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I am in the market for a new cell phone to replace my current Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini. Given my budget, I have nearly settled on the Asus ZenFone 2. At $299 for an upper-middle tier cell phone with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, it seems like a solid bet. The only real downfall I have discovered from my research thus far is the ZenUI which overlays the stock Android experience and the massive amount of bloatware that comes pre-installed on the phone.
If I were able to safely get rid of the bloatware and make the phone more like a pure stock Android experience, I would buy it in a heartbeat.
I consider myself fairly able to work with technology, although I have never actually rooted, flashed, or otherwise modded a cell phone. So, I am looking for some guidance. Do you think the ZenFone2 warrants a purchase in spite of the concerns outlined? If no, do you have any suitable reocmmendations in that budget range? More importantly, do you think I would be able to modify the phone to get rid of bloatware and make it a more stock Android experience?
Sorry if this questions has been asked previously. As I mentioned, I am very new to this, certainly new to the forums, and just looking for guidance. Thanks!
Bloatware thing is overblown, you can disable every single preinstalled app on the phone. The performance is amazing, this is a lag free phone. However, I do no recommend this phone simply based on the battery life, its terrible. There is no way around it.
yumms said:
Bloatware thing is overblown, you can disable every single preinstalled app on the phone. The performance is amazing, this is a lag free phone. However, I do no recommend this phone simply based on the battery life, its terrible. There is no way around it.
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I'm not as concerned about the battery life as I am generally near a charger. But, do you think the battery issues might be address through an Android update (I hear 5.1.1 is coming soon to Asus) or even a root/mod like Cyanogenmod?
dchadjohnson said:
I'm not as concerned about the battery life as I am generally near a charger. But, do you think the battery issues might be address through an Android update (I hear 5.1.1 is coming soon to Asus) or even a root/mod like Cyanogenmod?
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Battery life is little fixed for me on this new updates,it's not that bad,but just wait for 5.1.1 update or Android M 6.0 update,zenfone 2 will shine for sure
---------- Post added at 04:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:35 PM ----------
and btw don't install Cm 12.1,i tried it and it's worse than asus stock rom,trust me...
The only bad thing about the phone (550ML) is the battery backup and the memory usage.
Except that, it is good.
Depending where you are, i could advice your to buy the redmi note 2, lower price, more powerfull, pictures a bit better in low light environment, sound better, 5 hours SOT and not three like this phone, lower and brighter screen...
I bought the WW version of the phone you are considering, after upgrading from a S4. Unlike a lot here on XDA, I have left it at stock, with 64gig of storage and 4gig of ram who cares about the bloatware. With Auto Start Manager you can disable anything you want to anyway. It does what I want it to do and I am not stuck to the carrier's software update schedule as I was with the S4.
I've had ZenFone 2 for about 1 month now. My previous phone was first gen Moto G.
ZenUI is surprisingly good. I usually have Google Now launcher or Nova Launcher but I've been sticking with ZenUI. The bloat is only a minor inconvenience.
As for performance: the phone is a beast! Astonishing considering the price. I have 1.8ghz 4gig ram version.
The screen is good. It doesn't get dim enough and so is not ideal for nighttime use. I tried to use rootdim to no avail. I use phone at min brightness for most of day.
Battery life is poor! Struggle to get 3hrs screen on time. I'm a medium to heavy user. Have to charge it twice a day. Hoping this can be improved with 5.1.1. If, not then might consider one plus one.
m98221 said:
I've had ZenFone 2 for about 1 month now. My previous phone was first gen Moto G.
ZenUI is surprisingly good. I usually have Google Now launcher or Nova Launcher but I've been sticking with ZenUI. The bloat is only a minor inconvenience.
As for performance: the phone is a beast! Astonishing considering the price. I have 1.8ghz 4gig ram version.
The screen is good. It doesn't get dim enough and so is not ideal for nighttime use. I tried to use rootdim to no avail. I use phone at min brightness for most of day.
Battery life is poor! Struggle to get 3hrs screen on time. I'm a medium to heavy user. Have to charge it twice a day. Hoping this can be improved with 5.1.1. If, not then might consider one plus one.
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Use lux light as it dims the screen to great nighttime viewing and I get decent screen time and I'm a heavy user as well
Sent from my ASUS_Z00AD using XDA Free mobile app
I have never experienced the poor battery life others complain of on this phone.
Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk
corrsea said:
I have never experienced the poor battery life others complain of on this phone.
Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk
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yeah me too, I get battery backup around 5 hrs easily and the only thing I dont like is memory management and blaotwares that's all but as someone said earlier you can disable and I did around 13 apps xD
Camera and performace and battery is very good. Waiting for 5.1.1'
[/COLOR]and btw don't install Cm 12.1,i tried it and it's worse than asus stock rom,trust me...[/QUOTE]
Well what people need to understand is that ALL of the AOSP roms for the zenfone 2 are in BETA STAGES! Meaning its not 100% stable. Not the devs fault as they are doing there best to get it to a stable release.
As for recommending the phone to OP. Yes I do, is in my list its one of the top phones for 300 and under this year. Now its not perfect(battery, junk bloat, screen brightness, screen to body ratio) but for the 4gb model if you tweak and make it yours you will love the speed and its flagship experience at a mid level price point.
