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Hi Boys and Girls!
It's been a while since I last posted on XDA, maybe since I have been very content of my Z2 which was ticking almost all of my requirements. This phone is ALMOST all I need - legendary battery life, good camera, waterproofness, stereo speakers and so much more.
I want to upgrade and S6 is one of the options - others being considered are Galaxy S6 Active, Xperia Z4 later this year.
I would like to hear opinions from those of you who made the switch and it would be great if you gave some comparison on the following:
- Camera quality,
- Screen quality (sun legibility),
- Speaker LOUDNESS,
- Battery life.
My biggest worry is battery life. I know that Z2 has almost 25% more battery capacity, but Samsung has more energy efficient elements so really curious how this looks from your personal experience.
Any feedback from you and examples (your usage Z2 vs usage on S6) would be really appreciated!
Do you regret and if yes/no - why?
Already have forum.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3043183
Moved to S6 from which device & why
Read forum rules and do use search..
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
That topic is garbage, not only opinions but much off topic.
I am targeting this to more specific user group so no, don't think I have violated any rules and I have done search...
valdigre said:
That topic is garbage, not only opinions but much off topic.
I am targeting this to more specific user group so no, don't think I have violated any rules and I have done search...
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I agree.
I had a Z2 then went to a Z3 C and then to a OPO and then to a SGS 6.
I much prefer the SGS 6 over any of the other devices.
For the sake of this topic I will compare it directly to the Z3C.
- Camera quality
SGS 6 hands down kicks the arse off of the Z3 C.. I believe the sensor on the Z3 is capable of competing with the SGS 6 but the processing done on the SGS 6 is unbelievably gorgeous, plus the 1.9 aperture really REALLY helps it out a lot. Oh and the pink spot issue was ridiculously bad as well.
Best camera in a mobile device. Simply as that.
- Screen quality (sun legibility)
Never had any dramas with the Z3 C in this regard, but the SGS 6 is marvellous in sunlight.. The Super AMOLED screen simply cannot be beaten in any way shape or form.
- Speaker LOUDNESS
Plenty loud enough, when I first got it and copied some music across I started listening to it (couple slider notches from maximum) and it was heaps loud enough while sitting at my desk. My ringtone volume and message tone sits at 3 notches from maximum and I can easily hear it across the house. Even while using my electric shaver! Plus the sound quality is spectacular.. By far the best I have ever heard on a mobile. HTC can bite it.
- Battery life.
The only point of the SGS 6 that isn't spectacular.
Medium usage it will last a full day easily enough, in fact I'd say the only time you'd have trouble with the battery not lasting a full day is if you were heavily gaming all day.
It really is not bad at all. It will easily get you a full day and two days light usage and Coming from an OPO that is a pretty strong opinion.
To be honest, I've owned an arse load of devices and have used/tested so many I can't even remember half of them and this device blows them all out of the water, it has every good quality you could possibly want from a device. The lack of removable storage I don't care about (OTG EXISTS PEOPLE!! AND ITS FASTER AND CHEAPER THAN MICROSD!!!) the lack of battery I don't care about, it's plenty enough for me. Buy a portable battery pack if you're paranoid or need to be out of electric power point range for a week.
I went off Samsung because I didn't like the whole plastic casing design choice, and I am glad to say I am back on the bandwagon with this beautiful device
By the way.. The Xperia devices are significantly let down by the lack of hardware buttons. Really pisses me off having such a nice large screen and having a chunk of that taken away with terrible soft keys.
I currently have a Z2, and I am almost certainly going to jump to the S6. Probably solely for the camera. The Z2 never really seemed to fulfill it's potential camera-wise. It takes aaaaaages for the thing to focus - a toddler will only sit still for so long!. The video is also a bit disappointing on it - it's a bit too mushy (not sharp enough) even in good light. The software stabillisation really helps eliminate handshake for videos, but again, it adds to the mushyness of the image.
Although, really well made, it's also a bit too blocky. I think the S6 looks about the right size and shape.
I will miss the battery though, which is fantastic - I still can't believe sometimes how much juice is left at the end of the day.
le_lutin said:
I currently have a Z2, and I am almost certainly going to jump to the S6. Probably solely for the camera. The Z2 never really seemed to fulfill it's potential camera-wise. It takes aaaaaages for the thing to focus - a toddler will only sit still for so long!. The video is also a bit disappointing on it - it's a bit too mushy (not sharp enough) even in good light. The software stabillisation really helps eliminate handshake for videos, but again, it adds to the mushyness of the image.
Although, really well made, it's also a bit too blocky. I think the S6 looks about the right size and shape.
I will miss the battery though, which is fantastic - I still can't believe sometimes how much juice is left at the end of the day.
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Haha yeah the blockiness was absurd! Forgot about that!
It was like carrying a thin brick in your pocket.
Now this is what I am talking about!
Thanks people and keep it comming!
Batter life worries me. If you get a full day of medium usage and end up with <10% battery life then in the long term, this will not be good for the battery... This stops me from going for it... Still thinking
Stevles said:
Haha yeah the blockiness was absurd! Forgot about that!
It was like carrying a thin brick in your pocket.
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Stevles,
Do you have any feel for how it captures images of people in less than ideal light? I'm thinking specifically about taking photos of my kids indoors.
I remember I had a G2 a while back and it was TERRIBLE at this. Because it had OIS, the camera would always keep the shutter open way too long to let more light in. The downside of this is of course that any movement resulted in a blurry mess. Z2 is better at this, but still not very good.
le_lutin said:
Stevles,
Do you have any feel for how it captures images of people in less than ideal light? I'm thinking specifically about taking photos of my kids indoors.
I remember I had a G2 a while back and it was TERRIBLE at this. Because it had OIS, the camera would always keep the shutter open way too long to let more light in. The downside of this is of course that any movement resulted in a blurry mess. Z2 is better at this, but still not very good.
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Yeah the shutter speed goes to around 1/10 in low-light. Highly recommended to switch to "pro" and manually adjust the shutter speed to around 1/30 - 1/50 while keeping the rest of the "pro" settings on auto to account for it automatically. It will result in slightly noisier pictures but at least they won't be fully blurry like auto mode provides in fast-pace low-light situations.
