Demo models? Are they usable? - Galaxy Note 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

After buying a Note Edge ( which ended up having some water damage) and playing around with it for a little while, I decided that the side screen isn't that great and that a Note 4 is what I will buy. Someone has offered me a retail demo model. I found articles and videos describing how to disable Samsung retail mode and then flash a clean version of Android. What I am concerned about is the ability of the phone to make calls and function like a regular retail model.
How can I tell whether or not the phone can make calls? Is there anything in the settings that would indicate this?
Do live demo models have the same hardware?
Is it worth taking a risk, and possibly losing $$$, or is there little to worry about?
Thanks!

pholt33 said:
After buying a Note Edge ( which ended up having some water damage) and playing around with it for a little while, I decided that the side screen isn't that great and that a Note 4 is what I will buy. Someone has offered me a retail demo model. I found articles and videos describing how to disable Samsung retail mode and then flash a clean version of Android. What I am concerned about is the ability of the phone to make calls and function like a regular retail model.
How can I tell whether or not the phone can make calls? Is there anything in the settings that would indicate this?
Do live demo models have the same hardware?
Is it worth taking a risk, and possibly losing $$$, or is there little to worry about?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the only difference with the a retail unit is that the demo unit doesnt have antennas, therefore cant make phonecalls.

Related

[Q] Need Advice for Buying a Secondhand Nexus 4 Tomorrow Morning

I've been looking around to get a Nexus 4, but the play store was just inconvenient and the fact that they charged shipping and tax was a major put off. So, I've been scouring both CraigsList and eBay to find a N4 that was closer to my price range.
I found a 16GB n4 for about $320 and a 8GB n4 for about $300. They both have a reported 1-2 months of usage and I'm going to go check out these two handsets tomorrow morning and I have a few questions as to what I should be wary about buying a N4 second hand.
By the way, should I be suspicious of the price points that these sellers have offered me? Are they too good to be true?
I know the obvious things to check for:
- Make sure all physical buttons are working.
- Make sure there are no screen defects (scratches, alignment, etc)
- Make sure that the seller will do a full factory reset before handing over the phone to me.
- Make sure there are no physical damages to the phone.
I'm still a little bit confused as to some of the more "N4 - specific" things.
- How would I find out what hardware revision it is and which revision is the best to have?
- Could these sellers have any "manufacturer defect" that they are not disclosing and are neglecting to return to Play Store, but selling to me?
- Is there anything else I should do before buying the N4? Any tests to run? Any particular feature or setting or readout?
And just some secondhand phone buying questions..
- Could the IMEI of the device be locked, disallowing me from being able to activate it with my carrier?
- Is there anything I can do to "officially" transfer the ownership to my name? What can I do to avoid being sold a stolen phone?
- Is there a chance the seller could report the phone as stolen after selling it to me?
This my first time buying a Nexus/Google phone or even a second hand phone so I'm really apprehensive and I have a lot of questions, but really excited to have a Nexus 4. Also, this is my first post at xda-developers! Thanks in advance for all the help, guys!!
For that price I think its better if you buy it directly from the Play Store play.google.com
349.00 16GB
299.00 8GB
Thanks, but I can't afford to pay for Credit Card fees and tax&shipping, so I just have to stick to buying something local just to make it easier and not have to jump through a lot of loopholes.
I have been through a couple of nexus 4's so i'll try and list some things to look for.
1. Look for a yellow hue/tint on the screen. open up the browser and messaging app and turn the phone sideways (landscape) and look for a uneven tone/hue/tint, use around a 50% brightness sometimes its noticable at %100 brightness some very dim.
2. Look for light bleed. Restart the phone and watch the black areas around the edge of the screen, also look for light bleed on different colored backgrounds.
3. Start the camera app. check BOTH front and back cameras for spots, and take a picture to make sure it works.
