1TB when I picked up the i3 Acer chromebook last fall... 100GB is nothing...
Something that I forget to mention on the negatives, now having had the phone for several weeks now using it daily are the non-backlit capacitive buttons. In the dark, I generally hit them correctly but having them lit would've been nice to have.
The top power button doesn't really bother, but I'm not sold on the rear volume buttons.
Side mounter externally accessible uSD and SIM slots would've been better as well as a more readily user replaceable battery, beyond that I'm with the review coming from a nexus 5 with the added bonus that this phone is capable of twice the bandwidth(4G) that my n5 was capable of in the identical geopgraphical locations as well as apparently overall better antenna design(better signal reception from just above the n5 to WAY better in many cases...).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with you on the capacitor buttons but I'm starting to get use to it, the double tap on and off on the screen is actually becoming very handy. I come from the Galaxy S5, the lit buttons were nice I wish they had the double tap on and off, I much prefer that.
As for the volume button, I actually find it more natural for me the way I hold the phone if I need to turn the volume up or down while speaking on the phone, personal preference. Also, I'm use to putting my phone down face down on a table/desk because I'm paranoid about something dropping on my screen, this happened to my Galaxy S3, face up on my desk, I went to pick up my coffee mug and it slipped, landed right center on my S3 screen and cracked it and the mug wasn't very high off the desk, ever since then I've been paranoid about leaving my phone anywhere face up. That said, when I'm playing music on my phone, while face down, it's much easier to adjust volume when it's easily accessible on the back top rather then on the sides. Again, personal preference.
Absolutely, side mount accessible cards would be great, but again, you're comparing a phone that's less then half the price of most of the phones that have those features. Even some of the more expensive flagship phones don't have these options either. ie. Nexus, no exp. memory, built in battery also, the new S6 Galaxy, built in battery, no SD Card expansion etc etc. I read endless reviews and I find it hilarious that people out there want a Mercedes Benz phone but want to pay Honda Civic prices. When you build a phone at this price, some corners have to be cut, then when a phone comes out with all these features and the price is high, people complain about the price, you can't win.
I love the phone for what it is and how much it broke my bank, if it does what I need it to do and it's better then my last phone, then I see it as a investment, it's a new phone, there will be issues as all new phones do, Galaxy S6 is having their list of problems just now popping up and so on. The phone is only about a month old maybe? I won't write it off, way too early, talk to me in about 6-8 months, if the same issues persist, then that's another story.
My brother just got his Galaxy S6 Edge phone, I told him about this phone and all he does is knocked the phone down because he has the "almighty" Galaxy S6 Edge, we start comparing features and honestly, it's not that big a list, yes, granted, it has a beautiful screen, bit faster processor (but if you put the two side by side and actually use it, I really can't tell that much of a dif), wireless charging but no SD expansion slot. That's great, but then I asked him how much he paid for it..... $900 plus taxes. No comments.
Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
This phone is a trooper, I put it through the test the other day on AT&T in Orem UT, Provo UT.
This device didn't have any issue Navigating, Charging, Connecting, Texting, Phone Calls and Data in a sweltering 98+ F car with no air conditioning.
AT&T's network at the time 16th of July 2020 was overloaded in the area, I also didn't find any NR frequency's while in AT&T's Innovation network footprint, so I was sadly disappointed not to see the 1G+ speeds.
This phone averaged
~40 Mbps on 5G - peaking at about 60.
~80 on 5G-E (AKA LTE+) - Peaking at 100+
Got me through ordering an Uber to get to Auto Zone to fix my coolant belt.
This phone made it through the day without fully charging with no problems on full-screen brightness for hours on end!
This phone has passed my stress test with flying colors, I just wish AT&T had a better network in the area I broke down, as the specific spot was only pulling ~0.1-5 Mbps. It was good enough to do the Uber request and download an app or two on the new phone.
I was honestly surprised that such a populated area had poor service speeds by I-15 in Orem Utah.
This phone has really surprised me on how good it actually is compared to how good I THOUGHT it would be, especially the camera. I'm very glad I picked this over the OnePlus 8 5G, even though I initially liked that phone a bit more. I could buy higher level Samsung, but this phone is a sweet spot that checks all the boxes for the "phone you live with". For what it's worth, I recommend checking it out- even if on the initial blushes of reviews you might think it inferior. It's better than I've read.