Ultimately, best bet would be to either a) use flash b) pro mode with manual shutter speed c) Sony A7S (current low-light king MILC costing around $2600AUD)
With the SGS6 it will let you either use tracking focus OR Optical image stabilization, not both at the same time. Although I'm pretty sure that only effects the video taking, not 100% sure.
I'm sure you'll work something out
I think anyone coming from a z3c will be massively spoiled by its battery life. Its a freak. My s6 battery is average tbh but it's super fast and the camera is awesome. Sammy cam and picture software is really on point here
Stevles said:
Yeah the shutter speed goes to around 1/10 in low-light. Highly recommended to switch to "pro" and manually adjust the shutter speed to around 1/30 - 1/50 while keeping the rest of the "pro" settings on auto to account for it automatically. It will result in slightly noisier pictures but at least they won't be fully blurry like auto mode provides in fast-pace low-light situations.
Ultimately, best bet would be to either a) use flash b) pro mode with manual shutter speed c) Sony A7S (current low-light king MILC costing around $2600AUD)
With the SGS6 it will let you either use tracking focus OR Optical image stabilization, not both at the same time. Although I'm pretty sure that only effects the video taking, not 100% sure.
I'm sure you'll work something out
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The s6 has two types of stabilisation: OIS which is mechanical and you can't turn off. This used for photo and video. The second is EIS (electronic image stabilisation) which is software stabilisation and can be turned off. This is only for video. Both can be used together for video. EIS is type is the one that can't be used with tracking focus, but the camera is still using OIS (as it isn't something you can switch off).
Apologies if you knew all this already.
le_lutin said:
The s6 has two types of stabilisation: OIS which is mechanical and you can't turn off. This used for photo and video. The second is EIS (electronic image stabilisation) which is software stabilisation and can be turned off. This is only for video. Both can be used together for video. EIS is type is the one that can't be used with tracking focus, but the camera is still using OIS (as it isn't something you can switch off).
Apologies if you knew all this already.
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Ah that makes sense, thanks. Knew there was something a bit "this sounds wrong" about my post lol
I owned z3 since its release although sold it two moth ago and got s6 last week. I can say this, s6 is vastly superior in every aspect except the battery life. You can really tweak z3 setting and that battery would last two days easy.
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I mostly agree with everything that was already said. Battery life is far from equivalent to the z3c. Also I should mention size and one hand usability in favor of the Sony. Also another missed function that Samsung just doesnt want to implement is Tap to unlock the screen. I dont really use the photos on the laptop screen, so from a small screen point of view I sometimes liked the photos of the z3c more that those of the S6. Colors combinations and the final result was more eye pleasant for me on the z3c (many times). Sure S6 has a great overall camera.
Lack of microsd is annoying, but I solved it with OTG.
I still have both because I cracked the screen on the Z3 and I won't sell it until I get it repaired. But my opinion pretty much reflects what everyone else said.
The S6 does pretty much everything better except for battery life.
I love the fingerprint scanner. Way easier than having to use lock pattern or password.
I tested the speaker with the same youtube video and the S6 was actually louder. But the Z3 sounds better when you're watching something that pans from left or right.
Interesting, z3 louder than S6?
My z2 seems very quiet in comparison to other phones. My gf's 2013 motto g seems louder on 50 percent than z2 on 90 percent... No comparison with z3, maybe they actually made it louder.
I am also really tempted to wait on z4 but I have this bad feeling that nothing will change in terms of camera software and screen... Also worried about overheating snapdragon.
I guess z4 will not beat s6 in those regards and as you said, s6 is better in everything but battery...
If I only knew when S6 active is released and will it have better battery and same screen and camera...
Was just going through some videos I took recently with my Z2 and remembered another issue: the autofocus during video capture is diabolical. It's either out of focus or constantly going in and out of focus. It really affects the watchability of the recorded videos.
le_lutin said:
Was just going through some videos I took recently with my Z2 and remembered another issue: the autofocus during video capture is diabolical. It's either out of focus or constantly going in and out of focus. It really affects the watchability of the recorded videos.
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Good point. I noticed this as well, especially in worse lighting.
I've only owned my S6 for about 8 hours, but compared to my Z3,it blows it out the water. The only thing I preferred on the Z3 is the mostly stock Android UI, and the battery life. The camera on the s6 is crazy good. When you take a picture of say a cat or a dog, the amount of detail it picks up is amazing. My Z3 took some really nice pictures when the lighting was nice and sunny, but it was very inconsistent. The S6 is better in every condition by far. .
Display wise, the Z3 has a very bluish white balance, while the S6 is warmer. I haven't directly compared brightness yet but they both get bright enough in direct sunlight. The S6 kills it when it comes to resolution, and also them gorgeous deep blacks. The S6 display is easily the best display on any smartphone that I've ever seen. But that's not to say the Z3 has a bad display, it just isn't as good when directly compared.
Build quality, I would say they're both really nice, and I'm hesitant to give the win to either of them.
Ergonomics go to the S6. It's a smaller size, and just feels better in the hand as opposed to the square shape of the Z3. They're both quite slippery though.
Performance goes to the S6,but not by much. My Z3 was no slouch, and never lagged, but the S6 does seem faster by a little, and the animations are smoother more often.
Overall I would say the S6 is definitely the better phone. But if battery life is very important to you, and you really do prefer stock android to Touchwiz, then the Z3 is the better option. Honestly though, they're both awesome phones, and the only massive difference is the camera, and the S6 is noticeably better.
I came from an Xperia Z2 and the camera on this S6 is 1000x better. The focusing is fast and the pictures are sharp even in low light. The slow focusing speed on my Z2 drove me insane...
Has anyone traded in the note 5 for the v10? If so do you like it any better?
Yuck. No way. I played with the V10 in store and didn't like it. Too tall, too big.
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IAmReflex said:
Has anyone traded in the note 5 for the v10? If so do you like it any better?