to answer some of your questions:
Q - How would I find out what hardware revision it is and which revision is the best to have?
A - While the phone is OFF hold down the power and volume down button, it will say HW version - rev_xx, some say rev 11 is best, i have had both 10 and 11 and notice no difference.
Q - Could the IMEI of the device be locked, disallowing me from being able to activate it with my carrier?
A - The nexus 4 is a unlocked phone and should not be locked, you should bring a working simcard with you to test the service. also i good thing to do is call your service provider and give them the imie of the phone to make sure it is not blacklisted/reported as stolen.
Q - Is there anything I can do to "officially" transfer the ownership to my name? What can I do to avoid being sold a stolen phone?
A - Get the Original receipt for it.
Q - Is there a chance the seller could report the phone as stolen after selling it to me?
A - They could, but hopefully you got the original receipt for it when your bought it or made a legal note declaring transfer of ownership with signatures from both partys.
I hope this helps, i wrote it kind of fast, also welcome to XDA
I really appreciate the heads up on the light bleeding issue and yellowish hue/tint.
I'll also make sure to get a copy of the receipt or make the seller sign that they're selling the phone over to me.
I'm really hoping that I will end up with a rev 10 or a rev 11 device.
I appreciate the help, XxSilent22xX!
I would honestly recommend bucking up and buying from the play store. Worth it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
andybfmv96 said:
I would honestly recommend bucking up and buying from the play store. Worth it.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any reason you say this because I'm hoping I can get a 16GB on for about the price of an 8GB one lol
I guess being able to take it out of its original packaging does have its perks.
Ask for the persons gmail account so you can transfer the warranty to yourself. You'll be able to call Google and get a replacement if anything goes wrong.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
I'd ask for an invoice and some personal information to transfer the warranty, a signed receipt would be good too.
Yes the IMEI can, will and is being blocked by ATT/Tmo and I don't know of any way for sure that you can check to make sure the phone isn't stolen.
Those prices aren't at all out of line for a 6mos. old device (yes they say theirs are <2mos old but the n4 itself isn't new) actually to me they are a little on the high side ($250 and $300 respectively is what I would be willing to pay used) but I'm guessing the early shortages have kept prices up.
SWow! That sounds really awesome to be able transfer warranty from the previous owner. Could you please give a little edit more detail on how I would do that?
So the manufacturer warranty is transferable from Google, then? So, do you think I could make them call the number at the point of sale to make then transfer warranty to me on the spot? Of so, what would be number to call?
Thanks! And I apologize for any typos since I'm on my DROID incredible 2.
Got my 8gb nexus for 250 on Craigslist. It's one of the 302k versions
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
bargain them down or buy it new. when u buy new, it comes with warranty and no chance of imei block.. tax and shipping makes $300 phone $335 phone, it's really not that bad.
Proud Owner of A Nexus 4!!
I bought the 8GB version!! I ended up liking how the 8GB version had been upkept with screen protector, case, and no scratches anywhere, so I ended up buying that for $270 and I am now a very proud owner of a Nexus 4 8GB version rev. 10!
I'm still deciding whether I should root or not, but for now I seem to have everything I need without rooting and the vanilla Android is the best thing I've ever experience and battery life too seems to be pretty decent for me. I got about 3.5hrs of screen time (on an 7.5 hour charge) while I was playing around with the device for most of the day and I was at about 33% before I started charging, that seems pretty good to me.
I got a copy of the original receipt and will hopefully be transferring the warranty over soon.
Thank you all for your help and advice!! And hopefully I can get started on continuing writing apps for Android now that I have a good device to code for.
Congrats on the new n4! As for rooting your phone that is up to you, you can root unroot anytime but I think you should atleast unlock the bootloader now because that will erase data and that's better to do now instead of later.
Sent from my Nexus 4