Well, many people have already give you a help but here it goes another one. This phone is just amazing. For this price you only have OP2 or Moto X to compete (both are a little bit expensive).
My battery reach to 4.30h SOT and i have always wifi, bt and 4g on. Play about 1h games, lots of browsing and social networks. 30m talking. In the end of day still have my battery around 25%. Not bad but with 5.1.1 hope this improve. There is very little bloatware and you can remove them or disable easily.
The bad things is the screen body ratio is bsd and make the phone biggest, the camera is not brilliant, the power button on top, the screen brightness.
But every phones have pros and cons so, for me, this is the best for the price
Already bought another for my sister and i recommend alot. Very happy user
Kambz1994 said:
and btw don't install Cm 12.1,i tried it and it's worse than asus stock rom,trust me...
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Strongly disagree with that, it is improving daily and imho already surpasses the ASUS stock firmware. CM has given me a new found love for and enjoyment of this excellent phone.
Delgadovsky said:
Well, many people have already give you a help but here it goes another one. This phone is just amazing. For this price you only have OP2 or Moto X to compete (both are a little bit expensive).
My battery reach to 4.30h SOT and i have always wifi, bt and 4g on. Play about 1h games, lots of browsing and social networks. 30m talking. In the end of day still have my battery around 25%. Not bad but with 5.1.1 hope this improve. There is very little bloatware and you can remove them or disable easily.
The bad things is the screen body ratio is bsd and make the phone biggest, the camera is not brilliant, the power button on top, the screen brightness.
But every phones have pros and cons so, for me, this is the best for the price
Already bought another for my sister and i recommend alot. Very happy user
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I get more than 5 hrs xD
See xD
903tex said:
[/COLOR]and btw don't install Cm 12.1,i tried it and it's worse than asus stock rom,trust me...
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Well what people need to understand is that ALL of the AOSP roms for the zenfone 2 are in BETA STAGES! Meaning its not 100% stable. Not the devs fault as they are doing there best to get it to a stable release.
As for recommending the phone to OP. Yes I do, is in my list its one of the top phones for 300 and under this year. Now its not perfect(battery, junk bloat, screen brightness, screen to body ratio) but for the 4gb model if you tweak and make it yours you will love the speed and its flagship experience at a mid level price point.[/QUOTE]
Lol, cm12.1 and aosp roms are in beta version so they need time to be stable. They aren't ridiculous noob
If you're not a hardcore gamer, then better wait for the Zenfone 2 Laser (ZE550KL) variant with Snapdragon 615 and 3GB RAM. I had almost decided to buy the ZE550ML, although I was apprehensive about the battery life, when I read about the new model. It costs marginally higher than the ZE550ML, but should have better battery if somewhat less performance. Plus 3GB RAM should still take care of the ZenUI bloat.
Gustapo said:
If you're not a hardcore gamer, then better wait for the Zenfone 2 Laser (ZE550KL) variant with Snapdragon 615 and 3GB RAM. I had almost decided to buy the ZE550ML, although I was apprehensive about the battery life, when I read about the new model. It costs marginally higher than the ZE550ML, but should have better battery if somewhat less performance. Plus 3GB RAM should still take care of the ZenUI bloat.
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2 Gb ram is enough for gaming if you know how to use phone
ASUS ZenFone2 is a great phone!
Okay, so I'm a bit biased...but this phone is actually really good! (I came from a Nexus). Battery life is really dependent on your location, signal, usage scenarios, etc. But I'm on T-Mo in the Bay Area where signal isn't the best, I use the phone for work and have gotten through an entire day 7-10PM with at least 20% left. Bloatware can be disabled on the latest firmware.
Yeah, I've disabled 23 bloatwares xD
So I'm kind of in a dilemma to get a a Oneplus 2 and selling my Galaxy s6 for it.
Regarding the specs and software experience, do you think that trading my Galaxy S6 for a 64gb Oneplus 2 is a good long-term idea?
I sold my gs6 and got the oneplus 2, no regrets so far. I mainly did it because I don't like touchwiz. I like using close to stock Android software. Battery life on gs6 sucks as well, much better on op2. Build quality is definitely better on the gs6 but aside from that this phone tops it in every way for me.
dzaster89 said:
I sold my gs6 and got the oneplus 2, no regrets so far. I mainly did it because I don't like touchwiz. I like using close to stock Android software. Battery life on gs6 sucks as well, much better on op2. Build quality is definitely better on the gs6 but aside from that this phone tops it in every way for me.
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yeah, even with the COI9 build of the S6, Touchwiz is shiity due to some stutterting with it's UI. If only there would be a CM build for this lol
I'm really in the verge of getting the oneplus 2, but there is also a part of me choosing between the Nexus 6P. what do you think, disregarding the price?
Go for 6P if you don't need dual sim.
Sent from Oneplus Two with Tapatalk
shigi1231 said:
So I'm kind of in a dilemma to get a a Oneplus 2 and selling my Galaxy s6 for it.
Regarding the specs and software experience, do you think that trading my Galaxy S6 for a 64gb Oneplus 2 is a good long-term idea?
