Database Users

[Q] Downscale Resolution to 1080p to increase performance?

For me QHD displays are too much for a 5.7 inch phone. The exynos version looks pretty powerful, but I guess I`d rather have better performance than insane ppi.
Watching some on/off screen GPU benchmark reviews for the LG G3, Oppo Find 7 and S5 "Premium", the off screen (1080p) tests had an average of 51% higher scores than on screen (QHD) scores. I mean, WOW! That`s a lot! I can post the results here if you want to skip the trouble looking for it.
One guy on youtube changed his LG G3 resolution from QHD to Full HD using NOMone Resolution Changer and used Xposed to change DPI and font scale of native apps to make them work.
What do you think about this? This could possibly increase overall performance+battery life and definitely increase gaming performance.
The videos about resolution downscale on the G3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATk2xCSgp70
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csBhVcIBV64

Sounds like you need to stay with your note 3

... and reduce resolution to 720p

and, no one cares about benchmarks..

and... lol reading above comments make me laugh
why you bought note 4 if you want to reduce it's resolution, there will be 1080p device later if you want SD805

Daaaaaamn, this a deal breaker... If I cannot reduce the resolution of the Note 4 to 4:3 CRT TV 480i letterbox... I will not buy it, what a piece of crap! I was hoping to get at least 6 months of battery life on each charge with CRT resolution... I reduced to 320i my note 3 and it lasts almost a year on a single charge. The only problem is that I am having issues watching YouTube in HD for some unknown reason.

funny stuff!
we ***** and moan that we want QHD/4K/ultra definition on our "5 inch video screens", then once we get it, we complain that it uses too much battery life, so we have to "downrez" it..
you just cant make some people happy...

I'm more curious of how the screen will look like if in 1080p, especially the pentile effect. We know that we still see the pentile effect somewhat on Note 3, not sure on Note 4's 1440p screen.
Don't really care about performance.

I can't see any difference, but I can't see any pentile on 1080p phones too so...
Sent from my SM-N910C using XDA Free mobile app

if you reduce resolution to 256 x 144 battery life will be improved by a factor of 10!
much better than 1080p! OMG!

Is there any sound reason for bashing the OP ?
Just because he thinks a little bit different than you, maybe a step ahead of you ?
His idea is no nonsense.
If it IS possible to boost perfomance by lowering the resolution to e. g. Full HD, that would be quite beneficial.
Practical example: Let's talk about a game, "World of Tanks - Blitz".
Great game on the PC, not so great game on Android. Reason: Graphics are not the best. At present, there's a kind of universal version out, all reduced graphics to make sure the game works with most Android devices, even the weaker ones. Game publisher said they're working on a version you can adapt to the performance of your system. Hope they won't lie.
2560 x 1440 pixels is quite a number.
Rendering that many pixels WILL take a lot of processing power, WILL be quite a burden on the CPU and the battery.
So the results are likely to be: Great graphics but bad performance - or bad graphics because the game recognizes the overall performance as being too low for high details AND fluid gameplay.
Plus: You can watch your battery going down in no time, as rendering that mass of pixels will take a lot of power.
Let's say we've got a resolution of 853 x 480. SOUNDS like subzero quality, but don't forget the tiny screen (compared with a large PC monitor).
If it's possible to display 853 x 480 using the highest details setting, the result will look classes better than 2560 x 1440 with low details. You won't be able to spot single pixels, just a wealth of fine graphics.
So a reduced resolution and highest details will look MUCH better than highest resolution and low details. That's benefit one.
Second, gameplay will be vastly improved by a higher framerate and more CPU power for handling all the netcode and stuff.
Third, our battery will last far longer because of the lower battery drain.
Result would be a great looking, blazing fast game which won't suck your battery dry in no time,
And that's a reason to laugh at the OP, for bashing him ?
I do NOT know if reducing the resolution AND saving ressources is possible.
But IF it's possible, it would be a great step forward.
You will NOT able to see the difference between full resolution and reduced resolution on the tiny Note 4's display.
Only differences will be graphics and details quality - and higher speed, better framerates, more fluid gameplay.
And there will be always some room for compromises like slightly higher resolution and the like.
Now bash on if you still feel like.

Just a bunch of trolls. There are many people dowscaling resolution to play. I personally leave at 1080p all the time. Just restart and everything rescales to the right dpi.
Sent from my SM-N910C using XDA Free mobile app

I don't know of a way to reduce it to 1080p, but wouldn't it make more sense to buy an s5? Battery life was superb on my s5, still wouldn't swap it for my note 4 though, optimise your note 4, it holds its own in terms of battery life and performance.

All depends on why you got a note4, I love the s-pen, I like the added fingerprint reader and heart rate monitor, and like the better camera with OIS. I already can't see the pixels on my Note3 though, so why would I care if I downgraded my Note4 to "only" that same resolution? Having longer battery life and higher performance for all the bits that matter to you sounds like a much better plan than having more pixels than you can possibly see.

ve6rah said:
so why would I care if I downgraded my Note4 to "only" that same resolution?.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't get the idea at all. It's about making games run faster and with far better details. Same as with PC games.
Read my post!
Edit: It was me not reading the post correctly. Sorry !

I'd be interested in this also. I would love the ability to lower the resolution for a few apps I use on my note 4

I like this idea for performance in games and battery saving but you definitely can see the pixels on the Note3 and indeed any 1080p mobile right now. The extra resolution on the Note 4 really pays off for normal useage but games should be able to default to 1080p at the very least.
Phones should have a resolution change option like pc's these days anyway.

Chefproll said:
You didn't get the idea at all. It's about making games run faster and with far better details. Same as with PC games.
Read my post!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I think you misunderstood. I was agreeing with you. My point was that I don't really "lose" anything if I downgrade the resolution as on a screen this size I can't see individual pixels even at 1080 I was also countering those who said the OP should have stuck with a note 3 by saying that the note 4 has many other improvements as well, and that the resolution, though better on paper doesn't really matter.

ve6rah said:
Sorry, I think you misunderstood.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I indeed did - I did not read carefully enough.
Just added a comment to my post regarding this.
Thank you for pointing this out !

NOMone resolution changer in the app store lets you bring it down to 1080P.

Your opinion about P9 lite (Any version)

I'm using VNS-L31 version for about a week and I want to share with you my opinions.
Pro
I love the design. 5.2 is ideal size for me, and with 1080p resolution looks gorgeous to me. 3gb of Ram is enough, and multitasking on this device si fluid.
In gaming performance is powerful enough. I've tested a lot of graphics intensive titles and overall performance is decent.
Battery lasts me a day+, and I've used it a lot.
Cons
Camera is definitely a week spot... Even my lg g2 is able to take better pictures. And honor 5x is better also....
I'm not a big fan of EMUI, but hopefully we will see soon some ROMs for this device.
Lack of gyroscope is annoying sometimes because I love VR and 360° video.
What else you like or dislike about it?
Waiting for your feedback!