[Q] Galaxy S5 fake/international/broken - I am at loss

I have a galaxy S5 that I have purchased from someone on Craigslist (been doing this for years, never had a bad experience).
But I am completely at loss about this device.
The box and the battery labels have one kind of a EMEI and the phone SW in the "about" section a completely different one.
Prior to purchasing the phone, I have asked the owner for the EMEI, I have called the ATT store and they said it's unlocked. (this is the one on the back of the device under the battery and the box). After I have purchased the phone (because I am a fool) and realized there is something wrong with it, I have called Samsung US customer service. I have given them both EMEI numbers from under the battery and in the menu, but they were not able to find anything. They said that if it is an international device, they would not have any information on this device. Which makes sense, but doesn't help at all.
I have downloaded an info app to get the exact model number because if I click on the model in the menu, it pops up and I can change it to anything I want.(wtf???) The info app says its a SM900S version, the SSN number on the back says its a G900G SMH version.(The model no. is simply SM-G900). The sticker says a certain serial number, the inside SW in about section says 123456789ABCD. This phone is a joke.
Battery drains like crazy, the display seems to be something like a 240p resolution when taking videos or pictures.
Watching youtube videos is laggy and washed out. I thought it's the fake Galaxy S5, but the finger scanner works, heartbeat sensor works as well (these would not work on the fake ones as far as I understand it correctly). By now I figured this is not an American version but a unlocked version (works with ATT on H speed and T-Mobile on Edge and uses roaming for a European version). The info app shows that there is a 801 processor in it and that all CPU's are running. GPU is 330.
What puzzles me is the screen resolution and the horrible quality of the picture/videos on the screen and camera. I have reset the phone to see if it helps, but it doesn't. I don't feel great about reselling it knowing that there are these issues there. I wanted to see if it is even possible to burn a ROM on this device and see if it helps, but since the label and SW version show a different model, I have no clue which version, or whether I can install a ROM in the first place.
For the love of God, can anyone think of something here. Please do not go into "don't buy of Craigslist" thing.
I really need help with this piece of ****e
I live in DC, MD, VA area. I am willing to meet with someone in the DMV or PA area if you would be willing to take a look at this phone.
emanko111 said:
I have a galaxy S5 that I purchased from a Craigslist owner (been doing this for years, never had a bad experience).
But I am completely at loss about this device.
The box and the battery labels have one kind of a EMEI and the phone SW in the "about" section a completely different one.
Prior to purchasing the phone, I have asked the owner for the EMEI, I have called the ATT store and they said it's unlocked. (this is the one on the back of the device under the battery and the box). After I have purchased the phone (because I am a fool) and realized there is something wrong with it, I have called Samsung US customer service. I have given them both EMEI numbers from under the battery and in the menu, but they were not able to find anything. They said that if it is an international device, they would not have any information on this device. Which makes sense, but doesn't help at all.
I have downloaded an info app to get the exact model number because if I click on the model in the menu, it pops up and I can change it to anything I want.(wtf???) The info app says its a SM900S version, the SSN number on the back says its a G900G SMH version.(The model no. is simply SM-G900). The sticker says a certain serial number, the inside SW in about section says 123456789ABCD. This phone is a joke.
Battery drains like crazy, the display seems to be something like a 240p resolution when taking videos or pictures.
Watching youtube videos is laggy and washed out. I thought it's the fake Galaxy S5, but the finger scanner works, heartbeat sensor works as well (these would not work on the fake ones as far as I understand it correctly). By now I figured this is not an American version but a unlocked version (works with ATT on H speed and T-Mobile on Edge and uses roaming for a European version). The info app shows that there is a 801 processor in it and that all CPU's are running. GPU is 330.
What puzzles me is the screen resolution and the horrible quality of the picture/videos on the screen and camera. I have reset the phone to see if it helps, but it doesn't. I don't feel great about reselling it knowing that there are these issues there. I wanted to see if it is even possible to burn a ROM on this device and see if it helps, but since the label and SW version show a different model, I have no clue which version, or whether I can install a ROM in the first place.
For the love of God, can anyone think of something here. Please do not go into "don't buy of Craigslist" thing.
I really need help with this piece of ****e
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you bought the device with a creditcard you should be able to get your money back because of fraude. Or contact the seller and see if he reverses the sale, if he will not do that file a police report for fraude and give them as much details/info as you can. Thats about it mate you can do imo, good luck mate
gee2012 said:
If you bought the device with a creditcard you should be able to get your money back because of fraude. Or contact the seller and see if he reverses the sale, if he will not do that file a police report for fraude and give them as much details/info as you can. Thats about it mate you can do imo, good luck mate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
Of courseI have paid cash, it's hard not to with CS stuff. (he went down from $480 to $420 bc I was willing to meet him the PM hours).
I will contact the police although from what I heard, they don't give a damn about "fraud" cases such as these.
Also, I wonder how can I prove that I have purchased a device from him, if I have no receipt?
emanko111 said:
Thanks.
Of courseI have paid cash, it's hard not to with CS stuff. (he went down from $480 to $420 bc I was willing to meet him the PM hours).
I will contact the police although from what I heard, they don't give a damn about "fraud" cases such as these.
Also, I wonder how can I prove that I have purchased a device from him, if I have no receipt?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless there we`re witnesses present during the sale you can`t prove anything.
Its impossible to prove who a seller is through the ad so legally the police can't do anything, And you didn't pay with credit card so basically you are completely stuffed and your only 2 choices are to track him down and beat the **** out of him or just take this as a life lesson and spend a bit more next time from a reputable seller.
Michael_P said:
Its impossible to prove who a seller is through the ad so legally the police can't do anything, And you didn't pay with credit card so basically you are completely stuffed and your only 2 choices are to track him down and beat the **** out of him or just take this as a life lesson and spend a bit more next time from a reputable seller.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
But does anyone have an idea about whats going on with the phone?
I have the same model, but I was aware beforehand that it was a fake. My question is this: Has anyone found the correct way to hard reset this model SM-G900 (G900SMH) ? I can get to the factory reset screen, with the android guy saying "no command". I need help on this one, if anybody has the correct sequence of button presses?

