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I was kindly sent a unit to review by LG along with the LG bluetooth Infinim Headset. There are many reasonably objective reviews out there that cover the specs and overall performance/value in comparison to other phones (such as youtube’s fantastic MKBHD). What I would like to do I share my experience with this phone after 6 weeks and how it affected me.
I was previously using an Nexus 5 (incidentally also made by LG, based on the G2). It had everything I thought wanted in a phone; a large, high res, well saturated screen, it was blazing fast and it looks great too. I would always have a little smile to myself whenever someone said ‘wow, what phone is that?’. So despite reading/watching reviews of every noteworthy smartphone released, I thought, 'why would I ever want to change my phone again?’ (Other than the occasional screen-size envy of larger phones, but that’s not something everyone wants anyway). Then the G4 came along.
You see the biggest flaw of the Nexus 5 was it’s weak camera, but then that was never an issue for me. Even considering the often lauded iPhone and flagship Samsung cameras, owning a very portable compact mirrorless camera with near DSLR picture quality, I thought that considering the camera on a phone really was pointless. Nevertheless, on paper the G4’s specs caught my attention. Aside from the usual latest silicon found on the latest flagships, and personal taste for larger screens, it was the camera that intrigued me. A 1.8F aperture lens capable of shooting RAW. Could this really be the replacement for both my phone and camera I wondered?
After having the privilege of testing one for 6 weeks the simple answer is yes. A quick visit to the trylgg4.co.uk website will show what I’m talking about. While of course it doesn’t not completely stand up to a dedicated camera with interchangeable lenses. With its beautiful, perfectly saturated 1440p screen it sports an unmatched viewfinder, and I can immediately decide with confidence that I got the shot I was looking for. In terms of overall picture quality it beats very other phone out there hands down. The wide angle and ability to take shoot in a 16:9 ratio is absolutely perfect for landscape shots. The wide aperture combined with great sharpness makes for unrivalled depth of field (that thing that makes photos look ‘professional’). It also makes for killer low light performance, beating even my NEX-F3. For those who like to fiddle with every setting being able to so easily manually adjust exposure compensation, ISO and shutter speed it in such a simple, intuitive user interface (incidentally made even easier on such a big beautiful screen) is again unmatched in ANY optical device with this kind of portability.
Consider my own real world experience. I do not speak as a professional photographer by any means but I am particularly fussy about getting quality shots on holidays and capturing great moments out with my friends. I also do a lot of travelling, and I recently went to Iceland. This involved a lot of long, arduous hikes, especially where the most beautiful shots can taken from. I can tell you that the last thing anyone wants is a giant DSLR swinging around one's neck for hours on end, or to think that it might get damaged or dropped when scrambling over steep and dangerous terrain or to take it out in the pouring rain. Now this is where a more compact alternative might come into play, but then one is already going to be taking a knock with regards to PQ, not to mention that the smaller systems inevitably become more tedious to use in the settings department. When continually, day after day, whipping one’s camera out in those awkward/ dangerous positions (where often the best shots can be found), there becomes a temptation to just use the point and shoot feature, and in the end all that money you spent for all those features, and all the effort of lugging something less than ideally portable around just becomes pointless. And this is where the G4 really won me over. Despite it’s easy to use and flexible manual settings, almost every time it did just as good a job, if not better, as my dedicated camera when I simply used the automatic settings. Autofocus was always fast and rarely struggled to fix and white balance was consistent and accurate. By the end of my trip I was asking myself, ‘why even bother with a dedicated camera?’. I will be shortly putting my NEX for sale on eBay.
On a side note I would say it’s super wide angle front camera is probably better that many rear cameras on other phones (inc. the n5) and has now converted me to selfies (shock horror!). Also to note are that it’s 4k videos are of stunning quality, and that is something that is only offered by the latest high end dedicated camera systems. I never ever bothered to take videos before, I can't stop now.
I stress that I am not suggesting this any sort of replacement at all for a fully equipped DSLR, but when it does such a good job against a dedicated portable system, for both my needs and I’m sure for those of many others, I can confidently say that owning this phone will really make one question the need for a separate camera. I am suddenly whipping it out of my pocket every time I see anything interesting that might make a good shot without being put off thinking that I don’t have the gear on me to do it justice. I am taking selfies constantly (that’s probably a bad thing), and I use every excuse to show of the beautiful pictures I’ve taken displayed on that glorious screen.