I have the VNS-L31 dual-sim version with 3Gb RAM. I agree with you: Camera is the weakest spot if you are a "pixel peeper" However I get relatively decent photos at lower ISO settings. Love the manual mode, great for moving photos if you use a fast shutter speed (something I can't do with my LG G3). Camera uses API2 which means that we take advantage of third party apps that controls almost all aspects of camera settings. Video stabilisation gives some interesting results, but image quality is not the best.
I think that the camera results can be better if we find some sort of way of changing the compression algorithm settings.

jamorimpt said:
I have the VNS-L31 dual-sim version with 3Gb RAM. I agree with you: Camera is the weakest spot if you are a "pixel peeper" However I get relatively decent photos at lower ISO settings. Love the manual mode, great for moving photos if you use a fast shutter speed (something I can't do with my LG G3). Camera uses API2 which means that we take advantage of third party apps that controls almost all aspects of camera settings. Video stabilisation gives some interesting results, but image quality is not the best.
I think that the camera results can be better if we find some sort of way of changing the compression algorithm settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested Open Camera , and after I've enabled camera 2 api I was able to save raw files

Everything you wrote guys is true
That's great news abut RAWs in Open Camera! Lightroom is doing far better with this sensor but files are huge and USB 3.0 would be very useful

I haven't had mine long engough really to make a full opinion (only 3 days) VNS-L31 dual-sim version with 3Gb RAM. I do like the size, as I don't play games on my phones, the UI is ok and I'll dig around in it here in a bit but I do miss an app drawer as I don't like the shortcuts on my main screens as I use a lot of widets.

lilbrat said:
I haven't had mine long engough really to make a full opinion (only 3 days) VNS-L31 dual-sim version with 3Gb RAM. I do like the size, as I don't play games on my phones, the UI is ok and I'll dig around in it here in a bit but I do miss an app drawer as I don't like the shortcuts on my main screens as I use a lot of widets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use any launcher from play store. My favourite is NOVA

lzimbrea said:
You can use any launcher from play store. My favourite is NOVA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info,,I check it out as I do have nova prime just not installed yet..

lilbrat said:
I haven't had mine long engough really to make a full opinion (only 3 days) VNS-L31 dual-sim version with 3Gb RAM. I do like the size, as I don't play games on my phones, the UI is ok and I'll dig around in it here in a bit but I do miss an app drawer as I don't like the shortcuts on my main screens as I use a lot of widets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just created a folder called, "App Drawer," and placed it where all the all apps button usually sits. I then just dragged all the apps inside this folder.
Alternatively, just install a new launcher.
---------- Post added at 12:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:12 PM ----------
I bought one of these to replace my mothers aging Nexus 4.
Spending a few hours with it, I have to say I'm impressed. :victory:
Pros:- (for the money)
- Good screen
- Awesome fingerprint scanner
- Nice build quality
- 3GB RAM
- Android 6
- Battery Life
- Nicely presented packaging
- Overall speed
Cons:-
- Not sure updates with be forthcoming
- Camera
- Huawei UI
For the money I paid, I don't think I could have done any better. Lets see what my mother says on Christmas day coming from a Nexus.

Hi. I am new here and soon-to-be a P9 lite user. Anyhow, I would like to know better review from u guys, as if, heating problem, lagging, or any weakness point of this phone, besides the one that stated in past comment. Ty.

Xiaomi Mi5S Review And Unboxing (Real review, Real hands-on)

So I've had my hands on the Mi5S since Monday, putting it through my paces as a previous Mi5 owner I can confirm the build to me feels better, wit the new alloy rear housing it feels more solid in hand, but quite as slippery as the glass backed Mi 5S.
Here is my review and unboxing:
Mi5S unboxing:
Mi5S camera Vs S6 Edge+
Key findings:
The lack of OIS on the camera results in poor video without DIS which only works in 1080p. The DIS in 1080p doesn't do a bad job, but the video still suffers from a very slow audio bitrate of 96kbps. And the bitrate of 41Mbps for 4k results in some compression artifacts in video. Autofocus is often all over the place too.
The camera can take a decent image as seen in my review, but low light performance is quite poor as good as my Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+. The only way to get a decent night shot is using a tripod and manaul settings, even then it's full of noise and oversharpening.
Xiaomi's Mi5S camera press video teaser shows everyone using tripods lol! And I believe the images have been massively touched up.
On to the positives, continual use I got over 8 hours of screen on time and a PCMark battery score of 9 hours and 59 minutes which is around 1 hour more than the Mi5. Real life use about 4-5 hours screen on time and two days for me.
The UFS 2.0 storage is super quick, 400mb/s reads and 170 MB/s writes. Now that is super fast for a mobile. This combined with the Qualcomm snapdragon 821 makes the phone super quick and smooth. No lag detected all games seem to run around 60 fps thanks to the Adreno 530 and 1080p screen you need not worry about lag. Multitasking isn't the greatest, after a while the aggressive battery savings will kill background apps. So often switching apps results in the app reloading.
The ultrasonic fingerprint reader works well, just as fast as the Mi5. I guess the benefit is without a physical button it will be much more reliable. And yes it works if your finger is damp, not that the phone is water proof!
So Mi5 owners, I wouldn't upgrade to this model. No real point unless you want a higher benchmark score. And if you want to get this phone get it for the speed, build, screen and battery. NOT for it's video quality as you'll be very disappointed.
More details are in my video review including benchmarks. I'll have the Mi5S Plus next week to review and later the Le Pro 3 another Snapdragon 821.

Excellent work Hendrickson! Thank you very much!
For a new phone/not an upgrade do you prefer Mi5s over Mi5? What do you think about scratch resistance, a protection case is mandatory like on Mi5?
It looks like one advantage of Mi5s is that if we substitute the metal case, only front lcd scratches subsists because lateral side belongs to the case isn't it?

Hendrickson said:
So I've had my hands on the Mi5S since Monday, putting it through my paces as a previous Mi5 owner I can confirm the build to me feels better, wit the new alloy rear housing it feels more solid in hand, but quite as slippery as the glass backed Mi 5S.
Here is my review and unboxing:
Mi5S unboxing:
Mi5S camera Vs S6 Edge+
Key findings:
The lack of OIS on the camera results in poor video without DIS which only works in 1080p. The DIS in 1080p doesn't do a bad job, but the video still suffers from a very slow audio bitrate of 96kbps. And the bitrate of 41Mbps for 4k results in some compression artifacts in video. Autofocus is often all over the place too.
The camera can take a decent image as seen in my review, but low light performance is quite poor as good as my Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+. The only way to get a decent night shot is using a tripod and manaul settings, even then it's full of noise and oversharpening.
Xiaomi's Mi5S camera press video teaser shows everyone using tripods lol! And I believe the images have been massively touched up.
On to the positives, continual use I got over 8 hours of screen on time and a PCMark battery score of 9 hours and 59 minutes which is around 1 hour more than the Mi5. Real life use about 4-5 hours screen on time and two days for me.
The UFS 2.0 storage is super quick, 400mb/s reads and 170 MB/s writes. Now that is super fast for a mobile. This combined with the Qualcomm snapdragon 821 makes the phone super quick and smooth. No lag detected all games seem to run around 60 fps thanks to the Adreno 530 and 1080p screen you need not worry about lag. Multitasking isn't the greatest, after a while the aggressive battery savings will kill background apps. So often switching apps results in the app reloading.
The ultrasonic fingerprint reader works well, just as fast as the Mi5. I guess the benefit is without a physical button it will be much more reliable. And yes it works if your finger is damp, not that the phone is water proof!
So Mi5 owners, I wouldn't upgrade to this model. No real point unless you want a higher benchmark score. And if you want to get this phone get it for the speed, build, screen and battery. NOT for it's video quality as you'll be very disappointed.
More details are in my video review including benchmarks. I'll have the Mi5S Plus next week to review and later the Le Pro 3 another Snapdragon 821.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you pull all the files starting with libmmcamera_imx in /system/vendor/lib no root required
Sent from my NX503A using XDA Free mobile app

@Hendrickson thanks for the vids. I was set on buying the 5s but probably won't now. Can you do a comparison with mi5 camera?
What are your thoughts on Zuk Z2 Pro?

BPSoft said:
Excellent work Hendrickson! Thank you very much!
For a new phone/not an upgrade do you prefer Mi5s over Mi5? What do you think about scratch resistance, a protection case is mandatory like on Mi5?
It looks like one advantage of Mi5s is that if we substitute the metal case, only front lcd scratches subsists because lateral side belongs to the case isn't it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MI5S for the metal rear, it doesn't get slimy and as slippery.
defcomg said:
Could you pull all the files starting with libmmcamera_imx in /system/vendor/lib no root required
Sent from my NX503A using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please show me how to do this without root?
ermacwins said:
@Hendrickson thanks for the vids. I was set on buying the 5s but probably won't now. Can you do a comparison with mi5 camera?
What are your thoughts on Zuk Z2 Pro?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would but i sold my Mi5. I'll do a Mi5S Plus and GS7 comparison.

Well it's obvious GS7 will be better. Have you played around with the Zuk Z2 Pro?