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Silly question but isn't this question better asked on the V10 forum!!!
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Trade it to try more and more. I think you will trade back to Note 5.
V10: not good battery life, too tall, thicker screen edge/bezel, much weaker performance, bulkier because of square corner + tall, 2nd screen not really usefull like S Pen
I also believe V10 has good screen, camera and durable
+1
I have both. Very different devices. Only thing alike are size, OS and camera
V10 has a weaker processor and gpu, however has much better memory management.
It took me a few days to get used to back buttons
I received my 200GB microsd card and extra battery
Cameras are alike, however v10 is not as "fast" as the GN5, both launching camera and seconds to snap, but has much better features and options in pro mode both in camera (30 seconds shutter) and video. Video recording on the v10 is what Samsung will move to next flagship. Is so far more sophisticated than anything you've seen. Being able to select bit rate, microphone adjustment forwards and back, it's just really good. Also awesome ois on camera and video on v10 but again, you can't snap snap snap snap like you can on gn5. I'm not talking about holding shutter down, either. That you can do. But the focus isn't as fast or. .. something.
I use both for different reasons. I love the spen and amoled screen, but have taken phenomenal night pictures with 8,15,30 second shutter specs in total darkness on the lake with tripod with the v10.
In the hands you can get away with no case with the V10, GN5 no way. Too slippery. The rubber grippy back of the v10 makes me feel secure enough not to need a TPU.
Second screen has its uses, and lots of shortcuts to apps, much like the galaxy edge+. I find the second screen helpful, but too low brightness in the dark. A tad higher, or someway to control it would have been a homerun.
As I said, different devices entirely if you are a Spen user. My biggest complaint other than no notification light (but second screen) is the screen cannot be seen well with polarized sunglasses very well. I did a trip using navigation and needed screen at 100% and still could only see it at certain angles on the v10.
It is very speedy if you haven't used note 5 before, somehow the 4GB ram is awesome on v10. Both are 5.1.1. Even though it's "only" 808 is pretty fast but you will notice slight slowdown on browser. Definitely worse gpu but I was able to play MC5 just fine on it. TEA_SWAT4
Ps there does seem to be a battery drain bug whether it's 5.1.1 or something else but something is keeping wake lock on all night for me for v10. .. might be iheartradio with location requests, probably a bug though. Hopefully will be addressed in marshmallow and with doze.
I forgot one of the most special things on the v10. Audio quality is superb with CORDED headphones. The 32bit DAC is so insane. Not artificial like the note5, it has its own special processor. It's really nice. I moved from Bluetooth in the car to wired for music playing. Sounds great both in ear and in car.
I traded in my white note 5 32gb for the v10.. I feel like it was a great device. Felt comfortable to walk around without a case. Audio quality was good via speaker and even better in headphone.the camera was awesome with manual modes and quality . plus the 4gb if ram and only comes with 64gb of memory without paying additional money down . the secondary screen was not as gimmicky as i thought it would be{looking at you edge plus lol}( found the secondary it to be useful when multitasking on the ui) and it was a tad cheaper then the Samsung Galaxy note5/edge plus , the removables were nice but not a highlight for me... With that said why i exchanged it for a note 5 64gb gold platinum was because a) its gorgeous, how could you not lol. B) lg ux was driving me up the wall with its here and there and everywhere options and meh features c) i didnt like how a case effected its fingerprint usability d)its call quality was a mess e)battery life was a guessing game. f) i have had a amoled screen too long so the screen bleed bothered me more so it was just a itch i tried to scratch
sledgie said:
I forgot one of the most special things on the v10. Audio quality is superb with CORDED headphones. The 32bit DAC is so insane. Not artificial like the note5, it has its own special processor. It's really nice. I moved from Bluetooth in the car to wired for music playing. Sounds great both in ear and in car.
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Do you own high impedance headphones at all? I'm on the fence about this phone. I love the AMOLED screen and I actually use Samsung Pay. Does the DAC sound better than the Wolfson DAC in the n5? I keep going back and forth about trading in the n5 for the v10, but I just can't make a decision.
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darkjedi said:
Do you own high impedance headphones at all? I'm on the fence about this phone. I love the AMOLED screen and I actually use Samsung Pay. Does the DAC sound better than the Wolfson DAC in the n5? I keep going back and forth about trading in the n5 for the v10, but I just can't make a decision.
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In my opinion, I want ( and bought ) a USB/OTG Dac for music. Something like D-Zero MkII for mobility. I don't want to pay some prices to get a phone not good enough, not fit my need.
Check out the v10 at your local mobile store. I have Samsung On corded over the ear headphones. Be aware that I'm not an audiophile, but I think the v10 sounds better. Flac sounds great. But take a song to your local store with your headphones and transfer it to the v10, then play it. Make sure the HiFi is on which can be found in the drop down settings. Also check out the v10 forums on xda, you'll see that hifi can't be used in every application but some people have been able to enable it using developers options.
V10 audio is probably would be better than Note 5, audio on note 5 is amazing as it is, i had the G4 before, in which the audio was totally crap.
I saw the v10, played wth it a bit, as i had G4 i knew exactly the "secrets" of the device, it has the best camera no doubt about that, specially in the night... but in all others parameters outside of sound, the Note 5 is much much better.
The quality of screen, touchwiz is better than LG UI(can't believe i'm saying this), gpu and mainly cpu speed is light years ahead of G4(test performed by running intensive emulator, PPSSPP and playing tekken 6, g4 did very bad, note 5 perfected it), memory management should be improved, can be resolved by custom kernel,external speaker slightly better,s-pen is very useful more than second screen, battery last longer.
Extra and minus point for V10 is build quality, it does not need a case but on other hand it's way too bulky for some.
sledgie said:
I have both. Very different devices. Only thing alike are size, OS and camera
V10 has a weaker processor and gpu, however has much better memory management.