Screen burn in or broken screen?

Hey all,
My friend just got a brand new galaxy s4 on Friday the 8th of January this year. She's had multiple software problems on lollipop, many force closes and heavy battery drain for the last few days. It's been plagued with issues. Now her screen is messing up, there's a clear line of some sort of app imprinted on the screen, she also says a time has been imprinted on the screen where it shows in the notification bar. Is her phone just a defect or is it just lollipop?
Last night she dropped it from about one and a half feet onto the screen, its got a tempered glass screen protector on it but now the screen has those imprints. I've attached the photo. Looks to me like burn in but she said she thinks she noticed it since she dropped it. Surely the S4 couldnt be that bad? What do you think of it? Any way to fix it?
Thanks,
Lachy
http://i.imgur.com/pWb3IH9.jpg
Are you sure it's a genuine phone? I doubt new phone would have such problems.
GDReaper said:
Are you sure it's a genuine phone? I doubt new phone would have such problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it has a download mode (not just recovery), it should be a real S4.
Humm.....
Looks like a refurbished or used phone..... Burn-ins shouldn't appear this fast, as a S4 owner myself I didn't notice any burn-in in my 2 year old phone.
Try installing Phone INFO from Play Store and do a refurbish test or something like that in the menu section.
GDReaper said:
Are you sure it's a genuine phone? I doubt new phone would have such problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, all of the features are working, air view, infared sender etc. Runs pretty smooth, feels like a legit phone. No scratches or anything. I'll get her to get that app. Thanks!
EDIT: Has a download mode
CHIN3S3_N00B said:
Looks like a refurbished or used phone..... Burn-ins shouldn't appear this fast, as a S4 owner myself I didn't notice any burn-in in my 2 year old phone.
Try installing Phone INFO from Play Store and do a refurbish test or something like that in the menu section.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you, surely something like this couldn't have been from a drop at two feet though? I'll get her to download that app you mentioned and report back
News
Okay hey everyone got some things to report back. The phone has a download mode, so it is a legit version. I got her to download the phone info app and I have pasted the screenshots below. It was bought at an electronics expo in Singapore advertised as a new Galaxy S4 GT-i9500 for $239. Something weird I have found is that the samsung info app states it is a SPH-L720T, which after I googled saw it was the Sprint LTE version. All of the other apps, including about phone in settings state it is the GT-i9500. One thing to note is that she is on a holiday in Singapore, but has a prepaid card from Starhub (I don't think the LTE bands match up though) and is apparently getting 4g on her phone (tried switching to 3g but to no avail), but doesn't want to check because she'll waste her credit. I find this weird because the apps state different things. It didn't look refurbished to me and I didn't notice the streaks across the lines. What do you guys make of this?
http://imgur.com/a/9YO2l
Thanks heaps!
Lachy
EDIT: She noticed three more lines running through the screen. But now they're more obvious, looks like it's getting worse. Not a great experience for a brand new phone
SECOND EDIT: Her sisters phone also has the line in the middle, albeit much much feinter. Are both of these defective?
It is definately refurbished.
It probably has been repaired with parts from different S4 models and then sold as refurbished. That's why there is no match between the phone model info. This might also be the reason for the various problems.
Edit: If it really is brand new she can take it back to the store for warranty service. Every store offers warranty with brand new products. Refurbished phones also have some sort of warranty I think.
Edit2: The screen might need to be replaced. As for the app problems, check the phone model in download mode and flash a rom (stock rom) for that model. Apps can be fooled, download mode not so easily.
GDReaper said:
It is definately refurbished.
It probably has been repaired with parts from different S4 models and then sold as refurbished. That's why there is no match between the phone model info. This might also be the reason for the various problems.