Hendrickson said:
MI5S for the metal rear, it doesn't get slimy and as slippery.
Please show me how to do this without root?
I would but i sold my Mi5. I'll do a Mi5S Plus and GS7 comparison.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) via adb pull /system/vendor/lib
2) via root explorer or Es File Explorer
Sent from my NX503A using XDA Free mobile app

Thanks for the review. I have one small question. Can it play HEVC x265 1080p 10bit & 2160p 10bit videos with video bitrate higher than 25mbps in HW & HW+ mode on MXPlayer? Also if it does then on just chines rom or global rom also?

husaintaherali said:
Thanks for the review. I have one small question. Can it play HEVC x265 1080p 10bit & 2160p 10bit videos with video bitrate higher than 25mbps in HW & HW+ mode on MXPlayer? Also if it does then on just chines rom or global rom also?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read somewhere 821 or Mi 5s supports HEVC (x265) 4k, so I'm sure it'll be able to handle it

shaneel1491 said:
I read somewhere 821 or Mi 5s supports HEVC (x265) 4k, so I'm sure it'll be able to handle it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it supports HEVC but most oem dont implement the feature in ROMs so we r forced to play in SW mode which is slow.

Impressive good job, thank you

Great review. Thanks for that. Question; would you say the cam is worse, the same or better than the regular MI5? Thanks!
Sent from my ONE E1003 using Tapatalk

Third party camera apps.
That's a great review. Were you able to run any third party camera apps or Google camera app (marshmallow build). The manual camera compatibility app would be a good way to check camera 2 api support which most of these apps require. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.vipek.camera2_compatibility_test
If that doesn't work and you are feeling adventurous you could try the build.prop edit via adb or root which worked for mi5. The aim is to find out if only mi's camera app is at fault here since it has the same specs as the pixel and yet compares so poorly with other phones.
Hendrickson said:
So I've had my hands on the Mi5S since Monday, putting it through my paces as a previous Mi5 owner I can confirm the build to me feels better, wit the new alloy rear housing it feels more solid in hand, but quite as slippery as the glass backed Mi 5S.
Here is my review and unboxing:
Mi5S unboxing:
Mi5S camera Vs S6 Edge+
Key findings:
The lack of OIS on the camera results in poor video without DIS which only works in 1080p. The DIS in 1080p doesn't do a bad job, but the video still suffers from a very slow audio bitrate of 96kbps. And the bitrate of 41Mbps for 4k results in some compression artifacts in video. Autofocus is often all over the place too.
The camera can take a decent image as seen in my review, but low light performance is quite poor as good as my Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+. The only way to get a decent night shot is using a tripod and manaul settings, even then it's full of noise and oversharpening.
Xiaomi's Mi5S camera press video teaser shows everyone using tripods lol! And I believe the images have been massively touched up.
On to the positives, continual use I got over 8 hours of screen on time and a PCMark battery score of 9 hours and 59 minutes which is around 1 hour more than the Mi5. Real life use about 4-5 hours screen on time and two days for me.
The UFS 2.0 storage is super quick, 400mb/s reads and 170 MB/s writes. Now that is super fast for a mobile. This combined with the Qualcomm snapdragon 821 makes the phone super quick and smooth. No lag detected all games seem to run around 60 fps thanks to the Adreno 530 and 1080p screen you need not worry about lag. Multitasking isn't the greatest, after a while the aggressive battery savings will kill background apps. So often switching apps results in the app reloading.
The ultrasonic fingerprint reader works well, just as fast as the Mi5. I guess the benefit is without a physical button it will be much more reliable. And yes it works if your finger is damp, not that the phone is water proof!
So Mi5 owners, I wouldn't upgrade to this model. No real point unless you want a higher benchmark score. And if you want to get this phone get it for the speed, build, screen and battery. NOT for it's video quality as you'll be very disappointed.
More details are in my video review including benchmarks. I'll have the Mi5S Plus next week to review and later the Le Pro 3 another Snapdragon 821.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Pixel camera App?
Do you tried the leaked camera app apk from pixel phones? They've got similar hardware and maybe it could improve photos and videos quality

It won't work. The pixel camera requires Nougat.
stoker595 said:
Do you tried the leaked camera app apk from pixel phones? They've got similar hardware and maybe it could improve photos and videos quality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

myvijay said:
It won't work. The pixel camera requires Nougat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doh, I hope in Xiaomi to improve their camera software ASAP. I pretty like this phone...

what about audio quality from headphones? what about dac?

if we install pixel camera app on mi5s ( after android 7 update ), will hdr+ work? or it needs some other requirements like special camera firmware or special Image Processor ?
hdr+ in pixel phones takes and combines several pics in low light situations to produce better photos and reduce noise.
i think hdr+ will not work and quality of photos taken with pixel camera app will be like stock camera app or other 3rd party apps.

defcomg said:
Could you pull all the files starting with libmmcamera_imx in /system/vendor/lib no root required
Sent from my NX503A using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@defcomg , I've pulled them from current China Developer ROM (6.10.13). Hope that helps. (I don't own the phone!)
s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=09777612282974640057 -> libmmcamera_imx.zip (Apparently I can't attach files yet)
s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=49016282409257723878 -> libmm.lst
I was also wondering if
1) Camera DSP code and image processing algorithms can be updated by software and that may make a difference (I don't know how this things exactly work)
2) Xiaomi is willing to do so in future updates

salehe said:
@defcomg , I've pulled them from current China Developer ROM (6.10.13). Hope that helps. (I don't own the phone!)
s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=64931846989238561549 -> libmmcamera_imx.zip (Apparently I can't attach files yet)
s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=49016282409257723878 -> libmm.lst
I was also wondering if
1) Camera DSP code and image processing algorithms can be updated by software and that may make a difference (I don't know how this things exactly work)
2) Xiaomi is willing to do so in future updates
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the files.
1. Yes the Post Processing Algorithms are updatable the files contains the _CPP suffix contain post processing parameters.
2. This I don't know few OEM's actually ever update camera calibration after the device has been released .
Its possible to get post processing algorithms from another device or adjust them via hex editing if one has time
Sent from my NX503A using XDA Free mobile app
---------- Post added at 10:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 PM ----------
By the way both links have the same file
Sent from my NX503A using XDA Free mobile app

What are the main cons of this Axon 7 ???

Hey Everyone,
So Guys , I'm about to buy the Axon 7 A2017 the Chinese variant (Since I'm outside the US) with 4gb RAM and 128gb of storage as an upgrade of my old LG G4, that's why I'm asking you guys to answer me honestly what was your personal experience with this device ? what are the bad sides that have made you frustrated or made you regretting making this purchase ??
I've heard many downsides but I cannot really believe them since many reputable reviewers on Youtube have said the opposite ??
Some Cons I heard :
1-The sound output from Headphones are not really great same for the dual front facing speakers.(Which is a bit shocking as the main promoted feature of this smartphone was the audio capabilities ).
2-The Screen is not clearly visible at direct sunlight
3-The Camera is awful , in other words a piece of crap (I dont really care about Photography or low light stills , but I also hate a smartphone that cannot take some sharp stills at daylight ,such as portait of myself for social media)
4-The capacitive buttons are not back lit , but I think I could get used to them.
5-The UI is buggy and bloated , the phone doesn't have any support from devs and the Company didn't fix many issues and bugs.
6-The fingerprint is not that fast or accurate (I've heard from a review that it works 60-70% of time)
7-Multi tasking and app launching is not good either comparing to smartphones that have the same cpu/gpu like Oneplus 3 , LG G5 ,..
8-Gaming experience is worse , as the 1440p leads to fps drops.
9-Notification are not received , bad sync
10-bad signal reception , bad GPS reception , Wi-fi range ??
Yes I know this is so long because after reading many opinions and seeing many reviews that's what came out !!
I still hear that all this can be fixed by an update but till now (after 6 months of releasing) nothing to be confirmed.
I'm a casual user , I don't root my phones , or install custom roms I can bear the Stock Rom if it's doing well , no bugs or lags.
Guys Please be honest , I know that almost every opinion will be biased , I don't want to buy a whortless smartphone because I also consider buying Oneplus 3 since my brother got it and it's an amazing smartphone blazing fast , takes some good images at good light , charging really so quick , everything is good with it except the battery drain when playing heavy games , the standby drain , and some heat issues.
The reasons that pushes me to consider buying Axon 7 over OP3 is it's great 1440p screen VR ready and the front facing speakers even if the Oneplus 3 have a good display despite it's FHD only and also a decent loudspeakers .
Yeahhh this thing is damnn long, but You know I don't wanna spend 400$ for useless features !!
Best Regards , Youssef