It took me a few days to get used to back buttons
I received my 200GB microsd card and extra battery
Cameras are alike, however v10 is not as "fast" as the GN5, both launching camera and seconds to snap, but has much better features and options in pro mode both in camera (30 seconds shutter) and video. Video recording on the v10 is what Samsung will move to next flagship. Is so far more sophisticated than anything you've seen. Being able to select bit rate, microphone adjustment forwards and back, it's just really good. Also awesome ois on camera and video on v10 but again, you can't snap snap snap snap like you can on gn5. I'm not talking about holding shutter down, either. That you can do. But the focus isn't as fast or. .. something.
I use both for different reasons. I love the spen and amoled screen, but have taken phenomenal night pictures with 8,15,30 second shutter specs in total darkness on the lake with tripod with the v10.
In the hands you can get away with no case with the V10, GN5 no way. Too slippery. The rubber grippy back of the v10 makes me feel secure enough not to need a TPU.
Second screen has its uses, and lots of shortcuts to apps, much like the galaxy edge+. I find the second screen helpful, but too low brightness in the dark. A tad higher, or someway to control it would have been a homerun.
As I said, different devices entirely if you are a Spen user. My biggest complaint other than no notification light (but second screen) is the screen cannot be seen well with polarized sunglasses very well. I did a trip using navigation and needed screen at 100% and still could only see it at certain angles on the v10.
It is very speedy if you haven't used note 5 before, somehow the 4GB ram is awesome on v10. Both are 5.1.1. Even though it's "only" 808 is pretty fast but you will notice slight slowdown on browser. Definitely worse gpu but I was able to play MC5 just fine on it. TEA_SWAT4
Ps there does seem to be a battery drain bug whether it's 5.1.1 or something else but something is keeping wake lock on all night for me for v10. .. might be iheartradio with location requests, probably a bug though. Hopefully will be addressed in marshmallow and with doze.
I forgot one of the most special things on the v10. Audio quality is superb with CORDED headphones. The 32bit DAC is so insane. Not artificial like the note5, it has its own special processor. It's really nice. I moved from Bluetooth in the car to wired for music playing. Sounds great both in ear and in car.
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Awesome thank you for all that!
Zanr Zij said:
Trade it to try more and more. I think you will trade back to Note 5.
V10: not good battery life, too tall, thicker screen edge/bezel, much weaker performance, bulkier because of square corner + tall, 2nd screen not really usefull like S Pen
I also believe V10 has good screen, camera and durable
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Totally agree here.
V10 battery life appears to be bad. Not too much difference between it and the G4 except that the V10 does not suffer from touchscreen issues like the G4 does.
Zanr Zij said:
In my opinion, I want ( and bought ) a USB/OTG Dac for music. Something like D-Zero MkII for mobility. I don't want to pay some prices to get a phone not good enough, not fit my need.
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How did you get around the storage issue? 64GB is nice, but with no expansion, you're quite limited. Not to mention if you have the 32GB version like me.
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darkjedi said:
How did you get around the storage issue? 64GB is nice, but with no expansion, you're quite limited. Not to mention if you have the 32GB version like me.
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I have to disagree with some that has been said.
If I'm not mistaken, both G4 and V10 have snapdragon 808. However big difference, and I do mean big difference, is the RAM. Similar to SGS6 vs Note5. The 4GB RAM just screams in Note5 compared to SGS6 stock, the 4GB RAM in the V10 screams in comparison to the G4.
There hasn't been a game I can't run on either phone. I'm not into emulators and both phones are stock. That said the GN5 does have the game tuner which v10 does not.
GPU is definitely the bottleneck of device for V10, but that's because every 808 I've seen it's paired with adreno 418 which is, if I recall, half the Speed of the adreno 420 found in the galaxy note 4...
Memory management on the v10 is fine in my mind. Camera as I have stated its very good but not as fast. More options.
I have been ruined by Samsung's super AMOLED screens. There really is nothing like them. But competition is good.
Pic I took last night with v10. Complete darkness on tripod. ISO 200, WB 3000, 30 second shutter.
As for storage on note 5, I use this. Keychain adapter. Works awesome
I have had the note 5 since it came out. I dont have any complaints. Moved everything to the cloud, so 64gb is enough for me. I do keep a charger and 10000mah portable charger with me in a bag if I travel and find myself plugging in the note 5 whenever I can, just to be safe.
I recently bought the v10 to give it a go, primarily to see if the camera really is that good. Here are my thoughts:
Screen: not as bright as the note 5 but side by side the whites look better on the v10 (like an old white t shirt next to a new one) and I think it's a little sharper. I switched my n5 to basic mode on display and that looks more normal.
But, the n5 auto brightness is much better IMHO, especially on maps at night.
Speed. About the same. No real world difference for me
Size: n5 smaller but it needs a case so its not much different. I find the n5 easier to hold.
Battery: both aren't getting me through a day. Just as bad for me.
Sound: both are fine. Speakerphones are fine on both.
Software: I run Nova so the only thing I feel different is that I think stock LG email is better but stock Samsung Calendar is better.
Camera. Well this surprised me... I used both side by side, indoors and out, auto and manual... And generally didn't see much difference! Perhaps I am a crap photographer? Since I moved to the cloud, I can view each devices pictures on the other. I found it very hard to distinguish one from the other. I don't do much video so no comment there, but I will say that for point and shoot, the n5 is just easier.
Second screen. Silly for me. Would have rather the device be shorter.
It drove me mad having 2 devices by the way. One minute i wanted to use one, the next minute the other (like changing cases, but more.complicated). In the end I returned the v10. As with every time I do this, my Samsung devices best out the LG devices for me. Loved the v10, but just feel more 'at one' with the note 5.
LG and their color mismatch issue still!
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Can anybody compare the audio quality of Note5 and LG V10? They're talking about the performance of the V10's DAC using different media players at their sub-forum. Does the Note5 have similar capability?
Was able to do some reading here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3186790
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Hard to compare without having to two Devices side by side, but from what I've read here and in other places, the dac in the v10 is better than the one in the note 5. The amp is also better from what I've read. But does the note 5 have a bad dac? Nope. I finally have a phone that sounds as good as an iPhone headphone wise, if not, better. And if I play anything other than high quality files, I can tell right away (spotify @192kbps vs 300kbps aac)
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I would have prefered the v10 if it would have matched my criteria:
Amoled
Size of Note 5
another CPU than the 810.