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After having the S6, Note 5 and OP2 I would never leave an S6 for an OP2. The only reason I keep the OP2 is for the hope of an official CM build, that's all. If the S6 battery life is too poor for you to put up with THEN I would do it, that's the only reason. I don't like Oxygen OS particularly and after using the S6 the OP2 feels laggy to me. I would download package disabler from the app store for the S6 as it really helps improve battery life. I didn't have a problem with the S6's battery life, especially with quick charge. Obviously it may not meet your needs though since we're all different. Just my two cents.
dc82 said:
After having the S6, Note 5 and OP2 I would never leave an S6 for an OP2. The only reason I keep the OP2 is for the hope of an official CM build, that's all. If the S6 battery life is too poor for you to put up with THEN I would do it, that's the only reason. I don't like Oxygen OS particularly and after using the S6 the OP2 feels laggy to me. I would download package disabler from the app store for the S6 as it really helps improve battery life. I didn't have a problem with the S6's battery life, especially with quick charge. Obviously it may not meet your needs though since we're all different. Just my two cents.
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quite unusual to see from someone that the OP2 is lagging. Anyway, I also have the same reason why I'm considering the OP2 or Nexus 6p, because of the CM or near stock experience. I've recently installed some Custom roms in the S6, that fixed the touchwiz lag but not the ram management. I'm also waiting if there would be AOSP roms for the s6.
shigi1231 said:
quite unusual to see from someone that the OP2 is lagging. Anyway, I also have the same reason why I'm considering the OP2 or Nexus 6p, because of the CM or near stock experience. I've recently installed some Custom roms in the S6, that fixed the touchwiz lag but not the ram management. I'm also waiting if there would be AOSP roms for the s6.
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its very common for oxygenos to be laggy, coming from nexus 5 6.0 update, oxygenos with all this hardware is still no match in smoothness, they have ways to go. of course just waiting for the cyanogenmod to become official then you can kiss the lagg bye bye. tested the beta, and it is fantastic. hydrogenos is currently faster and almost lag free compared to oxygen.
xtachix said:
its very common for oxygenos to be laggy, coming from nexus 5 6.0 update, oxygenos with all this hardware is still no match in smoothness, they have ways to go. of course just waiting for the cyanogenmod to become official then you can kiss the lagg bye bye. tested the beta, and it is fantastic. hydrogenos is currently faster and almost lag free compared to oxygen.
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I have the latest OOS installed + AK kernel v15, and I see no lag whatsoever. Browsing through the UI is as smooth as it can get + battery life is amazing.
I did just that ,today is my first day with the oneplus 2 .I cant get over how heavy it is !.battery life seems a little better but I am not getting 4G which might be contributing to the battery life .I have to say that the S6 feels far more polished than the OPT over all ,the OPT reminds me of the days when I used custom ROMs where you encounter a few glitches here and there (not connecting to my wifi for instance ).
shigi1231 said:
So I'm kind of in a dilemma to get a a Oneplus 2 and selling my Galaxy s6 for it.
Regarding the specs and software experience, do you think that trading my Galaxy S6 for a 64gb Oneplus 2 is a good long-term idea?
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Click to collapse
The GS6 has one of the best camera's available on any phone today, but the OP2 isn't that far behind (with some software improvements it could potentially equal it). If you hate Touchwiz as much as I do, then trade it in. If you don't, then don't.. Because the GS6 is truly a fantastic device if you like a phone that just works. It's basically the iPhone of Android devices.
zaki67 said:
I did just that ,today is my first day with the oneplus 2 .I cant get over how heavy it is !.battery life seems a little better but I am not getting 4G which might be contributing to the battery life .I have to say that the S6 feels far more polished than the OPT over all ,the OPT reminds me of the days when I used custom ROMs where you encounter a few glitches here and there (not connecting to my wifi for instance ).
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If you can live without a fingerprint scanner for a while you should give Exodus a try. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
shigi1231 said:
quite unusual to see from someone that the OP2 is lagging. Anyway, I also have the same reason why I'm considering the OP2 or Nexus 6p, because of the CM or near stock experience. I've recently installed some Custom roms in the S6, that fixed the touchwiz lag but not the ram management. I'm also waiting if there would be AOSP roms for the s6.
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It's actually not unusual at all. Use literally any other current flagship phone and then go back to the OP2. Stock vs stock it's noticeable. I'd wait till the S6 gets marshmallow to make your determination if you can. Hardware-wise I think the S6 is better and that being the case, you can update software but you can't change hardware.
I hear there was a new update for the camera of the OP2 fixing the auto laser focus with filming videos
How's the display of the device? Is the 1080P LCD display not that farfetched from SUPERAMOLED?
Considering the SoCs of both Nexus 6P and OP2, do you think that the 64gb (with 4 gb of ram) would provide more RAW power than the nexus 6p?
I went from GS6 to a oneplus 2. I originally kept the GS6 and sold the Oneplus 2, but later changed my mind and bought a new Oneplus 2. (I don't understand all the whining about not being able to buy one!)
Here is why:
My main complaint regarding the OP2 is its size. The S6 is sleek and lightweight. When it comes to having one of the two in a pocket...I much prefer the size of the S6. But, phones aren't made for sitting in our pockets, are they? Also, I find the vibrating motor on the OP2 is lower quality than the one on the S6 and so I leave it turned off because it annoys me. The vibrating seems to slow down the use of the keyboard to me as well. I also don't find the quality of accessories like cases to be as good for OP2 as the GS6.