1- Not true, the sound is great with both speakers and headphones, although you may have problems with some apps and compatibility.
2- I use the phone a lot outside and never had any problems reading the screen
3- the camera is awful in low light, but its a really good camera in good light. REALLY good.
4- Yes, this is a con, but you get use to it.
5- False and true. The ui is not bloated and it works really good. I actually like it more than pure stock. But regarding bugs and dev support, its really, really bad.
6- It could be faster.... and yes, you get a couple of misreads, but its not as bad as you make it sound.
7- Really don't know what are you referring to. Apps launch fast and multitasking work great (when the phone doesn't kill you app, though)
8- I don't do gaming on my phone, can't comment.
9- This is a mayor problem that should have been fix a long time ago. This is pretty much a killer point.
10- Except for some minor GPS issue indoors, my WIFI and phone receptions have been really great.
As I said in other threads, get the OnePlus 3T. Save yourself some headaches.
This phone is great in paper, and the hardware is excellent, but its pretty much dead. You are going to be really disappointed if you want to change ROMs or get community support.

yamils said:
1- Not true, the sound is great with both speakers and headphones, although you may have problems with some apps and compatibility.
2- I use the phone a lot outside and never had any problems reading the screen
3- the camera is awful in low light, but its a really good camera in good light. REALLY good.
4- Yes, this is a con, but you get use to it.
5- False and true. The ui is not bloated and it works really good. I actually like it more than pure stock. But regarding bugs and dev support, its really, really bad.
6- It could be faster.... and yes, you get a couple of misreads, but its not as bad as you make it sound.
7- Really don't know what are you referring to. Apps launch fast and multitasking work great (when the phone doesn't kill you app, though)
8- I don't do gaming on my phone, can't comment.
9- This is a mayor problem that should have been fix a long time ago. This is pretty much a killer point.
10- Except for some minor GPS issue indoors, my WIFI and phone receptions have been really great.
As I said in other threads, get the OnePlus 3T. Save yourself some headaches.
This phone is great in paper, and the hardware is excellent, but its pretty much dead. You are going to be really disappointed if you want to change ROMs or get community support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really appreciate your answer it's really helping , as I don't really care about updates or custom roms I think it's bearable since you said it's not bloated . I mean overall this smartphone is great !! But I'm afraid that what you said is only applicable for A2017U (US variant) and not the chinese variant A2017 becuz as I stated before I'm not from The US , so I need to import the device from China.

The only one I agree with is the unlit capacitive buttons. This phone is pretty solid otherwise.
Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

I have EU variant A2017G
1- Havent heard anything better yet on mobile phones (havent tried LG V10 or V20, which I believe should have better headphone output)
2- No problems
3- Photos depend on situations actually, daylight are quite good. Software needs to be fixed, manual mode is not that much manual
4- Got used.
5- I use Nova on top of MiFavor and it's almost like anything else.
6- It's fast, reads fingerprint in any direction also, sure sometimes it doesnt get it, but works fine.
7- Dont have OP3 or G5 to compare to.
8- Tried some games, and except for heating and huge battery drain I didnt notice anything. Heats up to 40C, when usually it sits at ~30C.
9- This. Waiting for fix.
10- GPS seems to work good, WiFi good. Signal - not really. on 2G it's great, on 4G - it's there, but drains battery as it's always very low, and it seems that is a problem with A2017G's only, not all, but there is a problem for some people who reported it.

Why *****ing about the capacitive buttons not lit? I mean, it's not like you didn't know before you bought the Axon, right? It would be like complaining about the size of the display...

Youssefmans said:
Hey Everyone,
So Guys , I'm about to buy the Axon 7 A2017 the Chinese variant (Since I'm outside the US) with 4gb RAM and 128gb of storage as an upgrade of my old LG G4, that's why I'm asking you guys to answer me honestly what was your personal experience with this device ? what are the bad sides that have made you frustrated or made you regretting making this purchase ??
I've heard many downsides but I cannot really believe them since many reputable reviewers on Youtube have said the opposite ??
Some Cons I heard :
1-The sound output from Headphones are not really great same for the dual front facing speakers.(Which is a bit shocking as the main promoted feature of this smartphone was the audio capabilities ).
2-The Screen is not clearly visible at direct sunlight
3-The Camera is awful , in other words a piece of crap (I dont really care about Photography or low light stills , but I also hate a smartphone that cannot take some sharp stills at daylight ,such as portait of myself for social media)
4-The capacitive buttons are not back lit , but I think I could get used to them.
5-The UI is buggy and bloated , the phone doesn't have any support from devs and the Company didn't fix many issues and bugs.
6-The fingerprint is not that fast or accurate (I've heard from a review that it works 60-70% of time)
7-Multi tasking and app launching is not good either comparing to smartphones that have the same cpu/gpu like Oneplus 3 , LG G5 ,..
8-Gaming experience is worse , as the 1440p leads to fps drops.
9-Notification are not received , bad sync
10-bad signal reception , bad GPS reception , Wi-fi range ??
Yes I know this is so long because after reading many opinions and seeing many reviews that's what came out !!
I still hear that all this can be fixed by an update but till now (after 6 months of releasing) nothing to be confirmed.
I'm a casual user , I don't root my phones , or install custom roms I can bear the Stock Rom if it's doing well , no bugs or lags.
Guys Please be honest , I know that almost every opinion will be biased , I don't want to buy a whortless smartphone because I also consider buying Oneplus 3 since my brother got it and it's an amazing smartphone blazing fast , takes some good images at good light , charging really so quick , everything is good with it except the battery drain when playing heavy games , the standby drain , and some heat issues.
The reasons that pushes me to consider buying Axon 7 over OP3 is it's great 1440p screen VR ready and the front facing speakers even if the Oneplus 3 have a good display despite it's FHD only and also a decent loudspeakers .
Yeahhh this thing is damnn long, but You know I don't wanna spend 400$ for useless features !!
Best Regards , Youssef
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had any issues whatsoever with this phone. I'm coming from A LG-G4 as well.
1) Sound is phenomenal! You'll have nothing to worry about.
2) It's not as bright as some other phones like the gs7 or IPhone 7, but it's better visibility than the G4 which is every you're coming from.
3) Camera is mediocre compared to today's phones, but it's similar to G4 performance. So it's slightly behind, but I don't take issue with it for such a good price. Daytime shots are really good, night time are meh, hdr makes them look pretty good but you have to stay really still. Manual mode is great if you know what you're doing.
4) Chinese variant uses on screen keys from my understanding. So the issue of non-backlit isn't relevant in your case.
5) UI is not stock Android, but waaaay closer & smoother than LG's UI. You'll have no issues with bloat coming from a G4 imo. Company has taken care of the major concerns like the notification bell on the lock screen and other things of the like. They was my biggest one, do I'm good now.
6) Fingerprint doesn't always get it perfect, but it's good like 85% of the time for me.
7) I haven't done any speed tests against any other phones, but from what I've seen on YouTube, it is slightly slower than competitors. For me, this isn't an issue cuz we're talking an incomprehensible real world difference. That's my opinion however. Its still faster than the G4.
8) No lag issues with gaming here. It on lagged on me once while I had Need for speed open in the background, a photo backup uploading my 32gb worth of photos going, while playing NBA live. It was only a slight stutter though. Other than that one incident, it's really smooth.
9) No issues with notifications or sync here. Could have been an early problem. I got the phone after they released the latest marshmallow build.
10) I get slightly worse reception than my G4. To me it was expected due to it being a metal phone vs a plastic one. I compared it to the G5 at a Tmo store and it wasn't to far off. Like 3dbm lower signal (higher number). Wifi is great though! Faster speeds, more stable signal, & prefers the 5ghz band when available. I always felt like the G4 sucked with wifi.
Overall, you cant go wrong with this purchase. One plus 3 is also a great option. I picked this phone over the OP3 because I'm a sucker for its design. I think it's sexier. I have been thrilled with my purchase so far and have no regrets. It's got all some quirks, but nothing that is a deal breaker for me. I also have the US variant so obviously this is my experience with that model and your mileage my vary if you are shooting for a Chinese unit. But there is my 2¢, hope it helps with your decision! Best of luck.