I think LGs software is better. But especially the size turned me off - it was too big for my taste.
I was sick and tired of the OG Moto G due to increasingly poor performance so it was time to upgrade. After much deliberation I decided to buy the HTC One M9 a rather unpopular choice it seems. However in my opinion there are many reasons to buy it even now.
1. At $450 this offered great value for money that rivals pretty much anything else you can buy right now in that price.
2. The build quality, looks and ergonomics are phenomenal. Yes if you previously used the M8 or even the M7 the design may not wow you but for those of us who are buying an HTC phone for the first time it's still quite magical. In my opinion this trumps the Galaxy S6 and Xperia Z3 in all design departments but of course this is subjective.
3. Near perfect screen. Now I don't really know what the fuss was about the screen being not as good as the M8. Maybe it isn't as I haven't used the M8 but it is nevertheless absolutely fantastic. I am VERY picky on display quality and I could honestly not ask for anything better from an LCD screen.
4. Absolutely STELLAR performance. I feel we focus too much on benchmarks and not on the real world performance. Not only does it zip through literally everything but the multi-tasking performance is literally second to none. It absolutely destroys the Galaxy S6 in this department and it really is as good as it gets. The NAND performance is also great something that's also not given as much importance as it should be.
5. Reasonable size. While it's taller than I would ideally like but at least it's not uncomfortably wide which means one handed use is very much possible.
6. Best audio experience bar none. The speakers aren't the loudest but they are loud enough that I never felt a need for more while watching videos or talking on speaker, the quality is excellent for mobile speakers and the placement is perfect. The output from headphones is just mind blowing, first phone I have ever used that can actually power my Sennheiser 598 headphones without feeling under powered.
7. Really good selfie camera. The use of the front camera has shot so exponentially in the last year that it deserves a mention if a phone does really good at it. Some of the most important and memorable moments are captured from the front camera these days.
Now on to a few not so good things.
1. Back camera is behind the competition. While I am sure you guys would know this already and this is one of the biggest reasons why people don't recommend this phone. I personally don't care so much about camera so I could accept this compromise. And yes the camera is not as good as most of the recent flagship phones but it isn't nearly as bad as is sometimes portrayed. It isn't going to take embarrassingly bad pictures and is not going to be destroyed by a random 3 year old phone. Daylight photography is actually pretty great in my opinion.
2. Run of the mill battery life. This is not really a negative because it isn't any worse than most of it's competitors but it would have been nice to have been a star performer in this category.
3. No fingerprint sensor.
4. The placement of the buttons is questionable. While I don't have any issue with the placement of the power button but what creates a problem is the presence of the 2 volume buttons right on top of it. I believe if they want all buttons on 1 side then they should use a volume rocker to eliminate any confusion, a textured power button isn't enough. However best configuration would be to have the volume buttons on the other side. Taking pics with the volume buttons is also problematic due to this.
So bottom line is in my opinion that if you can live without having the best back camera and fingerprint sensor then this phone is still a better deal than the Nexus 5X and Xperia Z5 Compact.
It is good to hear that you're also enjoying your phone. The numerous bad reviews I read before purchasing my M9 had me believing this was a dog of a phone. On the contrary, it is a pleasure to use on a daily basis. As a sound engineer the audio quality is second to none. It seems only Apple and HTC give serious attention to the audio output of their products.
The knives were definitely out for HTC...
well wait to androi MM they say the camera improved so much! =D
I am honestly happy with the camera. I guess maybe it's because I was expecting it to be incredibly bad due to all the reviews lol.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
LLegion said:
well wait to androi MM they say the camera improved so much! =D
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Click to collapse
Who is saying it will be much better? Do you have a link? I can see why battery life will improve with MM but I don't see why the camera would improve.
neo905 said:
Who is saying it will be much better? Do you have a link? I can see why battery life will improve with MM but I don't see why the camera would improve.
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Click to collapse
Ya and if it did somehow then it would be a pretty big fail on the part of HTC that why it took that long.
Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
Hey all
Just got my Z5 Prem Chrome yesterday (unlocked and Unbranded, but on O2 UK) and I wanted to give my first impressions...
On set up I logged onto Wifi and downloaded MM 6.0 (build 163) so I cant comment on 511.
The screen is Gorgeous, I have it set round about 50 - 60% and in daylight.. I can see it fine, Sunlight.. well every phone struggles in bright Sunlight.
Music Player has an awesome and quite cool UI, sounds Great through the Speakers but can distort if set too loud.. but I used to own an M8 then an M9.. so Im a little bit spoiled by them... The speaker audio lacks the bass and fullness of the M9, but to me the Z5s sound sweeter and more musical than the M9s, but I reckon the Z5 issue maybe the weterproofing membrane they put on the Z5 speakers.. but theyre still good and a joy to listen too.
But where true quality lies is in the Headphones.. and man.. Is the sound amazing in headphones... and this is where you know you have a Walkman.. Wow.. blew my mind and blows away any phone or Ive ever used including the 24-bit G4 and M9. Ive tried both a set of LG Quadbeat 3s and Sennheiser 400s.
And now for the major question.. and thankfully.. Yes the Camera is good, in fact it can be truely awesome... coming from a G4,. I can see how the G4 over-sharpened and over-processed its images, but the Z5 has a fantastic colour reproduction and accurate white balance. Lack of OIS isnt a big issue Ive found.. the images arent over sharpened and do have a "realness" to them.. they arent as "sharp and crispy"" as the G4 or S6 but this is a good thing and the camera can turn out some beautiful shots.
One thing I will say about "Auto Mode", part of the reason for the softness, especially when zooming in is that the camera tends to set the ISO very low... even as low as 40, probably in order to combat noise... but this has an opposite effect as well.. in that it softens the image right down, this is something to be aware of as some people like crispy images and can give the impression of the camera under performing. In order to combat this.. Use Manual mode and set your ISO manually.