As regards everything else about the phone I really don’t have any complaints. The phone performs well in all areas such a performance, reception/connectivity, call quality, etc. Perhaps there is the occasional stutter but nothing a quick app clear won’t fix. Now I would call myself a moderate to even heavy user, and I have found the battery always last comfortably until he end of the day (16hrs off charge). It’s worth mentioning that while I was in Iceland and shooting 4k video ALL the time with the screen brightness on max in the midday sun, it’s possible to burn through the battery in half a day. However this is why the ever more disappearing feature of the removable battery makes the G4 such a unique article. When you are out taking photos and shooting video all day, having your phone tethered to a portable battery pack simply won’t do, and what good is quick charge if there is nowhere to charge the phone! But with the G4, simply switch off the phone, whack in a fresh cell and in one minute you’re back at 100%. The same goes for removable storage too. Even a 128gb iPhone 6 or GS6 couldn’t have stored all the 4k video I shot in one week. Other backing everything up somewhere everyday, which often is not possible on such trips, removable storage is the ONLY viable solution. Another reason that makes the G4 so unique.
The only other things that I can think worth mentioning is how quickly you get used to the buttons on the back, and that the tapered edge design really feels nice in the hand and makes it easy to hold despite the phone being on the larger side. LG’s UI skin is not far off the stock experience and coming from a nexus device I had no trouble at all adjusting, and actually welcomed some of the added features, like being able to edit the quick settings menu. The external design is a personal matter of taste, but I like it. It’s smart, modern and discreet. In fact more people have said ‘wow, what phone is that?’ in 6 weeks of the G4 than the N5 in 6 months. The real difference is that now they say, ‘did you really shoot that with your phone?!’.
In short, for me, the G4 truly has changed the way I see and use my phone.
Loves the LG G4? Just got back from Iceland? Is this Myriam Joire????
I realize this might not be the right forum since I assume people here are going to be pro lg... But I'm seriously considering this on tmobile and I currently have a note 4.
Ive never had a phone this long (22+ months with the note 4) but I'm trying to consider upgrading but when I compare features to features I was hoping for "more"...?
The big thing is the lcd screen vs amoled screen... Just not sure..
Can anyone voice some opinions or comments? I'd appreciate it. Thanks in advance!
sure. note 4 was a great phone, and the v20 looks awesome too. my last phone was a note 4. have an s7 now and tbh, I liked the note a bit better. screen was better on the note imo, but the camera and overall speed is better on the snap 820. overall, the v20 will be so much quicker and less laggy than the note, and the LCD screens aren't bad. I enjoyed my g2 LCD screen when I had it.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7 using Tapatalk
jayochs said:
sure. note 4 was a great phone, and the v20 looks awesome too. my last phone was a note 4. have an s7 now and tbh, I liked the note a bit better. screen was better on the note imo, but the camera and overall speed is better on the snap 820. overall, the v20 will be so much quicker and less laggy than the note, and the LCD screens aren't bad. I enjoyed my g2 LCD screen when I had it.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S7 using Tapatalk
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I had the Note 7 for a month and just recently played with the V20. I consider this an upgrade over the Note 7, so yes I would definitely consider it an upgrade over the Note 4, haha.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA-Developers mobile app
I would consider it a worthy upgrade.
You're getting a removable battery
SD card expansion
IR blaster
Great camera
Great video
Better specs (soc)
Overall in keeping with the note line the v20 is more like it then the note 7 minus the stylus.
And that's really what it boils down too.
Sent from my SM-N930F using Tapatalk
Reading and watching the reviews of the v20 are driving me crazy. So many say it's amazing. The only down side I saw was camera. One video (who knows which one?) showed side by side of 4 phone's all shot the same image, the v20 didn't look as good as the others. If I find it again I'll post the link.
I'm sure that's subjective as I'm certain any flagship phone today must have an amazing camera.
Yes my n4 is about to die and I'm preordering the v20 asap
Araltd said:
Reading and watching the reviews of the v20 are driving me crazy. So many say it's amazing. The only down side I saw was camera. One video (who knows which one?) showed side by side of 4 phone's all shot the same image, the v20 didn't look as good as the others. If I find it again I'll post the link.
I'm sure that's subjective as I'm certain any flagship phone today must have an amazing camera.