Thanks Guys I really appreciate your answers , I was about to switch to the OP3 , but I guess I may get The Axon 7 , cuz I'm a regular user and I'm not seeking for a fast responsive smartphone if this is doing the job well , I was also considering the Xiaomi Mi5s Plus 6gb ram version due to the better camera onfiguration and the latest snapdragon but Yeah , a 2k and Front facing speakers worth it !!

I've read cell reception is really bad and therefore I won't buy it.
Enviado desde mi SM-G920F mediante Tapatalk

Cell reception and how it does hotspot compared to my previous phones are pretty bad. But everything else is spot on.. Love the phone. My wife has the oneplus 3 and keeps it stock.. Both phones are awfully similar. I would get the axon if you keep it stock and the oneplus if you plan on installing custom stuff.

From my limited experience with the device (about 1 week, coming from a Galaxy S7 edge).
1) Sounds has been great for me. Both the speakers and headphone sound are louder and clearer that the S7 edge.
2) Screen is really, really good. Sunlight visibility may be a smidge less than the S7 edge, but I like the way the colours pop a lot more on the A7.
3) Not a big photog to be honest. S7 edge had the better camera, for sure. The A7 camera seems pretty good in good lightning, and pretty bad in low lighting.
4) Definitely not backlit, but I honestly have no issue with them. Your muscle memory kicks in pretty much straight away.
5) Definitely not bloated (especially if you come from Touchwiz). Haven't noticed any large scale bugs yet, but need more time.
6) It could be better. I'd say it's accurate about 80% of the time. It seems to work best with a double tap for me.
7) Can't really compare to those devices, but it's about on par with the S7 edge.
8) Gaming has been as good or better than the S7 edge for me (mine is the Exynos variant though).
9) Hard to say since I turn off most notifications. SMS and Slack are my primaries, and they seem to work fine.
10) WiFi has been fine. Haven't tested GPS much. LTE is definitely weak though. I seem to hover around 2-3 bars most of the time. My house, which for whatever reason is a weak spot for my carrier, poses a particular problem.

Youssefmans said:
1-The sound output from Headphones are not really great same for the dual front facing speakers.(Which is a bit shocking as the main promoted feature of this smartphone was the audio capabilities ).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries here. Best speakers hands down. Only phones that come close are HTC M8 and Alcatel One Touch. Headphone output has been great for me, but I think it works best with high end headphones.
Youssefmans said:
2-The Screen is not clearly visible at direct sunlight
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More visible than most thanks to color saturation and low reflectance. Maximum brightness of 360cd/m² is not the highest but thanks to low reflectance and high color saturation sunlight contrast ratio is amongst the best, just below OP3T and S7 but better than iPhone 7.
Youssefmans said:
3-The Camera is awful , in other words a piece of crap (I dont really care about Photography or low light stills , but I also hate a smartphone that cannot take some sharp stills at daylight ,such as portait of myself for social media)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The camera has very good color accuracy and low light is actually pretty decent considering the small pixels size, you just need to be steady or it can become blurry. In bright daylight pictures are good but less sharp than on other 20MP devices (e.g. X play). Noise reduction is a bit too aggressive. I find the camera adequate but it is clearly the main weaker point of the Axon 7 (but I come from the x play which is exceptionally sharp and a very pleasing camera, so I may be a bit biased).
Youssefmans said:
4-The capacitive buttons are not back lit , but I think I could get used to them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got used to them very quickly but in the dark I occasionally miss them.
Youssefmans said:
5-The UI is buggy and bloated , the phone doesn't have any support from devs and the Company didn't fix many issues and bugs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UI is great, only the launcher is not that good, but I replaced it with HTC blinkfeed launcher from xda, as I love their blinkfeed + theming and other aspects.
Youssefmans said:
6-The fingerprint is not that fast or accurate (I've heard from a review that it works 60-70% of time)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People who have this issue did not map their finger correctly, that is not from all possible angles. If you make sure you map your finger from every possible angle and position it works perfectly. It took me a couple of tries to get it right but after that no issues. If you activate ZTE Locker daily wallpaper feature it may reduce recognition times, so may prevent successful recognition if the finger is removed too fast. For me it's no big deal but I know some people prefer to deactivate daily wallpapers to speed up recognition.
Youssefmans said:
7-Multi tasking and app launching is not good either comparing to smartphones that have the same cpu/gpu like Oneplus 3 , LG G5 ,..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that may be true because of the use of a different file mapping system (I read something about this) however this may become default in Android nougat so may not be an issue going forward. I personally don't find app launching slow but other phones are slightly better.
I know that OP recently implemented this file system on their phone:
https://www.google.fr/amp/s/www.xda...fferences-and-f2fs/amp/?client=ms-android-zte
I think this can be replicated on any phone where the ROM build support this. It was replicated on the OP3, it should be positive to get it to work on custom ROMs for the Axon 7 if not done already.
Youssefmans said:
8-Gaming experience is worse , as the 1440p leads to fps drops.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since the Axon 7's display has a pentile arrangement, it is not a true 1440p, this means the display actually has fewer pixels so the difference in performance is not that dramatic. That also explains why the Axon 7 can maintain good battery performance despite 1440p display.
Youssefmans said:
9-Notification are not received , bad sync
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never had this issue. However you need to know that as a default the phone kills apps that are in the background and does not let apps interrupt deep sleep, so you need to set up exceptions for each app to allow them to share notifications.
Youssefmans said:
10-bad signal reception , bad GPS reception , Wi-fi range ??
Youssef
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't confirm this, I actually found this phone to have better reception than OP1, OP1 and Moto X play. My house has thick walls and in spots where I usually had poor reception I now have good reception, access to 4G, etc. I compared db values and they were better than on my other phones.

1- The sound output from headphones is perfectly fine, as good as you can expect from a phone really. The speakers didn't come close to living up to the hype and reviews if you ask me. The only problem with sound is that you'd have to use their stock music app for the Hi-Fi DAC to work, and that app is beyond trash. Super laggy, super buggy, with less than bare-bones functionality. That and the phone apparently only outputs 16 bit sound despite having a 32 bit DAC.
2- Almost no phone is visible in direct sunlight, this phone's brightness is absolutely fine and very bright. Only phones like the Galaxy S7 with super contrast modes can be more visible.
3- The Camera is indeed utterly useless in low light, but in good lighting conditions is okay-ish. It's not in the same league as expensive flagship phone cameras, this is where they really cut costs (aside from the software).
4- Yes, they are not back lit, and yes it's easy to get used to, but super annoying in the dark.
5- The software is abysmal, by far the worst I've ever used. The empty promises and months of not delivering make me completely regret my purchase. If I was within the return period I'd refund the phone and get a OP3T.
6- The fingerprint sensor is very fast and works 95%+ of the time for me. Anyone who's having issues likely didn't register their finger prints from all angles as the phone explicitly tells you to do in its instructions.
7- There's nothing about multi-tasking that has annoyed me yet aside from the occasional bug where a program just closes, but I don't do side by side comparisons so I don't know if it's outperformed by other SD820 phones.
8- I haven't gamed all that much on it, but its gaming performance should be pretty much the same as any other SD820/1440p phone, or slightly better than some of the earlier SD820 phones. I've ran emulated PSP games at 1440p with all settings maxed out without frame drops. If you want a 1080p phone for better performance buy a OP3T.
9- I've had no issues with notifications aside from the lock screen being garbage (even if you disable the stupid bell, which took them forever to update to allow).
10- It's an aluminium unibody phone, of course it's not going to have the same reception as a glass or plastic phone. In my experience it's only slightly worse and hasn't affected me much.
Most your concerns are nothing to worry about, it's the software/non-existent support that would make me turn around, run away, and never look back.
puremind said:
Since the Axon 7's display has a pentile arrangement, it is not a true 1440p, this means the display actually has fewer pixels so the difference in performance is not that dramatic. That also explains why the Axon 7 can maintain good battery performance despite 1440p display. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, this is actually a major problem with pentile. The resolution has to be rendered as normal, they have no magical trick that renders based on subpixels, it's per "pixel", so all these pseudo-1440p phones actually are rendering the software at 1440p if set to full resolution.