For everyday use 8Mpx is great and strangely enough... theres not that big a jump between 8 and 20mpx,, but the difference is there. One thing i did find with the camera is it can over-expose alot of the time.. but using Manual Mode and dropping the EV down half a stop (0 - 0.5) or even a full stop (0 - -1) fixes this.
Also, unlike the standard Z5, the Prem model, at least mine anyway, doesnt suffer from the poor camera quality alot of forum threads have mentioned.
Im still on my first battery charge after 24 hrs (Im a light to mod user), but as with all new phones.. the battery needs 1-2 full cycles to fully "wake up", but so far Im quite pleased with it.
So im very happy with my new Z5 premium, and its hard to pick out an exact fault, other than the extremely low ISO settings, but Its fast, its fluid.. no lag, but coming from a G4 or S6, the camera imaging is "different".. but in a good way, but not worse.. it doesnt have the harsh over-processing, Great Music player.. and contrary to some forum posts.. Ringtones and Notifications are plenty loud enough, even with Volume set at 80 - 90% and with "Increased Ringtone" toggle "OFF"
Wouldve also been nice to see SONY include a set of Noise Cancelling headphones in the Box as a Premium.. or Wireless QI charging as standard on the Premium model, but in truth I guess Ide rather have the bigger screen and unlike trhe vanilla Z5, the camera that works.
Hope this helps you make a desicion....
Have Fun
The camera is great... not as good as lumia 1020 but I am accepting the fact that lumia is dead... I am using snapspeed and it make the pic taken by z5 way better...
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
I bought me a pair of MDR-NC750 in-ear NC headphones.
WOW what a good combination that is, it is realy good in the airplane.
Much more comfortable than my MDR-1RNC over the ear NC headphone, which is also awesome.
I tested them both on two intercontinental flights. I cannot say which one is better.
The amount of cancelling from the MDR-1RNC is a bit better, but the MDR-NC750 is more comfortable when you want to sleep.
I can recommend anybody to go for MDR-NC750.
Just received my chrome beauty today!
I'm in love like the good ol' days of Sony Ericsson!
I'm really excited about the phone and, oh god, this thing is insanely smooth in every aspect!
The screen is gorgeous, the sound through headphones is superb, the construction is rock solid, the camera is very good, the signal is nice and there's a lot of things better than all the phones i've tested!
Finally back to Sony Xperia Family that i missed since Z3!
Oh! And the "heat" is on par with every flagship that i've tested! (S6, Note 5, G4, Meizu Pro 5)
Luhccas-X10 said:
Just received my chrome beauty today!
I'm in love like the good ol' days of Sony Ericsson!
I'm really excited about the phone and, oh god, this thing is insanely smooth in every aspect!
The screen is gorgeous, the sound through headphones is superb, the construction is rock solid, the camera is very good, the signal is nice and there's a lot of things better than all the phones i've tested!
Finally back to Sony Xperia Family that i missed since Z3!
Oh! And the "heat" is on par with every flagship that i've tested! (S6, Note 5, G4, Meizu Pro 5)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reading this made me a bit happy!
I also tried lots of phones in the past and I currently have a Note 4 and looking for a worthy upgrade.
I know the note 4 can beat the Z5 premium in many ways/areas especially productivity/spen!
But I'm seeking a different experience! I tried LG, tried oneplus (cm and near stock), I want to try now Sony and HTC.
Do you think the z5p is a wise upgrade for me?
Life Engineer said:
Reading this made me a bit happy!
I also tried lots of phones in the past and I currently have a Note 4 and looking for a worthy upgrade.
I know the note 4 can beat the Z5 premium in many ways/areas especially productivity/spen!
But I'm seeking a different experience! I tried LG, tried oneplus (cm and near stock), I want to try now Sony and HTC.
Do you think the z5p is a wise upgrade for me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure! You'll not regret!
The only thing, in my opinion, that Note 4 overcome Z5P is the removable battery.
Even being a IPS display against the best calibrated AMOLED, you will enjoy every movie/video/picture on it. The image is crisp as crystal and contrast is on the right point as the color saturation.
So... The performance, the smoothness of interface, the multimedia experience, the feel in your hands and specially the look of this thing, will put you in some funny situations! You'll catch yourself looking for the device like a kid with a new toy! Like me! LOL
It's a nice way to refresh your taste for tec! Sony Xperia Z5 Premium is a "for sure" to buy it.
The dual speaker is a nice thing that i've missed from HTC M9 and Xperia Z3. It could be a lil bit louder but it's ok due to its position.
Hi. My note 4 is making me insane with all the lag and etc and it's near dying! And the camera is broken(not physically)
First. Please don't answer this question if you've never used an iPhone/nexus
Does it lag(if you had v10 or g5)? People told me no about Samsung s7 and note 7 but they do lag! They told me no about note 4 too but it's laggier than a 10 year old computer with a failing hdd. The keyboard is insane
Second: does the DAC ACTUALLY make a difference? Specially for a half-avarage person. I'm not an audiophile but I do care about Audio quality. But for example on mynote 4 I can't tell the difference between flac and mp3 (@320kbps).
But I do hear a difference Between 120kbps and flac with my Sennheiser cx 1.00 on some songs. I currently don't have any good headphones but I'm going to buy audio Technica 500x or m40x
Also as I listen to music on low volume I don't need an AMP or anything. Heck I can tell the name of the song that's playing on the tv o on the background of a movie while I'm in my room listening to music with headphones xD
And there's no background noise on my note 4. Or my PC! I don't understand why people complain about noise on internal DACs
I heard on somewhere that the v10 it barely makes a difference in Audio other than high volume
Third: how is LG at delivering software updates? Is LG fast? Samsung is awful at update! Specially when they have 1000 versions of the same phone
My other choices are iPhone 7+ or Pixel xl (I'll buy iPhone as a last resort as I don't likr apple and IOS although it's smooth)
Thanks Awesome XDA community I Love this site!
kamranhaghighi said:
Hi. My note 4 is making me insane with all the lag and etc and it's near dying! And the camera is broken(not physically)
First. Please don't answer this question if you've never used an iPhone/nexus
Does it lag(if you had v10 or g5)? People told me no about Samsung s7 and note 7 but they do lag! They told me no about note 4 too but it's laggier than a 10 year old computer with a failing hdd. The keyboard is insane
Second: does the DAC ACTUALLY make a difference? Specially for a half-avarage person. I'm not an audiophile but I do care about Audio quality. But for example on mynote 4 I can't tell the difference between flac and mp3 (@320kbps).