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That's crazy to me. The camera seems to be arguably the best around. Playing with it was fun at the store. Amazing manual mode!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA-Developers mobile app
PsiPhiDan said:
That's crazy to me. The camera seems to be arguably the best around. Playing with it was fun at the store. Amazing manual mode!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA-Developers mobile app
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Looks like its biggest downfall is it exposes to the right by quite a bit. This causes highlights to blow pretty quickly. I've already decided I'll just dial in a little -ev if that isn't fixed in the final FW. Other than that, it sounds like everything else is just stuff you'd expect from a cellphone camera sensor. (Noise for example but I'd rather have noise than a blurry mess from aggressive noise reduction. Working with noise is pretty easy. Trying to find detail that has been obliterated before the file was written isn't.) After all, A LOT of classic photos weren't shot with massive dynamic range and no noise/grain like a lot of specs chasers want these days.
CHH2 said:
Looks like its biggest downfall is it exposes to the right by quite a bit. This causes highlights to blow pretty quickly. I've already decided I'll just dial in a little -ev if that isn't fixed in the final FW. Other than that, it sounds like everything else is just stuff you'd expect from a cellphone camera sensor. (Noise for example but I'd rather have noise than a blurry mess from aggressive noise reduction. Working with noise is pretty easy. Trying to find detail that has been obliterated before the file was written isn't.) After all, A LOT of classic photos weren't shot with massive dynamic range and no noise/grain like a lot of specs chasers want these days.
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What is ev? Im coming from the note 7 and want to get the camera as good as the Note 7s. I think I am going to have to learn to use manual mode to equal the 7.
thegameksk said:
What is ev? Im coming from the note 7 and want to get the camera as good as the Note 7s. I think I am going to have to learn to use manual mode to equal the 7.
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Manual is indeed the way to go when you have time to get the very best shot you can.
EV means exposure value. In this case on most cameras, you'll see a button, dial, or menu item that says EV. Once activated, you should see some sort of scale that goes from a "-" value of some sort to a "+" value usually of the same amount. There is usually a 0 in the middle which is where you will most likely find the indicator resting at if the camera hasn't been messed with previously. The 0 value just means the exposure will be shot as metered. If you dial in a "-" value, the shot will be exposed that much darker. (Or with the graph shifted to the left on a histogram.) If you dial in a "+" value, the shot will be exposed brighter by that much. (Or with the graph shifted to the right on a histogram.) In the case of what has been seen in the pre-release FW, a little bit of "-" EV will darken the overall exposure and help save some of the brighter sections (highlights) of the photo from blowing out but it could run the risk of losing the shadows to complete black. (The range of how much highlight to shadow detail that can be kept is your dynamic range. Back in the day, you could easily end up losing both ends. Now modern DSLRs have such massive dynamic range that the photos they generate can be boring without artificially compressing the DR back down.) Camera FW makers tend to have to make a choice on if they want to lean more right or left on the histogram. Looks like the pre-release software was leaning to the right which is brighter and helps reduce noise.
Sorry if that was a bit overboard of an explanation.
Wow, that's a great explanation! I actually understood (most of) that.
When I said above, about the 4 comparisons of camera quality - the v20 looked to bright or washed out, not dark enough, not saturated enough. I guess I know why now.
For those who know better than I would, let me ask this question... Being so late in the year, and with MWC at the end of February in Barcelona, do you think something "significantly" better than the v20 will be available in 4 to 6 months? I'm not sure how long the sd820 has been out? But I know the sd821 claims a 10% performance increase and is available in the Pixel now.
I guess I don't want to get the v20 and regret it soon afterwards. Just kind of talking things out with you all.
Araltd said:
Wow, that's a great explanation! I actually understood (most of) that.
When I said above, about the 4 comparisons of camera quality - the v20 looked to bright or washed out, not dark enough, not saturated enough. I guess I know why now.
For those who know better than I would, let me ask this question... Being so late in the year, and with MWC at the end of February in Barcelona, do you think something "significantly" better than the v20 will be available in 4 to 6 months? I'm not sure how long the sd820 has been out? But I know the sd821 claims a 10% performance increase and is available in the Pixel now.
I guess I don't want to get the v20 and regret it soon afterwards. Just kind of talking things out with you all.
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Rumors of the G6 are already coming out. I am split between Samsung being extremely cautious on their next release or pushing their staff hard to get something awesome out as quickly as possible. I could see it go both ways. One being easier, one stressing the heck out of their staff. I do believe Samsung S8 rumors are now flying around. The 821 will probably be the chip in flagships for MWC.
Basically, there's always going to be something new around the corner. There's no avoiding it. It's a matter of finding something you like and can deal with on your personal upgrade window. Just buy accepting the features a phone has now and any upgrades and features added to the phone later should be regarded as bonuses.