1) it's pretty clear, better than any other phone that I have used. Might need an extra amp if you plan to use 70ohm+ cans. Anything else is driven really well if you use DVC within poweramp.
2)no problems for me, but reports have said it is only around 320~ nits which is just not true as I compared it to a Nexus 5 and 5X, and it was brighter than both of them. Even if it was dimmer it should be just fine anyway. I'd compare the level to be a iPhone on 90%.
3)pretty good camera front and back, I don't take selfies as I hate myself amongst other things. Good in normal sunlight and medium to low light (bedroom). I have no idea what the standard is these day and I frankly don't care as I don't use it that much. Good enough to not have your friends laugh at you.
4)I don't like back lit anyway since I normally turn them off and if you can't turn them off they stand out too much at night since the screen is AMOLED.
5) No bugs, just different, I'd say it's the best custom UI that I've used. Close to stock with more compact icons etc. Like a half arsed attempt at making android 7 UI on 6 which is actually pretty good if you look at other manufacturers like Samsung.
6)If you wet your fingers and touch it, lightning fast. I find that if I have really dry hands (half an hour bike ride) I might have to slide it around a bit more but it works. Just do what the setup tells you and keep moving your finger around that scanner. More you cover the better. If you unlock while taking out your pocket you have at least 3 attempts at the scanner at least unless your are Sherrif QuickDraw. If you are using the Chinese version you can even set certain fingers to use certain apps such as camera, very useful as you can add up to 5 fingers.
7)True, but it's marginal. You probably have seen those benchmark videos where they open up 20 apps all in one row and time it. Not a big deal if you consider that the time for each app is like half a second longer each. Doesn't bother me. Been using android since gingerbread, I've experienced full minute waits before.
8)It's 1440p like you said, if you root it you can do some xposed hacks and run it at 1080p shouldn't be that big of a deal anyway. Most games run just fine. I play asphalt 8 (yeah bit old but oh well) just fine.
9)Some ****ty power settings that are enabled by default, just look around in the settings for a bit and you should be fine.
10)It's on par or better than my S3. No dropped calls or missed texts but then again not a lot of people contact me:crying:.
Like you said, if you are a casual user, it shouldn't bother you. 70% of the phones on the market will be just fine. Phone have reached a level where if you don't go for the big names or just buy smart you can use them for 2+ years easy. Sister still rocking Nexus 5 just fine. Battery is crapping out but it was never that good to start with.
If you like games and media, get the Axon. Best portable device I have brought for years. Provides solid audio when paired with good IEMs. Games like Asphalt come to life with the front speakers. Also for a phone this size, it's very easy to hold. If you look at the phone next to a 5" one it's wider by not even 1cm.
If your bro has a OP3 I personally won't get one as well just to be different, also might get confusing. BUT it has:
-better software support (you said you were a normal user so doesn't matter really)
-tad faster with better general battery life due to smaller screen, less GPU load etc.
-more accessories, it's a more popular phone.
-get the 3T instead if you plan on getting this.
-notification slider thing, if you go to college this will be handy as you don't have to pull your phone out.
The Axon also has a few nit picks that I like to pick:
-the notification light is RG not RGB, Not that anyone actually uses that light, I just use it to see if my battery is full lol.
-didn't notice this but some guy on reddit also said that because the headphone jack and the charger is on different sides it lead to some weird holding positions which is true.
-the right speaker (button side) is not in the middle but at the bottom right of the phone due to the charging port. Didn't notice this until I saw a tear down video now when I watch youtube I try to listen out for it. Most of the time I can't but it's there.
Google VR Is also SOON^TM, some guy also said it didn't fit due to the bands touching the hardware buttons. But the ZTE headset is pretty cheap $50~ I think but it's china only.

[/COLOR]
Cyrus D. said:
No, this is actually a major problem with pentile. The resolution has to be rendered as normal, they have no magical trick that renders based on subpixels, it's per "pixel", so all these pseudo-1440p phones actually are rendering the software at 1440p if set to full resolution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it is accurate.
IPS 1440P screen has 11M lighting elements whereas
Pentile 1440p oled only has 7.3M lighting elements - only marginally more than the 6,220,800 Lighting Elements of 1080p IPS LCD display
I bought the phone just before B08 came out so I really wasn't troubled by the software at all, especially since I always install HTC Blinkfeed launcher from HTC, which replaces clock, weather and gallery.
I had no trouble using the HiFi DAC on other apps so far, which app didn't work for you?

puremind said:
I don't think it is accurate.
IPS 1440P screen has 11M lighting elements whereas
Pentile 1440p oled only has 7.3M lighting elements - only marginally more than the 6,220,800 Lighting Elements of 1080p IPS LCD display
I bought the phone just before B08 came out so I really wasn't troubled by the software at all, especially since I always install HTC Blinkfeed launcher from HTC, which replaces clock, weather and gallery.
I had no trouble using the HiFi DAC on other apps so far, which app didn't work for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's correct that pentile has 1/3rd less subpixels than a standard RGB array. "1080p" on an AMOLED would have the same number of subpixels as a real 720p panel. But that wouldn't matter for software, it's still coded per pseudo-pixel as far as I know. Resolution output isn't coded by subpixels.
As for the DAC, every program I've tried sounds different than the stock music player. That includes PowerAmp's latest alpha (called a beta in the app store). The difference is most apparent in instruments, they sound noticeably sharper on the stock music player. I don't know for sure if this is some sort of equalizer or software tricks in the stock player that can't be disabled (the stock player has squat for options) or if it's indeed due to the DAC.
As for the the claims it outputs only 16 bit sound, I haven't ever found out exactly what that means. Whether it's just the stock music app that is limiting it, or if it's coded in the ROM to work like that.

Cyrus D. said:
It's correct that pentile has 1/3rd less subpixels than a standard RGB array. "1080p" on an AMOLED would have the same number of subpixels as a real 720p panel. But that wouldn't matter for software, it's still coded per pseudo-pixel as far as I know. Resolution output isn't coded by subpixels.
As for the DAC, every program I've tried sounds different than the stock music player. That includes PowerAmp's latest alpha (called a beta in the app store). The difference is most apparent in instruments, they sound noticeably sharper on the stock music player. I don't know for sure if this is some sort of equalizer or software tricks in the stock player that can't be disabled (the stock player has squat for options) or if it's indeed due to the DAC.
As for the the claims it outputs only 16 bit sound, I haven't ever found out exactly what that means. Whether it's just the stock music app that is limiting it, or if it's coded in the ROM to work like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you try MX Player?
For pentile displays there is a formula that calculates the subpixel intensities for each subpixel based on the desired "theoretical" pixels, so there are fewer operations being computed. Those operations are only marginally more complex than on an RGB display so the added complexity is offset by the much lower number of operations being conducted. From experience with calculation engines, it is usually more efficient to reduce the number of operations than to reduce the complexity of computations in terms of processing time.

Camera is the only major con for me.
The buttons on the bottom of the screen are ****ty too. Cant see them at night but i can deal with that.

puremind said:
Could you try MX Player?
For pentile displays there is a formula that calculates the subpixel intensities for each subpixel based on the desired "theoretical" pixels, so there are fewer operations being computed. Those operations are only marginally more complex than on an RGB display so the added complexity is offset by the much lower number of operations being conducted. From experience with calculation engines, it is usually more efficient to reduce the number of operations than to reduce the complexity of computations in terms of processing time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I tried to use it and compare the same song side by side to PowerAmp and the stock music player and I couldn't do it because that software is rage inducing. It's not designed at all to be a music player, so even if it could use the Hi-Fi DAC I wouldn't use it.
And that's interesting, I've looked into it and never found any info or article about the resolution output being optimized for pentile displays. Would you happen to have a link so I can read more about it?