But I do hear a difference Between 120kbps and flac with my Sennheiser cx 1.00 on some songs. I currently don't have any good headphones but I'm going to buy audio Technica 500x or m40x
Also as I listen to music on low volume I don't need an AMP or anything. Heck I can tell the name of the song that's playing on the tv o on the background of a movie while I'm in my room listening to music with headphones xD
And there's no background noise on my note 4. Or my PC! I don't understand why people complain about noise on internal DACs
I heard on somewhere that the v10 it barely makes a difference in Audio other than high volume
Third: how is LG at delivering software updates? Is LG fast? Samsung is awful at update! Specially when they have 1000 versions of the same phone
My other choices are iPhone 7+ or Pixel xl (I'll buy iPhone as a last resort as I don't likr apple and IOS although it's smooth)
Thanks Awesome XDA community I Love this site!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree about the Note 4 lag, as I have a Developer Edition of the phone. Even though I can wipe it and install a custom ROM, within a month it is acting slow and lagy. Im always having to click Close all open app.
When I tried out the Note 7 a few times in the store, I wasn't really impressed with it, and not big on the curved screen.
So I am also hold hope that the V20 will be a good upgrade (despite it will probably never get root access).
I'm interested in it for the camera, audio quality, notification display, and Android 7. As a previous owner of a Note 2 & 3, I have yet to see Samsung release updates in a timely manner.
The only thing I wish the V20 had was an AMOLED display, as I've really gotten use to those over the years.
FAUguy said:
I agree about the Note 4 lag, as I have a Developer Edition of the phone. Even though I can wipe it and install a custom ROM, within a month it is acting slow and lagy. Im always having to click Close all open app.
When I tried out the Note 7 a few times in the store, I wasn't really impressed with it, and not big on the curved screen.
So I am also hold hope that the V20 will be a good upgrade (despite it will probably never get root access).
I'm interested in it for the camera, audio quality, notification display, and Android 7. As a previous owner of a Note 2 & 3, I have yet to see Samsung release updates in a timely manner.
The only thing I wish the V20 had was an AMOLED display, as I've really gotten use to those over the years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well according to YouTube it's fast and awesome!
But why wouldn't it get root? I personally find less and less reason to root as android gets better. I didn't even bother rooting my note 4 after an OTA.
Oh and I'm actually glad they didn't use amoled. All the AMOLEDs I've seen even at maximum brightness kins of leave a tail or lag at darks. It's like when I swipe in rhe gallery or scroll or watch movies etc. The blacks kind of leave a purpleish tint behind. It's a million times less than my s4 but still pretty anoyying (I sold my s4 and bought a Nexus 4 afterwards. Best decision I ever made)
Btw I also hope that they come with the earbuds in my country if not I would be very heartbroken and I would have to buy a headphone my self ( an 80$ headphone costs 185~$ in my country. No idea why headphones are so expensive)
i am currently using note 5 and i am ready to change my phone very very tired of deleting or transferring stuff because of the storage .The new V20 will be good specially with the audio but same thing as mentioned up i don't have good headphone i might go for Sony's MDR-100ABN but at the moment i don't care about the audio capabilities. The only thing is i like my phone to be rooted but i am worried about is the locked bootloader and the dead development section so i guess Pixel XL will be a safer option for me but again storage will be an issue for me.
Well. To me, the best smartphone Samsung has ever came up with is the Samsung Galaxy s5, the others are CR*P ... I still using my S5 but i think it is time to move on and LG v20 seems like a perfect candidate. I also have a LG G3 and it is even faster than my Galaxy s5. So, why wouldnt i love the V20 (that if it doesnt come with any issues of course lol). I do like AMOLED screen but i hate burn-in image, and i have developed burn in image on all my samsungs (s2, s3, s4 s5, note 2, note 3, and note 4) , yet with the G2, G3, G4, G5 and V10 I have never had burn in image. so i can sacrifice the pure black and the extreme contrast as long as i dont get burn in image. LOL AMOLED screens are way more expensive than IPS screens.
Anyway, i do believe that the V20 could be a great option. But i will buy it after 2 month of release, since this time i only have one chance to buy the phone. I willl wait to see if there will be root, roms and other developments, and no less important, if it comes with any major issues .
joseguillen1994 said:
Well. To me, the best smartphone Samsung has ever came up with is the Samsung Galaxy s5, the others are CR*P ... I still using my S5 but i think it is time to move on and LG v20 seems like a perfect candidate. I also have a LG G3 and it is even faster than my Galaxy s5. So, why wouldnt i love the V20 (that if it doesnt come with any issues of course lol). I do like AMOLED screen but i hate burn-in image, and i have developed burn in image on all my samsungs (s2, s3, s4 s5, note 2, note 3, and note 4) , yet with the G2, G3, G4, G5 and V10 I have never had burn in image. so i can sacrifice the pure black and the extreme contrast as long as i dont get burn in image. LOL AMOLED screens are way more expensive than IPS screens.
Anyway, i do believe that the V20 could be a great option. But i will buy it after 2 month of release, since this time i only have one chance to buy the phone. I willl wait to see if there will be root, roms and other developments, and no less important, if it comes with any major issues .
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Click to collapse
I wad just taking another look at Motorola and moto z force sounds amazing!
Shatterproof display? Hot swappable battery? Maybe later a dac/amp mod!
Too sad that the mod acts as a power bank(afaik 80% wasted as heat and it just wears the unreplaceable internal battery further)
And I won't be able to buy a phone after a year. I assume it will take a year or a year and a half(I can handle 1.5years? Maybe) for it to lose so much capacity that I'll have to hug the wall! My note 4 has 2h SoT after 1.5 years but it's easily replaceable
I don't think there's a reason behind unreplaceable battery other than making us pay more. I mean come on lg does it good! So did note 4 and htc sensation(I know it's old. But it has an amazingly soft button for it to release and it's aluminum)
And how much space does a button waste?