Edit: If it really is brand new she can take it back to the store for warranty service. Every store offers warranty with brand new products. Refurbished phones also have some sort of warranty I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was sold as brand new. Her sisters states black as the colour in that phone info app, when it is white. And also has 4g. But unlike this one the model number is GT-i9500. On the box I remember it said American version only, for use with american sims only. But then it worked with the one from Singapore. This is super weird :/
toobywedge said:
It was sold as brand new. Her sisters states black as the colour in that phone info app, when it is white. And also has 4g. But unlike this one the model number is GT-i9500. On the box I remember it said American version only, for use with american sims only. But then it worked with the one from Singapore. This is super weird :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do they have warranty? If yes, send the phones to service. If no, the store is not legit and they got hustled.
As I said, brand new products have a warranty, generally for a 2 year period.
---------- Post added at 02:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:35 AM ----------
The L720 model is a I9505 from Sprint.
I doubt Samsung would mix parts together..
I'm telling you, those phones are clearly not factory new. They have been repaired with spare parts from various S4 models.
GDReaper said:
Do they have warranty? If yes, send the phones to service. If no, the store is not legit and they got hustled.
As I said, brand new products have a warranty, generally for a 2 year period.
---------- Post added at 02:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:35 AM ----------
The L720 model is a I9505 from Sprint.
I doubt Samsung would mix parts together..
I'm telling you, those phones are clearly not factory new. They have been repaired with spare parts from various S4 models.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks about right. Her sisters phone was also meant to be a GT-i9500 but by the IMEI it says it's a SGH-1337 which is the AT&T 4G LTE. I guess both of these phones were false advertised as the GT-i9500 (even on the box) and as brand new. Looking like they're definitely replaced parts or something?
Yea. The original phones might have had their screen broken so they took the motherboards and put them into other frames. I like to call them frankenphones.
I don't think Samsung would do that. So somebody else repaired them. Factory new phones don't come with mixed parts and used screens.
toobywedge said:
Looks about right. Her sisters phone was also meant to be a GT-i9500 but by the IMEI it says it's a SGH-1337 which is the AT&T 4G LTE. I guess both of these phones were false advertised as the GT-i9500 (even on the box) and as brand new. Looking like they're definitely replaced parts or something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yap, agree with @GDReaper , they just assembled those phones with parts that they could find and didn't at least try to flash a new firmware for Singapore before they sell it. And that product name... I think the nomenclature used is jflte for all Qualcom variants and the two or three last words are to specify which like jfltexx for international LTE(GT-i9505) jflteatt for AT&T(SGH-I337) but jfltefreshspr... of which spr is code for Sprint.... but that fresh which means refreshed?????
In my opinion give back those phones and order a refund if possible, if not you'll have to change those screens which where I'm living now still has a nasty price of 130 euro (the touchscreen and the AMOLED one are bundled together) Which will cost almost the cost of the phone....
EDIT1: They probably grabbed some i9500 box or made some with cardboard and covered it with printed exterior and also replaced the broken safety anti-tamper seals for them to look authentic and genuine which they are not.
Other thing is that they just cosmetically replaced those models with i9500, that like i said before they didn't even try to flash a new firmware as they are afraid bricking those devices.
My mother has an S3 which also has the same kind of burn in problems you describe, so clearly this is a problem with Samsung screens, I have never seen this on any other screen except my pals old plasma flat-screen TV....
tommern said:
My mother has an S3 which also has the same kind of burn in problems you describe, so clearly this is a problem with Samsung screens, I have never seen this on any other screen except my pals old plasma flat-screen TV....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well. It's not Samsung's fault it's the natural degradation of AMOLED matrix due to heavy use or prolongued static image display.
The drop did it. I know this because someone I know has a same problem, and I saw this a several times. Also sadly, there is no way to fix this problem ;(
Sent from my E300K, jaltektt - CM 12.1