Cyrus D. said:
Well I tried to use it and compare the same song side by side to PowerAmp and the stock music player and I couldn't do it because that software is rage inducing. It's not designed at all to be a music player, so even if it could use the Hi-Fi DAC I wouldn't use it.
And that's interesting, I've looked into it and never found any info or article about the resolution output being optimized for pentile displays. Would you happen to have a link so I can read more about it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried MX player? Did you find a difference? What is your go-to app? Which software version do you use? Have you made sure the dolby module was activated when comparing? It could be some apps somehow switch it off and you have to manually switch it on again.
If you don't compute values for each subpixel you have no means of producing the right colors on each theoretical pixel, this is true for both RGB and Pentile OLED. From a colorimetry standpoint there is no other way to control intensity and saturations, you have to drive each subpixel individuallly.

Overall love

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Sony Xperia 1 II, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Sony Xperia 1 II is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

One of my all time favorite phones / camera's
So I have been able to play with and use the xperia 1 ii for over 4 days.
this will be a short review and perhaps I will add to it at a later moment.
Main Things I Didn't Test
* Gaming
* Video
Look and Feel
I personally really like the look and feel of this phone. It has some iPhone 4 qualities to it. By which I mean it feels like a device/tool with nice buttons, very high quality materials. It feels like a tool, like a device that is build for usability rather than build for the wow factor (if that makes sense).
It doesn't have a crazy high screen to body ratio. So something like S20 (or the S10 i used previously) is a bit more awe inspiring. But as soon as you slap a case on a S10 this will disappear any way. But what it has is a uninterrupted screen with no notches or punch hols, it has two front facing high quality speakers. It is function over form rather than form over function. That is not to say that it is not a good looking device it is very nice build it look really great. Although I'm not a fan of mirror polishing but you will not notice that as soon as you slap a cover on it (and it looks way better than the ugly blue s10). I have the official Sony case with stand which will still allow you to see the very nice sides of the phone; they are beautifully machined and have a nice color (especially with the purple one).
The buttons of the volume and the power feel really nice, they have a reassuring click to them. The only thing I'm missing is a click for the shutter button. Perhaps it is not implemented to make sure you don't move the phone while clicking. This has a bit of a downside when you don't have a shutter sound enabled. As the camera is crazy fast and it is therefor hard to see / notice if you took the photo or not. A click would have been nice. But when using the phone more often I got used to it.
Screen
The screen is absolutely amazing especially in creator mode. Colors are very accurate and it is a real joy to watch media on this phone be it movies, clips or photos. Because of the very high PPI reading news or books is possible with small letters it basically looks like it is printed. Compared to my old s10 which has a amazing screen as well I prefer the Sony as it has such natural colors and this printed feel to it. Also the colors are good with low luminescence something the s10 could not manage. That being said the max brightness is a bit less than the s10 and I feel that the display is a bit more reflective. But this could be caused by the fact I keep the brightness down with the Sony as thing look really good with low brightness. That being said I did not encounter any problems reading the screen outside on a bright day.
The screen ratio is really handy. I never used split screen a lot on previous devices. But since it is slightly taller than a s10 (while having the same width) it makes more sense to use it and I use it for more often now (watching YouTube while messaging). I don't feel it is a big phone. It is a bit heavier than the s10 but also it feels better build than the s10. Compared to a Note 10+ the height is similar but the width is significantly less.
Sound
Front facing speaker are great far better than the S10 or any other phone I used. Switching on Dolby Atmos is mandatory as without it is not that good. You really have stereo sound and both speakers are equal in terms of loudness positioning and quality.
The sound quality from the audio jack is good and you have quite a lot of options to set the sound to your tasted. As I mostly use wireless atm I have not tested this comprehensively.
Speed
It is fast, sometimes notably faster than the s10. I think is mostly because of faster memory as I don't to that much cpu intensive stuff. That being said I think the most phones for the last couple of years are fast enough for most of the tasks any way.
5G / reception
5G works no idea if it is faster than 4g. didn't run any test as 4g didn't give me any problems. Reception seems to be very good at least better than the S10. Some places where I did not have a great reception or didn't have any reception with the s10 I do have with the 1ii. Maybe this could be because of 5G (as it uses multiple connections), or maybe not, I have no Idea . WiFi is stable and fast. Bluetooth as well.
Call quality.
It is great, voice is really good, again better than the s10
Battery
it is good, I'm a heavy phone user as I use it for lot's of reading, emailing, work stuff, music and YouTube. No complains and even slightly amazed considering is has "only" a 4000Mha battery
Camera (and a little bit about pricing)
Properly the most important part of this phone it the camera. As Sony did not release a "cheaper" version of the phone with 64GB like the iPhone 11 pro it is a very expensive device and the camera is it's main selling point. Although you could argue it should be compared with a 11 pro max which makes the Sony cheaper than a iPhone 11 pro max (256GB) or similar priced to the 64GB version. I don't understand reviewers that give a lower rating because of the price. It should be compared to an 11 pro (max) or S20+ / Ultra. Personally I think it comes out ahead in many comparisons to these phones. The 1ii is a "pro" phone with a pro price. But than again a "pro" phone is a silly concept to begin with (the only pro phone I ever used was the blackberry passport, best professional / work phone ever, but bad at anything else).
First a small disclaimer. I didn't use the android camera at all (only for scanning a QR code) as you get a photo pro app which should be used if you buy this phone. Secondly I like photography I have used many camera's over the years and also may phones. Up till now my two favorite camera phones where the Lumia 950XL for color and the Mate 9 for b&w photography. The Lumia still amazes me to this day and Nokia/Microsoft did not get enough credit for there work. It was the only phone I knew that could really capture light. Also I don't care for AI powered camera apps. I understand that this is really handy if you just make snapshot and don't care about doing photography your self. I don't care for "HDR" images as all it accomplish is that it removes shadows and makes for a equal brightened image regardless of how the scene looks. If you like these things I'm not sure that this is the phone for you as Google, Samsung and Apple are better at these things
The camera app phone combination is amazing. It really gives you the feel that you are using a camera and more importantly that you are in control. It is a unbelievably fast combinations. For instance; I tried to take a photo of a dog and I was sure I mist it. As he started moving as soon as I pressed the shutter button but to my amazement the camera took the picture, it must have been less than a second between me clicking and the dog moving. I think it might be faster than my RX100m6. If you like to tinker and you know what shot you want and how you want it to look there is not better phone atm. (the Samsung pro camera is highly unusable and Huawei sadly doesn't have Google apps).
The 20fps works really good as well, it is amazing to use on a phone and to be so sure of the results (yes I know I'm using the word amazing a lot). Another surprise is the performance of the digital zoom it is far better than expected is highly usable. Also it is quit nice to have a 70mm option, although I feel that it doesn't perform on the same level as the other two sensor / lens combinations it seems a bit softer and not as sharply focused. The hero of this phone is the main 24mm sensor / lens combo it performs the best and has all the possible options. For the xperia 1iii I would like to see a 50mm included as well. The colors are natural and this gives you the opportunity to post processes the picture your self more easily than say a iPhone or Samsung.
There are some things I would like to see in a software update. Mainly the ability to zoom in normal focal lengths instead of continues (so from 24 to 28 to 35 to 50 etc). To change the shutter sound to a soft click sound. The ability to set sharpness , contrast and saturation. Last but not least RAW support. Also I had a couple of times the app freeze on me but as this is the first version I presume they will fix this.
a bunch of pictures with various focal length and lighting conditions:
https://we.tl/t-8rRytOUylm
Video
didn't really use it and on cnet there is a great review about its video capabilities including a nice short movie. It's great; one of the best reviews ever for any phone or product https://www.cnet.com/news/sony-xperia-1-ii-review-yep-thats-a-real-telephoto-lens/
If you have any questions I will try to answer them (I will not install apps to check stuff )

stefanve said:
So I have been able to play with and use the xperia 1 ii for over 4 days.
this will be a short review and perhaps I will add to it at a later moment.
)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
see link in original post for full rez pictures

Really great feedback, thanks. As a prospective buyer who mainly takes photos of friends/family/selfies, how does the 'shoot and point' on the camera pro app hold up? I'm
a big fan of the portrait mode on my Mate Pro 20, does this phone have a similar mode?