CHH2 said:
Manual is indeed the way to go when you have time to get the very best shot you can.
EV means exposure value. In this case on most cameras, you'll see a button, dial, or menu item that says EV. Once activated, you should see some sort of scale that goes from a "-" value of some sort to a "+" value usually of the same amount. There is usually a 0 in the middle which is where you will most likely find the indicator resting at if the camera hasn't been messed with previously. The 0 value just means the exposure will be shot as metered. If you dial in a "-" value, the shot will be exposed that much darker. (Or with the graph shifted to the left on a histogram.) If you dial in a "+" value, the shot will be exposed brighter by that much. (Or with the graph shifted to the right on a histogram.) In the case of what has been seen in the pre-release FW, a little bit of "-" EV will darken the overall exposure and help save some of the brighter sections (highlights) of the photo from blowing out but it could run the risk of losing the shadows to complete black. (The range of how much highlight to shadow detail that can be kept is your dynamic range. Back in the day, you could easily end up losing both ends. Now modern DSLRs have such massive dynamic range that the photos they generate can be boring without artificially compressing the DR back down.) Camera FW makers tend to have to make a choice on if they want to lean more right or left on the histogram. Looks like the pre-release software was leaning to the right which is brighter and helps reduce noise.
Sorry if that was a bit overboard of an explanation.
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Thank you. Where can I find more info on how best to play with the manual settings? Does such a thing exist?
thegameksk said:
Thank you. Where can I find more info on how best to play with the manual settings? Does such a thing exist?
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I could probably find a resource after my meeting here in just a bit but most basic photo explanations should work if you look at a modern one. Just remember that the aperture is stuck at whatever it is for the respective camera. You will only get to change the speed and ISO in the exposure triangle.
thegameksk said:
Thank you. Where can I find more info on how best to play with the manual settings? Does such a thing exist?
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Seems there's very few resources out there that are concise and cover what one needs to know to get to manual shooting with something like this. I only had a few minutes to play with the V20 (and most of that was with the camera) so I'll try to give it a whack. First thing I'll tell you is to take a deep breath and a sigh of relief. The V20 will make learning manual a breeze!
The V20 seems to adjust the view on the screen to what settings you use. Don't use a long enough shutter speed or high enough ISO? The screen gets dark. Use too much of either or both? Screen starts to blow out. Don't have the right white balance, you'll probably see that too. (White balance can be a little tricky though. It actually wants to change the photo from what you are actually seeing to make sure whites are always white. This ends up being a little bit personal preference and you can end up with some cool effects when you learn it deeper.) What's really awesome is that manual focusing has the aid of focus peaking.
Setting your exposure usually entails the exposure triangle of aperture, shutter speed and ISO. (ISO is its own mess to explain but overly simplified, it's the "strength" but it comes with the downside of noise as it gets stronger.) Your desired exposure would be the geometric area of the triangle for the sake of analogy. You can push and pull on any of the corners of the triangle you want but if you want to keep the same area, you'll have to also push or pull on one of the other corners. On the phone cameras, the aperture is usually locked. In the case of the V20, that's 1.8 for the main camera. So you get shutter speed and ISO to play with. If you use a low ISO number, you will need to pick a slower shutter speed. If you use a higher ISO, you will pick a faster shutter speed. The view on screen will let you know if you're going in the right direction or not as I mentioned earlier.
Faster the shutter speed, the better to freeze motion. The slower shutter speed with blur motion. Lower the ISO number, the cleaner you photo will be from noise. (Shows up as a bunch of speckling, sometimes different colored speckles.) The higher the ISO number, the more noise you will see.
White balance can be set to make sure the colors hit the ideal, so whites are white without a color cast to them. This gets to be a little bit of a mental exercise. A lot of people are completely on board with the idea that if they are shooting indoors in incandescent light, they should set the WB so that the incandescent light gets filtered out and white is white again. The problem is that this isn't what you're actually seeing, you're idealizing the scene. In reality, that incandescent light is part of the "ambiance" of the scene. So the nice thing about manual WB is that you can decide which is more important to the scene, white whites or the feel the light gives to the shot.
Manual focusing can be extremely difficult without a proper aid. The V20 features focus peaking. As areas come into focus, they will light up with a bunch of glowing lines. This helps heaps.