I'm honestly a bit disappointed in this phone. Coming from the Moto G7 Power I find Samsung's software to be clunky and less user friendly. The 5G connection on T-Mobile is pretty good in my area. I'm averaging around 60mbps with peaks over 120. That is compared to about 1/4 to 1/2 that speed on LTE in the same area. Besides the software and the ads that Samsung serves you on its built in apps, I've experienced a few connectivity issues where the phone will have poor or no connectivity or at times it will drop to LTE from 5G when there is a strong 5G signal as verified by my son's One Plus 8. Toggling airplane mode for a few seconds then turning it off seems to "fix" the connection every time, but this is an annoyance that shouldn't be present on a $600 phone. Perhaps a future software update will address the issue. I also find the in screen fingerprint reader to be slow and inconsistent compared to the Moto's back fingerprint reader which was quick and accurate. The face recognition unlock works maybe 10-15% of the time. Most of the time it says No Match.
Honestly, I wish I'd waited for the Moto Edge or spent the extra $100 for another One Plus 8
I can't fault this phone much, other that hating Samsung's Bixby
and a few minor apps or adjustments. I'm on Sprint; the box is labeled for T-mobile,
so it should be good for the imminent absorption of Sprint.
I'm coming from an HTC EVO 4G LTE, which is from 8 or more years ago.
Remember that much: I don't change my device every year or two.
It worked great for my purposes until it started randomly restarting
and developing dark spots which grew on the display.
I rooted that device the day I brought it home, and unlocked the bootloader and unlocked the device
within a week or less. Just my history.
My wife got one of these as replacement of her old Galaxy S5 a week or two ago,
eliminating her troubles of the same random reboots and other issues.
It's a bit larger than I'd like it to be, but I understand that most people
are not like me, and want gigantic displays.
The display is of high quality, to be sure.
I cannot tell if I'm connecting to 5G; I suspect it hasn't yet been implemented here.
I get only an "LTE" icon in the status bar, as well as signal strength of Sprint radio, which is 100%
This is my first day with the phone; I have not yet commuted to work
or otherwise moved around with it.
I'm having trouble with accepting the main button's placement nearly in the middle of the righthand side
of the device, as my previous device placed it at the top. It's awfully easy to hit that button
just when picking up the device. Nevertheless, I've a case/holster arriving soon,
which should help to alleviate that inconvenience and decrease the likelihood of the button press.
I deactivated/uninstalled as much as I could, Googling each as I went along.
Sadly, Bixby has limited ways of disabling, and I don't like Bixby at all.
Samsung's bloatware is actually far more than HTC's was, and they don't
provide options as HTC used to.
As expected, there's an awful lot of Samsung-specific software I don't want.
Most of it can be uninstalled or disabled, but a handful cannot be dealt with.
[EDIT to add:]
So, I find some weird things on the Google Play Store which are shown as installed,
but don't show in any app lists locally: ANT Radio Service/Ant+ Plugins Service, Mobile Installer
(Apparently from SOFTBANK CORP), a couple of others. I get the SoftBank thing,
as they funded Sprint a while back, but ANT Radio -- ? I suppose it's maybe radio
hardware drivers?
I do get a 5G signal at work and home. It's a stronger signal at my workplace,
not so much at home, but throughput is significantly faster than 4G.
The display is indeed a very nice one, far better than my old device.
It's similar to my upgrade of desktop PC's 1920x1200 monitors to a pair
of full-on 4K monitors; that's how much sharper this display appears.
Battery life is fantastic compared to the incredibly-aged HTC EVO 4G LTE
this phone replaced. I could commute 15 minutes to work from 100% charge
on the HTC, and it could be anywhere from 15-35% depleted by the time
I got there, even with all radios off. Today, the A71 got me from a 98% charge
upon going to bed last night, to a final value of 87% battery upon returning home.
That's a significant difference over the 60-some to 40-some percent the HTC
would end my workday with.
5G is incredibly fast, far more so than 4G. I think I got almost 60Mb/s actually got 205Mb/s when
testing from SpeedTest, while 4G gave me around 25Mb/s max.
Even with only 2-3 signal bars out of 6, on a 5G signal, I'm getting as high as
a 25Mb/s throughput, which is better than 4G will do at my home location.
The phone responds well, and maybe a bit too readily, to touch even with
a 9H glass protector on it. There's a setting somewhere for this, and I may
explore its' options. It's not a major detractor to me.