Pre-purchase quality concerns

Hey all,
I intend to replace my N5 with either the N6P or the S7. Right now I’m tending towards the N6P, since I like the Nexus series a lot (also have the N10) and got used with timely updates and great dev support that comes with it. Still, I have some concerns mostly related to my location. Here in Brazil the Nexus 6P is not officially sold, whereas the S7 is. If I do purchase the N6P, it’ll happen during a quick trip to the US next week. So I’d love to get your opinions in this 2 topics:
1) How likely it is that right now I get a faulty device? I know the first batches are always riskier, but since the phone is more than 6 months old I imagine hardware problems tend to be rarer, right? Is there a faulty batch that I need to avoid? I won’t be able to test the device until I get it here in Brazil, so RMA is a very remote possibility AFAIK. If I go with the S7 I’d have local support and warranty from Samsung for 1 year.
2) Where to buy online, Google Play or Amazon? Someone (in this forum) told me that buying directly from Google is better due to its customer support, but there’s also some issues related to taxes. I don’t know how useful it’d be to have Google support here in Brazil, though.
Thanks a lot for any help!
hthiengo said:
Hey all,
I intend to replace my N5 with either the N6P or the S7. Right now I’m tending towards the N6P, since I like the Nexus series a lot (also have the N10) and got used with timely updates and great dev support that comes with it. Still, I have some concerns mostly related to my location. Here in Brazil the Nexus 6P is not officially sold, whereas the S7 is. If I do purchase the N6P, it’ll happen during a quick trip to the US next week. So I’d love to get your opinions in this 2 topics:
1) How likely it is that right now I get a faulty device? I know the first batches are always riskier, but since the phone is more than 6 months old I imagine hardware problems tend to be rarer, right? Is there a faulty batch that I need to avoid? I won’t be able to test the device until I get it here in Brazil, so RMA is a very remote possibility AFAIK. If I go with the S7 I’d have local support and warranty from Samsung for 1 year.
2) Where to buy online, Google Play or Amazon? Someone (in this forum) told me that buying directly from Google is better due to its customer support, but there’s also some issues related to taxes. I don’t know how useful it’d be to have Google support here in Brazil, though.
Thanks a lot for any help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Any devices, the S7 included, will have some faulty devices here and there. I bought my phone on preorder, and it has run flawlessly since day one (knock on wood), no strange heat, screen or bent issues whatsoever. In fact, it is the most well-built Nexus to date. And no, there's no faulty batch that you need to know of. That being said, if having a local warranty is absolutely a must, then you are better off with Samsung.
2. I would suggest Google Store, because RMA and technical support directly from Google. That and you can always blame them if you get a faulty device, instead of a reseller like Amazon (assuming that you are buying from Amazon.com and not some third party selling on Amazon). "Some issues related to taxes" sounds a bit fishy to me -- are you trying to circumvent your country's tax requirements? Not judging here, just asking.
ttminh1997 said:
"Some issues related to taxes" sounds a bit fishy to me -- are you trying to circumvent your country's tax requirements? Not judging here, just asking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for not being clear. I was actually refering to sales taxes. I read somewhere that in one of them (Play Store or Amazon) I would have to pay local (US) sales tax and in the other I wouldn't. But I'm not sure if it's really the case.
Thanks for sharing your view, btw.
I had some problems with the N5 over the years (e.g. power/volume button failure). Still, the N6P seems like a much more premium device. Maybe the chances are indeed much lower for things like that to happen.
I bought my N6p to replace my N5 on December 18, it arrived on the 21st and so far I haven't had any problems with bending, warping, antenna lines or any other quality issues reported by some. I even have the Spigen Neo Hybrid case on my phone and I don't have the bent metal between the power and volume buttons. Maybe I'm lucky or maybe they have fixed some of the issues since they first came out.
As to where to buy them, it all depends where you live and the taxes (if any) and shipping costs.
Good to know, HueleSnaiL!
A little off-topic, but how's the camera performance on your N6P compared to your old N5?
I ask cuz one of the reasons I'm replacing my N5 is the camera. Not the quality of photos itself, but the speed of the camera. It's so slow to focus (when it does, btw) that I can't really take any spontaneous shots with it! Very frustating!!
I used to have the N5 for a few months before switching to the N6 (and eventually the 6P). The camera is much better than the N6, both in terms of quality and speed. Therefore, I would say it is worlds better than the N5. The 6P has laser autofocus to assist in low light focusing, and could yield a perfectly focused photo in less than a second. Couple that with the swipe screen (custom kernel) or double tap power button to launch camera feature in Marshmallow, and you could go from phone in pocket to photo taken in mere seconds, sometimes even less.
hthiengo said:
Good to know, HueleSnaiL!
A little off-topic, but how's the camera performance on your N6P compared to your old N5?
I ask cuz one of the reasons I'm replacing my N5 is the camera. Not the quality of photos itself, but the speed of the camera. It's so slow to focus (when it does, btw) that I can't really take any spontaneous shots with it! Very frustating!!
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The camera is certainly much better than the Nexus 5, opening the camera app and autofocus for the most part is very fast. However, I've had autofocus issues when taking up close picture or when taking pictures of reflective objects. But for everything else, it focuses almost instantly.
Thanks guys!
I think the 6P is really the best choice for me. Hopefully I won't get a faulty device! Must keep my fingers crossed!