On the other hand:
I don't mind the lack of NFC because I don't keep a phone unrooted long enough to use Android Pay anyway. I think Oneplus realized most of it's users would be in that boat. I also don't mind the lack of quickcharging because I just plug in my phone everynight and I have a 15,000mAh battery charger that bought just in case, but I have used exactly 0 times. Despite all of the horror stories on these forums, I have stock Oxygen and stock kernel and get to the end of every day with about 75% charge left.
I think the TW on GS6 is fine, but I honestly prefer the stock experience. I found the camera on the GS6 to be better, but I would ALWAYS choose my DSLR for any serious video or photo of either and I don't find it $150 dollars better (The actual price difference if you watch for deals on websites such as Slickdeals).
I hear all sorts of whining about the quality of the hardware being less on Oneplus 2, but in the past half year I have owned 3 GS6 devices and two of them had to be sent in for RMA warranty. I have owned 2 Oneplus 2's and they were both without any faults. Also, if you think that Oneplus has software issues, you should see all the whining over on the S6 forums about the software problems. Samsung is arguably the most advanced android maker out there and still regularly have software issues! Samsung does not support the Dev community and takes every action to prevent any software modification (Ever heard of a Knox?). Oneplus has limitations on what they are able to provide the community with regard to drivers, but does what it can.
I used the fancy features like heartbeat sensor and pulse ox a total of once just out of curiosity...never found a need to use it ever again. The same goes for the remote control. It is a neat feature, but I would prefer to use my regular remote.
I also can't see the point in using Android Pay because it seems like half of all retailers out there still make me pull out my wallet to show my ID. Basically, at this point the Android Pay is about the same level of novelty as a 4k screen on a 40 inch TV and I'm fine without it. I can't drive anywhere without my wallet because it has my license, so I might as well carry a card in there too. If I go to a restaurant, I'm not going to hand a $400 to $650 device to the waiter to pay for my food.... With all of it's limitations, Android Pay just isn't THAT much of a convenience. So, I will choose to root my phone and do without out it whether the device has NFC or not.
The GS6 Super OLED is beautiful, but comes with drawbacks. One main problem is that they suffer from burn-in. I had one device that I couldn't stand using because it developed a severe burn in from having a background similar to the "never settle" on the OP2 that left words visible on the back of the device. The burn in occurred after a couple days of heavy use of the device and was permanent. Samsung will not fix that problem on warranty...they see it as your fault. IPS does not have this problem. With regard to battery use I don't think that the benefits of OLED outweigh the significantly larger battery on the OP2. Also, I should mention that I have a smartwatch so I could care less about features like having alerts popup on the display, but I doubt that this really consumes a lot more energy on the IPS displays than the OLED displays. I believe that more energy is probably being consumed in the wakelock anyway from those sort of events and really don't want my screen turning on to tell me about new alerts either way. I saw a fancy graph somewhere about how OLED really doesn't use that much less energy compared to IPS with LED anyway, and can actually use more in certain cicumstances.
I find that the larger real estate of the 5.5 inch screen on the OP2 is a better size compared to the S6 in my experience and don't appreciate any decrease in quality in the 1080p vs 2k.
The S6 and Oneplus 2 are both pretty lag-free experiences. I do like having the 64gb of space compared to the 32 on my S6, but the OP2 seems to run with about 2GB or RAM free, so the 4GB or RAM is probably overkill. The S6 on the otherhand is bloated beyond belief and uses every bit of the 3GB of RAM. Anyone who has spent time on the S6 part of xda has seen tons of complaints about this. Meanwhile, OOS isn't perfect, but it does remain a bloat free experience.
Importantly, the dev support for OP2 is much better and we really owe these guys like Grarak and AK for all their hard work. Dev support for the S6 is very limited. CM will probably never be available for the S6 because it uses the Exynos.
I never had a problem with using the physical home button on the S6, but after using the home button on the OP2, I found that I was annoyed everytime I had to actually press down on that physical button on the S6. I don't know why, but it really bugged me.
dc82 said:
After having the S6, Note 5 and OP2 I would never leave an S6 for an OP2. The only reason I keep the OP2 is for the hope of an official CM build, that's all. If the S6 battery life is too poor for you to put up with THEN I would do it, that's the only reason. I don't like Oxygen OS particularly and after using the S6 the OP2 feels laggy to me. I would download package disabler from the app store for the S6 as it really helps improve battery life. I didn't have a problem with the S6's battery life, especially with quick charge. Obviously it may not meet your needs though since we're all different. Just my two cents.
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I was pretty much going to say the same thing said here......So I'll just +1 this.
Ok, I have to say a little more...
I like my OP2, the build is nice and it's a premium looking phone.....But I've only had it a month and have had several small, annoying bugs pop up over that time and a couple that required a full factory reset. I had my S6 for a couple months and had no real issues. I almost feel the OP2's software wasn't ready for release, but they went ahead and released it anyways. As bloated as the S6 is, it's a smooth and snappy user experience IMO. TouchWiz has really slimmed down from the S3 days too and I actually liked it as well as my go-to launcher, Nova. I hate saying that, because I generally don't like big corporate companies like Samsung, but they don't have one of the most popular phones in the world for no reason. But for the money, I was willing to take a chance on the OP2 as I'm sure development will be better in a few months and even the stock ROM will become more stable over time.