Waterproofing however... S5 is waterproof and has a removable battery(Am I right?) But still...
I currently am using my S5 Active, have been for awhile. I actually bought it off eBay for $200 in brand new condition. This guy is definitely waterproof and has taken more than a dozen drops that i would consider iPhone screen shattering drops - still no scratches on my screen. Battery has been killing me recently though, can't last more than half a day (granted, I am texting and using fb messenger a lot). But other issues such as lag and random freezes have been occurring much more often now. But the nice thing is I have it rooted.
So I could care less about having a locked bootloader, but having a root for the V20 would be amazing. Still- I will be buying the v20 whether it is going to have a locked/unlocked bootloader and even if it won't have a root method. I think this phone is definitely more than a worthy upgrade especially from an S5.
does the DAC only work with the stock music player? what happens when using other music players or soundcloud, youtube,....?
On V10 the dac worked on all audio programs after MM update
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
ok thanks. i asked because on the Axon 7 it wasn´t so, right?
Not sure with the Axon.
There's an high impedance mode too but it depends on your headphones, I remember for the V10 I bought a little cable that automatically enabled high impedance on any headphones. The volume was amazing
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk
NO! You will regret buying a LG phone! No root, no bootloader unlock and no custom ROM..You will be glad if it doesn't bootloop 6 months later..
had a g2 that was rooted and had tons of development and never boot looped... but thanks!
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7 using Tapatalk
well the Note 4 is one of the laggiest phones I have ever had. My current S7 Edge is not what I would call laggy at all. However it is not as fast as the Nexus 6 that I had.
for LG, i had the G2, G3, and V10. I liked the G2 but did not have it long. The G3 is still in use every day, but my son has it, so not my daily driver, but when I pick it up, it does not seem laggy. The V10 was not laggy, but it drank battery juice. I had to swap a battery around 5pm every day. That got annoying.
I was also considering the Moto Z Force, since it will be super quick. But then the V20 will be bigger and have some cool features, still a toss up for me
CadillacMike said:
well the Note 4 is one of the laggiest phones I have ever had. My current S7 Edge is not what I would call laggy at all. However it is not as fast as the Nexus 6 that I had.
for LG, i had the G2, G3, and V10. I liked the G2 but did not have it long. The G3 is still in use every day, but my son has it, so not my daily driver, but when I pick it up, it does not seem laggy. The V10 was not laggy, but it drank battery juice. I had to swap a battery around 5pm every day. That got annoying.
I was also considering the Moto Z Force, since it will be super quick. But then the V20 will be bigger and have some cool features, still a toss up for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. S7E is "fast", but no way it feels as fluid as the Nexus, even just a Nexus 6. The LG phones has always been snappy for me, possibly due to the lighter skin on top.
For me, V20 has checked out almost all boxes for me. I could wish for a Samsung-like fast camera, but I can't live without the ultra wide angle now. The vibrator isn't as solid as the flagship counterpart (note, S7, iPhone 7). I would like front facing speakers, but it's not a standard feature. As with all phones, there are small things I can pick on, but for 95% of the phone, I couldn't be happier.
Back to the original question - Yes, I think it's worth it if you use it for music all the time. I can definitely hear a difference from the Quad DAC vs a normal phone or even a phone that has a wolfson DAC. I am only using some alright in ear monitor - Shure SE215 and Monster Turbine Pro.
I remember the audio on my V10 being fantastic, so I would assume the V20 will be even better
2 things that drove me nuts about the V10 and keeps me from considering the V20 is the battery life and the reception that the V10 got. I'm waiting for you all to get them in your hands and start reporting on these 2 things..
Battery is alright so far, things are still settling. Audio is fantastic!
Hi, I'm a musician and I hope I can clarify several things for you:
kamranhaghighi said:
Second: does the DAC ACTUALLY make a difference? Specially for a half-avarage person. I'm not an audiophile but I do care about Audio quality. But for example on mynote 4 I can't tell the difference between flac and mp3 (@320kbps). But I do hear a difference Between 120kbps and flac with my Sennheiser cx 1.00 on some songs. I currently don't have any good headphones but I'm going to buy audio Technica 500x or m40x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A good DAC will definitely improve the sound quality, no matter the source is mp3 or lossless. However you must understand that for mp3 files a good DAC is totally overkill, which means the improvement would be limited, much less than the improvement of a lossless source. On the other hand, only several technologies like Sony's DSEE HX can improve/repair the quality of lossy files to a certain level and then output as Hi-Res audio.
Using higher quality equipment most of the time makes you aware more of the audio source quality differences, so that's why there is no turning back on equipment
Also as I listen to music on low volume I don't need an AMP or anything. Heck I can tell the name of the song that's playing on the tv o on the background of a movie while I'm in my room listening to music with headphones xD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes an AMP amplifies the volume, but this is not it's only job. Every AMP has it's own acoustic characteristics and that's why there are AMPs of different price tags. An AMP also affects the tone color, spectrum balance, noise ...etc no matter you're listening at high or low volume. However if you actually always listen to music and all the outer sounds at the same time then perhaps it really doesn't matter to you.
And there's no background noise on my note 4. Or my PC! I don't understand why people complain about noise on internal DACs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are speaking about the V20's advertisement of 130dB signal noise ratio (SNR), then actually the "noise" here means unwanted sound only during the signal process, which normal consumers won't care about.
If you are speaking about the noises that people sometimes can hear in the headphone or speaker, they actually have so many possible causes that takes examinations to resolve them, can't simply blame internal DAC.
V20's audio features is attractive enough for me to buy, not only the playback capability but also the HD recording feature. As for casual listeners it will definitely provide better listening experience, but it's full potential can only be discovered using high quality source files and good headphones. Oh, and perhaps a nice listening environment or a noise isolating/canceling headphone
^nice write up and welcome aboard!