This thing is super-thin as compared to what I've had, which is one major reason
I have a case/holster on the way. I expect it to knock down sensitivity of the
main button, as well as make it easier for me to simply pick up the phone
without pressing a button, along with general handling.
And the holster is is also something of my needs, as I don't like to carry
bulk like this in my pockets.
It seems very well-made, with excellent fit & finish of the outer shell.
It was incredibly annoying to pull off the flimsy and very-well-stuck
protective film on the outer edges. Samsung could easily apply a film
which isn't as well-adhered as the infuriating crap they currently
apply to the device.
It's kinda heavy for its size, which would indicate a rather strong
construction of substantial materials. Then again, maybe it's just
that high-capacity battery inside it.
Camera output is actually extremely good, to someone(me) who owns a Pro-Grade
Canon EOS 5D Mk IV. I'll have to spend time with the optional settings,
but I can say that the Auto-HDR gives quite good results, producing
fairly impressive images with scenes lit unevenly.
The Ultrawide option is also reasonably impressive, delivering perhaps
a wider field of view than my Rokinon 14mm super-ultra-wide lens
on a full-frame camera.
Colors appear true on my 4K calibrated monitors, while sharpness,
dynamic range, noise, and overall accuracy of the scene are also very good.
Overall, the camera and app produce a very high-quality output.
After a few days' use of this phone, I very much like it overall.
The things I'd like to change now will require root access,
so I'll keep checking in here in hopes of some progress.
Hey y'all! Man, it's been forrrreevverrrr since I've been around XDA. I was big in the early 2010s hackin' and crackin' my Note 3 and 4 at the time. From there, Note 5 and forward, cant hack em..so I've been stuck with stock. That said, I've been rocking my note 8 from verizon for quite awhile now and really been completely satisfied with it. Ultimately, I want the big display, and the big battery....so I never really cared about the stylus. So, as you can tell I've been a big note lover.
So, how does that relate to an A71? Well since early 2020, verizon launched a crap software update where the GPS was useless. It drove me nuts. So, I've been on the hunt for a new phone. However, I was repulsed by the 1200 dollar price tag of todays premiere phones.
Cue, the moto stylus G. The launch of the stylus G was right on target for my phone restlessness. So 300 bucks later, and.....well.....it was a 300 dollar phone. Dont get me wrong. The camera is adequate at 48MP, the battery life is great, and the AOSP interface is always great. Worked fine, and it sufficed on one of the two core features I *need*. Now, a quick aside, I'm on consumer cellular, on ATTs network. My note 8 was a verizon purchased and branded phone. Back to the stylus. The moto was great in one respect, it allowed data while on a call. This is an absolute must for me. Period. The other key feature was wifi calling. This, did not work. The hidden menu kept saying that it wasn't provisioned, but consumer cellular said it was. Ok. I considered going back to my Note 8, but it did not allow the data+calling. It would go into 3G mode when on a call. So, that was out.
Now, cue the A71. I had some people tell me how good their non-S samsung phones were, and that they recommended them. I started looking at the A71 since, well I'm used to a flagship phone. Amazon prime day came around, and I thought hard on it for about 3 or 4 hours as 409.99 was staring me in the face. I said screw it, and bought in. I got it two days later, and started setting it up immediately.
First, all my woes were cured with an unlocked phone. I have LTE+, I have VoLTE, I have data in a call, and I have wifi calling. All working, right out of the box. I got software and apps setup, and I'm a power user. I have lots of stuff on there, so many email accounts, so many apps, etc etc etc. And the A71 held up perfectly. Now, it doesn't have a perfectly flat display, which was disappointing. I prefer the tempered glass screen protectors.....so that's a bummer. However, the skinomi on my note 8 has been fine for years, so hopefully they release one for the A71. My city claims its on the 5G map, but that may be ATTs fake-5G crap, which is the LTE+...so I'm not sure if we have true 5G here or not. However, the phone has just impressed me and I can't tell any difference from a flagship phone. For less than half of a Note, I'm quite satisfied and I dont have to worry about stupid monthly payments for the next decade. I do hate the fingerprint scanner though. It was most natural on the back as a dedicated sensor.......I hate this on screen thing. Fun gimmick, but works like 25% of the time. I do have a case with a screen protector though.