To what I see from everyone I think I can deduce like this:
Oneplus 2: DEV FRIENDLY (i cant emphasis enough how this is very important to me lol), can go toe to toe with the Exynos chip, better stock experience (Cyanogenmod is coming quickly), due to camera software updates OP2 camera is decent, build quality is premium, battery is good, better RAM
Galaxy S6: build is super premium but can be so greasy due to the glass back and front, Exynos chip is good, TouchWiz is decent, NFC, wireless charging, QHD but can be a set back due to battery
The S6 has been months out now, and it would seem there are no Developers working or at least having good progress on a AOSP rom.
tele_jas said:
I was pretty much going to say the same thing said here......So I'll just +1 this.
Ok, I have to say a little more...
I like my OP2, the build is nice and it's a premium looking phone.....But I've only had it a month and have had several small, annoying bugs pop up over that time and a couple that required a full factory reset. I had my S6 for a couple months and had no real issues. I almost feel the OP2's software wasn't ready for release, but they went ahead and released it anyways. As bloated as the S6 is, it's a smooth and snappy user experience IMO. TouchWiz has really slimmed down from the S3 days too and I actually liked it as well as my go-to launcher, Nova. I hate saying that, because I generally don't like big corporate companies like Samsung, but they don't have one of the most popular phones in the world for no reason. But for the money, I was willing to take a chance on the OP2 as I'm sure development will be better in a few months and even the stock ROM will become more stable over time.
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OK, I like the OP2 a lot.....for the money. It's a great phone for the money. You can't spend this "little" and expect a lot more. The screen is NOWHERE near as good as any recent AMOLED. To anyone claiming burn in is still an issue, I say that's overblown. I've had more phones than I care to even admit to and I've had burn in only once. That was with the N6 and that was an older Samsung panel. The op2 screen looks nice enough with no other phone as a reference. Put it next to any recent samsung and you see how washed out the OP2 panel looks. That being said. This phone is NOT a flagship killer, its simply a really, REALLY good phone...for the money. If this phone made by Samsung ppl would be up in arms about its shortcomings. But bc its made by an obscure Chinese company that makes ridiculous marketing claims we all buy in to a degree. Again, I love the phone. It's great..for the money. Don't expect perfection and you'll be happy with it.
dc82 said:
OK, I like the OP2 a lot.....for the money. It's a great phone for the money. You can't spend this "little" and expect a lot more. The screen is NOWHERE near as good as any recent AMOLED. To anyone claiming burn in is still an issue, I say that's overblown. I've had more phones than I care to even admit to and I've had burn in only once. That was with the N6 and that was an older Samsung panel. The op2 screen looks nice enough with no other phone as a reference. Put it next to any recent samsung and you see how washed out the OP2 panel looks. That being said. This phone is NOT a flagship killer, its simply a really, REALLY good phone...for the money. If this phone made by Samsung ppl would be up in arms about its shortcomings. But bc its made by an obscure Chinese company that makes ridiculous marketing claims we all buy in to a degree. Again, I love the phone. It's great..for the money. Don't expect perfection and you'll be happy with it.
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I just RMA'ed a S6 with burn in and got my replacement today which I plan to sell. So, it still happens and on my device it didn't take much. I hadn't had any problems with any of my prior AMOLED screens I would have agreed with you, but I used a background pic from the S6 promotional material that said "Six Appeal". After removing the background I could see the words any time I had a grey or white background... such as anytime I used XDA. Fortunately for me, the phone had a camera defect and I was able to RMA it. Regarding the burn in, they basically just said "too bad". Considering I just finished dealing with the issue, this is probably why I am so sensitive to it being a concern.
BTW, as mentioned, I have both phones and think the S6 screen is only minimally better after adjusting screen settings on the OP2. I have both of them in front of me right now. I will say, the default screen settings for the OP2 don't help the first impression and I originally thought it was very washed out comparatively.
As a point of mention just for anyone out there new to the technologies: burn in will always be a potential design risk with AMOLED technology. As any pixel is used it will wear ever so slightly. The rate of wear may improve in future generations, but the wear itself is an inherent part of the technology. The good news is that if you are careful, you can probably avoid the problem for the most part. Static parts of the screen with high contrast like the top bar are at risk because they often have the same pixels being used.
Also, "Super AMOLED" isn't actually any better than an AMOLED from the standpoint of screen quality. It is just Samsung's made up term for when they fuse a digitizer into the display vs having it as a separate layer. The underlying display is still the same.
Silvers91 said:
I have the latest OOS installed + AK kernel v15, and I see no lag whatsoever. Browsing through the UI is as smooth as it can get + battery life is amazing.
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I have the same installed, a stock nexus 5 with the official 6.0 firmware is much smoother. you'd say the UI is lag free, for the most part that's true, but once you open an app it takes a bit of time for the app to actually load, where in android 6.0 of nexus 5 you don't see that. none the less, the phone is fantastic, just needs some more working on before they can actually call it a well built stock firmware.
xtachix said:
I have the same installed, a stock nexus 5 with the official 6.0 firmware is much smoother. you'd say the UI is lag free, for the most part that's true, but once you open an app it takes a bit of time for the app to actually load, where in android 6.0 of nexus 5 you don't see that. none the less, the phone is fantastic, just needs some more working on before they can actually call it a well built stock firmware.