Tmel14 said:
Really great feedback, thanks. As a prospective buyer who mainly takes photos of friends/family/selfies, how does the 'shoot and point' on the camera pro app hold up? I'm
a big fan of the portrait mode on my Mate Pro 20, does this phone have a similar mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had the phone for two days. I'd say this is not a phone you'd buy to be "point and shoot" camera. The main camera app takes good photos but not the best. To get best photos, you should use the camera pro app. It is a solid app/camera and I feel like I have a close to DSLR camera in my pocket. Colors are very natural and accurate compared to manipulated photos you get from Samsung or even Pixel camera app. It does have a portrait mode that works fine however in Camera Pro if you learn to adjust focus manually can have similar effect even better.

Thanks for the heads up. Any tweaks you'd recommend to the default settings on the camera pro app?

The pro mode has a auto mode which is quit good. And I used it for a couple of shots I shared. So it can work really well. I guess it is depending on the look of the auto mode settings and if the other pros of this phone are of interest to you

stefanve said:
see link in original post for full rez pictures
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG! Sorry man, I'm quite shocked by the quality photos form your X1 II. Seriously horrified! There are a couple of good pics from your sample bunch. All others are out of focus, under / overexposed, low detailed etc. I clearly recognize my personal experience with my current phone - Xperia 5 - hit or miss, around 50% of good outcome. Now I'm fully convinced to not even look at possibility of getting Xperia 1 II . Thanks

Love and Hate from me. Eagerly waited for it since announcement and first adverts. High expectations, not only because of SONY´s promises but mostly because of my experience with and long - term SONY user / devices. Most of my SONY phones delivered good images: my XZ Premium, XZ2 Premium, even my last addition, the X, gives me proper images. Not counting the older device along my lifetime (SE68, W-Series, K-Series and so on). But this MK2 is more Hate than Love. Gorgeous design, screen, speakers. Fast and, finally, more storage (novum at SONY!). But the camera - system is a no-go. Mediocre image quality from all but the main camera, even with the 24 lens it delivers inconsistent material. Videos are simply said...to forget. Focus is a hit and miss game when light conditions are different from sunny - outdoor. From 10 images half is usable, depending what lens was used. Not to talk about the front camera. I just informed Sony about my complain and offered them my image and video material to check it. Dunno if they will give me reply....

WarVic said:
OMG! Sorry man, I'm quite shocked by the quality photos form your X1 II. Seriously horrified! There are a couple of good pics from your sample bunch. All others are out of focus, under / overexposed, low detailed etc. I clearly recognize my personal experience with my current phone - Xperia 5 - hit or miss, around 50% of good outcome. Now I'm fully convinced to not even look at possibility of getting Xperia 1 II . Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to say I really like most out of camera photo's, but they don't sharp the photos or use HDR ( you can switch it on) but I guess in the end is about personal taste. to my eyes they look miles better than anything samsung.
just to show what you can do with the out of camera photos (I hope raw support will be added soon) look at the different versions of two photos.
But indeed this phone is not for some one that wants a camera that " just works"

That's fine then. For me they looks like made by Galaxy S5 really. Old dinky Pixel 1 makes a way better shots straight out of the camera to my opinion. Thanks for sharing photos anyway. You've stopped me from making a very costly mistake.

WarVic said:
That's fine then. For me they looks like made by Galaxy S5 really. Old dinky Pixel 1 makes a way better shots straight out of the camera to my opinion. Thanks for sharing photos anyway. You've stopped me from making a very costly mistake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if you looked at the images attached to the post. but keep in mind that XDA is heavily compressing the images. so pixel peaking is not advisable and I can understand you would say it seems to be at S5 level

stefanve said:
Not sure if you looked at the images attached to the post. but keep in mind that XDA is heavily compressing the images. so pixel peaking is not advisable and I can understand you would say it seems to be at S5 level
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not an idiot or simply blind, mate . I downloaded your archive with full sized images and had a good look at them. Sorry man but it's just complete disaster, "unbelievable" photo quality. And it's not just subjective opinion or a matter of taste. If I spent $1200 on a camera-phone which makes photos like THAT.... I'd return IT without a second thought. It's hard to believe that future patches and fixes will help. Anyway, Sony has a tremendous job ahead. Otherwise I predict mass returns, very poor sales or significant price drop.

WarVic said:
I'm not an idiot or simply blind, mate . I downloaded your archive with full sized images and had a good look at them. Sorry man but it's just complete disaster, "unbelievable" photo quality. And it's not just subjective opinion or a matter of taste. If I spent $1200 on a camera-phone which makes photos like THAT.... I'd return IT without a second thought. It's hard to believe that future patches and fixes will help. Anyway, Sony has a tremendous job ahead. Otherwise I predict mass returns, very poor sales or significant price drop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not saying or thinking you are an idiot, just checking
Funny how different people see different things looking at the same image. That being said if the main reason of this phone is to have a great camera than indeed it's disappointing and it's better to get a RX100V or what ever and a mid range phone for the same money. I guess no phone is worth 1200 it is way to much for any phone and perhaps especially for a android as the long term support is non existing.
I just have fun snapping with it and i am pleased with the output (considering that it is a phone

Noticed gaming performance is dropping, guess I've installed something....
Playing COD, every 10 odd seconds it shows, then goes back to normal.
Notice this in other games to, even silly idle games that should be pulling no demand. One of them even said, drop to low performance mode, your phone is struggling. WTF!
My previous phone, one lower chip model and g card model never had any problems.
Must be done software conflicts, but dunno how to find them

Am I the only one who doesn't see what's wrong with the pictures that have been posted?

They are perfectly fine. But if you are used to processed photos from Samsung, Google or Apple you might not like the look as these are basically not altered by some algorithm.

Burst shot of me Pooch : https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=18Os3AQ2j0TuqaFjJ6c9h-TvFGr2zyIk1

WarVic said:
I'm not an idiot or simply blind, mate . I downloaded your archive with full sized images and had a good look at them. Sorry man but it's just complete disaster, "unbelievable" photo quality. And it's not just subjective opinion or a matter of taste. If I spent $1200 on a camera-phone which makes photos like THAT.... I'd return IT without a second thought. It's hard to believe that future patches and fixes will help. Anyway, Sony has a tremendous job ahead. Otherwise I predict mass returns, very poor sales or significant price drop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This guy is not an idiot either
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zevK7xMsYdA&feature=youtu.be
---------- Post added at 03:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:24 AM ----------
I think the standard photo App is still a work in progress - a rushed unfinished bolt on that is likely to be improved over the next few updates - they wanted to get this phone to market before they lost the window - understandable
I expect improvements and will wait a few months to see if they materialise before I make a purchase
we need to remember what they are pushing in this phone - the Pro Camera availability and I am loving the idea, a new concept in the market
Think of it this way, what if they never included the standard photo app at all and just improved the auto functions of the pro app, that may have been their intention during development but decided to throw in the standard app last minute - you can't please everyone all at once

Geoffxx said:
This guy is not an idiot either
&feature=youtu.be
---------- Post added at 03:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:24 AM ----------
I think the standard photo App is still a work in progress - a rushed unfinished bolt on that is likely to be improved over the next few updates - they wanted to get this phone to market before they lost the window - understandable
I expect improvements and will wait a few months to see if they materialise before I make a purchase
we need to remember what they are pushing in this phone - the Pro Camera availability and I am loving the idea, a new concept in the market
Think of it this way, what if they never included the standard photo app at all and just improved the auto functions of the pro app, that may have been their intention during development but decided to throw in the standard app last minute - you can't please everyone all at once
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't use someone on the Xperia YouTube channel to counter the comment from someone criticising the quality as it'll just be massively biased towards Sony lol
If it's like the Xperia 1 you'll be waiting forever for the improvements to come so I wouldn't hang around.