Galaxy S8 Plus Demo Unit to Full Working phone

I've successfully converted this demo unit into a full working phone
Well make a YouTube video and prove it
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
That's because DEMO-units are NOT FOR SALE to customers...!
It's stolen from a retailer that's why mod keeps closing this thread down. Stop being such a beep
Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
Until you show us the procedure, you aren't able to believe you.
In my opinion, it may seem a little fake because none of the Live Demo Units (S5,S6,S7) were able to be converted to fully working phones
Edit1: it would be really cool if you show us the whole procedure so then, many others can be helped
Also be good to see if the SIM card works as the pic shows "no sim found"
Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
You could also convert S7E demo phones to "fully" working phones. Except they don't have an IMEI assigned to them so they will never be able to make or receive phone calls. And the fingerprint sensor wasn't present in them. I would imagine the S8 and S8+ are the same way. All you did was turn off demo mode. You still won't be able to use it as a telephone.
And demo units are not necessarily stolen. If the OP works at a cell store and they have a working demo, it is possible they removed the display and gave the demo unit to the OP. Not saying it's PROBABLE, but is POSSIBLE.
Mr. Orange 645 said:
You could also convert S7E demo phones to "fully" working phones. Except they don't have an IMEI assigned to them so they will never be able to make or receive phone calls. And the fingerprint sensor wasn't present in them. I would imagine the S8 and S8+ are the same way. All you did was turn off demo mode. You still won't be able to use it as a telephone.
And demo units are not necessarily stolen. If the OP works at a cell store and they have a working demo, it is possible they removed the display and gave the demo unit to the OP. Not saying it's PROBABLE, but is POSSIBLE.
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You are correct the phone isn't stolen lmao. I think most of these people are just little keyboard warriors who love jumping at the chance to call someone a thief cause they believe they know everything. I guess I sorta lied though. I swapped the motherboard out with a broken S8 Plus that I purchased for cheap. For anyone who cares to know the fingerprint sensor on a LIVE DEMO UNIT actually works if you have a motherboard from a working unit. It says no SIM card cause there isn't a SIM in it lmao. The demo units don't say anything about SIM cards at all because their motherboard isn't made to read them nor do they have the GSM module for data capabilities. I used a live demo unit, took the back off removed the motherboard and replaced it with a Verizon motherboard with a bad esn. I bought a for parts S8 Plus off eBay for $200 all I needed was the mobo. The fingerprint sensor and iris scanner work 100%. The fast charging works and so does data capabilities...
Buy a demo unit off eBay for like $200 then go buy a broken s8 plus and use the motherboard from it to replace the demo unit motherboard. Overall you'll spend ~$400 for a working s8 plus. The only flaw is water resistance.
Thread closed
These types of threads are not allowed on XDA.
Any talk of "buying" a "demo" phone that doesn't work out of the box is suspicious. And talking about how to make one work is against forum rules.

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