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I agree with you, I had a Nexus 5 but I sold it right before Marshmallow was released for it, but even with 5.1.1 it was smooth as hell, I'm yet to see a phone that is as smooth as the Nexus 5.. OnePlus 2 just needs some time to get the right software, it was only released 3 months ago anyway.
Silvers91 said:
I agree with you, I had a Nexus 5 but I sold it right before Marshmallow was released for it, but even with 5.1.1 it was smooth as hell, I'm yet to see a phone that is as smooth as the Nexus 5.. OnePlus 2 just needs some time to get the right software, it was only released 3 months ago anyway.
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agreed, OP needs to completely debloat their software, make it completely stock, optimize it, then add extra features to it. a rom that's 1.1GB in size tells you quite a lot vs the cyanogenmod .4GB. They need to take it from ground up to even match cyanogenmod in terms of performance and UI experience. I mean look at nexus 5, no matter what rom you put in it, the stock one was always better, smoother UI, better performance, at one point installing a custom kernel made the phone unstable and killed battery life faster.
right off the bat, OP2 users started installing AK kernel to eliminate lagg issues and battery life issues. What does that tell us? the underlying software is not very good, the kernel probably does lots of wasteful debugging and 2 cores almost always offline. The idea is there, but the implementation of the idea seems like to have "workarounds" rather than actual redesigning of the code to coop with the ROM's needs. I mean no one even bothered to create a custom ROM based on the official ROM. The first things that came out for the nexus was the custom ROM based on the official sources.
I'm sorry OP2, but nexus 5 was the real flagship killer, I still have the phone (though had to replace the power button). battery life was good for me, lasted 17-20 hours. Hopefully OP can start to understand that user requests and bug reports should not be worked with using the "workaround" style, but instead to fix issues from the foundation of the ROM, optimize it then release it. Maybe they can release a lightweight version, or a stock AOSP version with everything functional. CM will probably beat them to it at this rate.
Hey guys, I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on if this phone is still worth it? Especially for right around $300. Or am I better off saving some more money and buying a Pixel/Pixel XL or waiting for the Pixel 2s?
succumbtothegreater said:
Hey guys, I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on if this phone is still worth it? Especially for right around $300. Or am I better off saving some more money and buying a Pixel/Pixel XL or waiting for the Pixel 2s?
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It's depend what you need overall I am happy with the v20. It's still great phone plus the killer audio if you don't need the new and greatest device. The good are good screen, audio, good for contents consumption, removeable battery. The not so good LG stock ui a little laggy for me sometime, size is not so compact and not much dev support for this phone. For $300 its steal. New phones not much new really they just try to make money from us after few weeks it get old like other phones.
I think so, of course, I just bought one last week...
With the price drops, it's a very good device for the money. Specs haven't been increasing as fast as years past, so devices are quite usable for longer times than before. We can still unlock/root and AOSP based ROMs are getting good. Updates will never be as fast as Google devices like the Pixel, but it's not bad and you don't lose as much waiting it out like we used to. Even Oreo doesn't add that much that I care about for features. The very latest flagships are maybe 20% faster. They also cost 2-3x as much. Value isn't there for me. Maybe it is for you, that's your decision to make.
I'm not interested in Pixel or most new devices right now. I came from a Nexus 6 with a dieing battery. I can replace it, and probably will, but it's annoying to do and runs a risk of destroying the device for a known maintenance part that we know will die. It's a bit like welding the oil plug on a car so you can't change the oil. Eventually it will die, it's a matter of time.
My requirements were: large screen (5.5"+), root, removable battery, SD, headphone jack, TMobile compatibility, value. I would have liked front facing speaker/speakers, but I can live without them. There's nothing out there in this year's devices that interests me. There's nothing wrong with options, but I do wish I had a couple to choose from as well. V20 was pretty much it. On the plus side for it though, tempered glass screen protectors are available that work well. And extended batteries. With the Zero Lemon 10k battery, I have what amounts to unlimited battery life. I'd probably fall asleep before running out. I also really hate the design trend with the camera sticking out from the back, and prefer thicker phones anyway, so it works for me.
If I were to drop removable battery, Axon 7 and OnePlus get more interesting. Though OnePlus doesn't have SD either, putting them lower on the list.
If root is important to you, make sure you know what software version you are getting and check to make sure it can be rooted. Some of the newer ones can't be yet. TMobile 10p, for example, can not.
I've had mine since launch and I still enjoy it. Granted the development support has stagnated lately. But I would completely recommend it. Especially if you get an extended battery.
I've had my v20 for three or four months. Solid phone, can't see any reason to upgrade.
I could buy three of these for the price of a galaxy note 8! Or one of these and a halfway decent laptop!
After this 10p update i'd have to say no. better off getting a v30 when it comes out.
zeruth said:
After this 10p update i'd have to say no. better off getting a v30 when it comes out.
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Any particular reason why? Wasn't that just security patches?
cathain said:
Any particular reason why? Wasn't that just security patches?
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Yes, that killed of DirtyCow, that killed off root for the foreseeable future.
If LG hadn't deleted all fastboot commands i'd say yeah get the V20. but now it will be unrootable and uncustomizable for quite some time.
I used the twrp zip 10p bootloader and modem... It completely refreshed my performance.
Getting 70+mbs down and 16 up... Compared to 10k modem I was getting 16 down and 3 up if lucky.
I also still have root (non OTA update).
So if you install update through twrp you still keep root.
I wouldn't ever really upgrade phones unless it's a new device that supports the new 600mhz band and 700mhz.
Had mine for a year.... It's amazing. Once you get it right, camera is good (Lazer focus and resolution replaced dslr), audio with DAC/HiFi/viper is amazing.
Screen and battery is great, sd card is a must for me.
If you can get a pristine/new one for $2-300 it's well worth it.
Only gripe, wish there was water proof case.
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
Thanks for the answers guys! But I ended up getting the Pixel XL for the sheer performance and rootability and I'm happy with the decision.
Hi, I'm planning to buy a Moto G5 Plus from Newegg/Newegg's ebay
I need confirmation if this version of the phone's bootloader is Unlockable(https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875209505)
Thanks
Yes it is able to have the bootlocker unlocked.
Still have not found a really justified reason to do mine, seems to break way more things reading this forum, and oreo update due next 3 months.
For the price found this to be a great phone as is, only mod is nova launcher.
I would agree... Unlocking the Bootloader, rooting, and custom ROMs have much less value and more drawbacks than it used to, and every incremented version of Android just proves to reinforce that more and more.
My thoughts exactly after having unlocked my bootloader at a reflex. There is no ROM's that are even close to stock, especially camera wise. If we get official Lineage OS, the unlock is justified for me. But that seems uncertain at this time. Moto g has always been supported by CM & LOS, so there is no reason we should not get official support.
I had a similar thinking until about a week ago. I had had this phone for about 6 to 7 months before it started getting unbearably laggy. It was starting to feel and run like the $200 phone it is. But I bought this phone with the unlockable bootloader as a contingency.
Just as stock Android has improved to the point of almost not needing to root/mod, the rooting and modding process itself has seemingly become far more accessible to the average bloke with the cross platform Electron app.
The battery life is incredible on 14.1 compared to the stock Nougat...not to mention quicker security updates from what I understand. Even this 'unofficial' lineage is leagues better in my humble opinion.
So while it may be hard to justify there are some decent advantages in my mind. It took me half a year to do it though, which is crazy considering I was addicted to rooting my OG Droid way back in the day.
Sent from my XT1687 using Tapatalk
roscoe2041 said:
I had a similar thinking until about a week ago. I had had this phone for about 6 to 7 months before it started getting unbearably laggy. It was starting to feel and run like the $200 phone it is. But I bought this phone with the unlockable bootloader as a contingency.
Just as stock Android has improved to the point of almost not needing to root/mod, the rooting and modding process itself has seemingly become far more accessible to the average bloke with the cross platform Electron app.
The battery life is incredible on 14.1 compared to the stock Nougat...not to mention quicker security updates from what I understand. Even this 'unofficial' lineage is leagues better in my humble opinion.
So while it may be hard to justify there are some decent advantages in my mind. It took me half a year to do it though, which is crazy considering I was addicted to rooting my OG Droid way back in the day.
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No offense, but I'm curious if a cache wipe or factory reset would have righted the world with your phones battery anyway... Custom ROMs tend not to do as well in battery in unlocked/retail Moto devices when compared to stock. Moto can improve in a lot of areas, but they sure as heck know how to optimize a kernel and rom.
acejavelin said:
No offense, but I'm curious if a cache wipe or factory reset would have righted the world with your phones battery anyway... Custom ROMs tend not to do as well in battery in unlocked/retail Moto devices when compared to stock. Moto can improve in a lot of areas, but they sure as heck know how to optimize a kernel and rom.
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I'm not too sure. You could be right, I bet a factory reset would have worked well to fix my unendurable lag. I use my phone for productivity, no games etc so I'm baffled as to how it got clogged down so quickly. The storage space wasn't an issue, either. Regardless the battery life doesn't seem to have suffered as a result of the switch to 14.1. In fact, it seems better than when I bought it off the shelf. Mileage may vary of course, but it seems like the pros barely outweigh the cons to me. I also have the 2gb RAM variant for what it's worth and it now feels way zippier than a $200 phone should be. That's not to say it didn't feel zippy off the shelf. The stock rom is mighty nice and stable so it's kind of fixing something that's not really broken.
I also am eager to move on to Oreo. It is frustrating that Moto's stock almost-vanilla Android takes so long to update.
I would always unlock and root. I could care less about custom ROMs, but being able to load apps like AdAway, Greenify, Viper4Android, Titanium Backup, Root Explorer, etc and being able to remove bloatware are two major reasons why I would root even if I didn't plan on using custom ROMs.
Hi all. I'm looking at a used 64gb N6P (slightly used for almost 1yr) ONLY FOR $170. original complete package. No bootloop issues (YET)
Well, I'm open for suggestions. I will use the phone as my daily driver. I'm also into rooting & custom ROMS. As for my observation, angler devs will still hold up the device for years. :fingers-crossed:
BTW, I'm coming from 32gb N6 shamu.
What do you think guys? Is it a good upgrade? Or should I buy a current $200 budget phone instead?
Thank you, and sorry if this question is old.
I also had N6 32gb shamu and just bought second hand N6P angler month ago with battery issues, i replaced the batter myself and using abc rom + elemental x with dazed 6p edition 3.1 profile. Its pretty fast and when I'm at home battery is usually at %50-60. I'm not a power user but I must say i switched for the finger print scanner and i miss N6s large screen and it was event faster too in the other hand N6P has great camera compared to N6 specially selfie one is awesome + phone feels more premium with metal back. Overall I'm happy that switched and planing to use this phone at least 1 more year.
I have literally owned 10 Nexus 6P's. Every time I try to upgrade I keep wanting my 6P again. This phone is perfect AND you get the added ability of not really needing to be TOO careful with it. A replacement is $5-600 cheaper than trying to replace a newer phone. I work on cars, so being able to not care about the phone as much when using the flash light is a plus for me. Plus its fast.
rushier.ivan said:
Hi all. I'm looking at a used 64gb N6P (slightly used for almost 1yr) ONLY FOR $170. original complete package. No bootloop issues (YET)
Well, I'm open for suggestions. I will use the phone as my daily driver. I'm also into rooting & custom ROMS. As for my observation, angler devs will still hold up the device for years. :fingers-crossed:
What do you think guys? Is it a good upgrade? Or should I buy a current $200 budget phone instead?
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The answer isn't actually simple. If you want a phone that will keep getting security updates, then an emphatic no. They are still pushing monthlies right now, but as the Android P dev preview is out and the Nexus line is no longer scheduled for any support, when the Pixel 3 drops in October, I suspect the security updates for the 6p will be dead.
So, once that happens, whatever version of most remaining updated custom ROMs are out there will likely be it. There may be the odd one who tries to kludge Android 9 onto the 6p, but when you also factor in the processor's age, it's very near EOL.
However, if you're OK with effectively staying on Oreo, for the price, it's still a good phone with a good camera. You just won't get a lot of custom ROM dev for much longer. Even in the 8 months since I was regularly using my 6p, development has dried up significantly. There are really only 3 or 4 options other than keeping it stock and doing my own customization.
I recently used an Xperia XZ Premium for about 8 months and had so many hardware failures, that I finally gave up and came back to my 6p. Aside from the noticeable performance difference with the 810 processor and a GB less of RAM, I'm actually happier using the 6p because it's better than the Xperia Xperience ever was, but that's personal preference. All I really do is use the factory image, TWRP, Magisk and then install Viper, SE Linux control and Pixel mods and the phone works the way I want.
I suspect I'll try to suck another 4 months out of the 6p then buy a Pixel 3. It'll be pricy, but stock Android, fast regular updates and a killer camera are all important to me.
ultyrunner said:
The answer isn't actually simple. If you want a phone that will keep getting security updates, then an emphatic no. They are still pushing monthlies right now, but as the Android P dev preview is out and the Nexus line is no longer scheduled for any support, when the Pixel 3 drops in October, I suspect the security updates for the 6p will be dead.
So, once that happens, whatever version of most remaining updated custom ROMs are out there will likely be it. There may be the odd one who tries to kludge Android 9 onto the 6p, but when you also factor in the processor's age, it's very near EOL.
However, if you're OK with effectively staying on Oreo, for the price, it's still a good phone with a good camera. You just won't get a lot of custom ROM dev for much longer. Even in the 8 months since I was regularly using my 6p, development has dried up significantly. There are really only 3 or 4 options other than keeping it stock and doing my own customization.
I recently used an Xperia XZ Premium for about 8 months and had so many hardware failures, that I finally gave up and came back to my 6p. Aside from the noticeable performance difference with the 810 processor and a GB less of RAM, I'm actually happier using the 6p because it's better than the Xperia Xperience ever was, but that's personal preference. All I really do is use the factory image, TWRP, Magisk and then install Viper, SE Linux control and Pixel mods and the phone works the way I want.
I suspect I'll try to suck another 4 months out of the 6p then buy a Pixel 3. It'll be pricy, but stock Android, fast regular updates and a killer camera are all important to me.
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Thank you for the response. Right, I think I can keep my shamu for a while. Maybe I'll wait for the budget pixel 3. :fingers-crossed:
Guys im wondering the same thing. I actually just got a Nexus 6P 64gb for less than 200$. I have no battery issues whatsoever but i am worried about the bootloop issues. Do you guys think i should switch phones( I still can) because of that potential issue or is the issue isolated? I mean literally every G4 eventually gets bootloop, is the Nexus 6P the same?
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GohanBurner said:
I have literally owned 10 Nexus 6P's. Every time I try to upgrade I keep wanting my 6P again. This phone is perfect AND you get the added ability of not really needing to be TOO careful with it. A replacement is $5-600 cheaper than trying to replace a newer phone. I work on cars, so being able to not care about the phone as much when using the flash light is a plus for me. Plus its fast.
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Did any of those 6P's get the bootloop problem? And for how long have you tested a Nexus 6P?