Something else worth noting that I saw when I was playing with the V20 was flash modes. The standard no flash, forced flash and auto flash are there but there's one more denoted by a flash symbol with a "R". I'm assuming this is read curtain sync flash. Normal flash goes off at the beginning of an exposure while rear curtain goes off at the end of the exposure instead. The usual way to demo this is a car driving away at night. (Assuming we're using a flash stronger than the V20 but you'll get the idea.) With regular flash, you will have a photo of a car close to you that has trails of tail lights disappearing off into the distance. Rear curtain fixes this by having lead off to the distance where there is the car. If you use forced flash, I would tend to opt for rear curtain. Auto will use front curtain if you have that in play.
Video is whole different beast that I'm still teaching myself. I know you want to use a shutter speed that is double your frame rate. So a frame rate of 24fps would result in 1/50s shutter speed, 30fps is 1/60s, etc. The slow mo settings like 120fps require a lot of light! But there's a lot more to video that I still have to learn but as far as phones go, the V20 looks like it is way ahead of the game compared to even my DSLR.
My question is, can I get some real reviews from real users, not the YouTube paid reviews. Some people should have it for about 2 weeks now, and I wanna hear what you think. I've read where the camera is horrible, and others say it's OK. I'm buying the phone this Thursday, or next Thursday and am looking for some honesty.
How I typically use my phone is all day, everyday. It's a bit of an ADD thing where I have to keep myself busy. Games, XDA, more games. I play VainGlory a lot, and it's pretty heavy on my phone. Does anyone else play this, and how does the 5 perform while playing?
Can anyone post some pictures they took of scenery, buildings, etc... I'll post some of mine taken from my Nexus 6P, edited in Snapseed. The camera is a big point for me.
Please and thank you!!
I currently own OP5 and previous phone was Pixel XL.
If a camera is a big point for you, there are better options for sure such as Pixel , iPhone and U11.
If gaming, then this phone will perform way better than 6p or any other phone. 835 CPU, GPU and 8 RAM means solid performance.
Camera is great in good lighting; mediocre in low light. 1080 Video good and 4K video average.
Battery life for me has been incredible! Fast charging is awesome too.
OP5 is a fantastic phone and I would recommend to anyone. I say this even though I plan on returning OP5 and going back to my Pixel XL. Why? Camera and smoother overall experience in Pixel. OP5 is faster for sure.
I hope this helps. It was not an easy decision for me.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
I don't take too many videos, but I definitely like having the option of taking a good one. Gaming is a big selling point for me as well. As for the camera... I'm kind of hoping that some sort of fix is released in an update for whatever the issue is.
It definitely helps though. The price is also a factor, as I'm thinking I'll be able to sell my 6p for 325-350, with all the cases I have and the pretty awesome condition I've kept it in.
I've also haven't had a *new* phone in years. Last one I had was S6 Edge and I ended up having to give it to my Now Ex-girlfriends mom since it was on her plan and we broke up. I had it for like 3 weeks. So, a new phone under warranty would be pretty sweet to have.
Im going to buy it, I made up my mind. If anything, and the camera is way worse than my 6p and they don't release an update I can just sell it, right? Yup.
Bye-bye Nexus.
I'll break up a short review into a few sections.
Design - 9/10
I really like the build quality. The phone looks very similar to a certain device, but I don't mind this. The matte black color looks great and the device, while a bit thin, is the perfect weight (although I am going to buy a case as soon as they become available.) Although I do wish the camera was in the center because when you lay the device down, the protruding camera lens is what your device lays on and makes the device not lay completely flat. The good news is the camera lends is made out of sapphire so durability is there.
Performance | Daily Tasks - 9/10
I have read all about the "Jello effect." This does appear on my device, but it's very minimal and I don't see it as a problem. I did recently watch a video where it was a lot worse in that video. People on social media tend to be hive-mind associated so a lot of negativity tends to spread like wildfire while the positive items are left out of the spotlight. I think the device is extremely snappy and I have noticed the phone doesn't even get warm while playing Pokemon Go for long spurts at a time. No sluggish performance at all.
Wireless Connectivity | WiFi | 4G - 8/10
Cellular Performance
This aspect is generally very important to me. When I compare it to my brother's GS8 on T-Mobile US, we both have a consistent experience in strong signal areas. The OP5 doesn't support 4x4 MIMO on the 4G/LTE side, but it does support 256QAM and 3xCA which is more than enough for the typical power user. Overall, my brother's S8 tends to get slightly less than 10% more speeds on LTE than I do (for comparison, I hit 115Mbps in a spot whereas the GS8 hit 125Mbps.) However, I will note that edge-of-signal, the S8 does win outright. In a few areas where LTE signal is weak (sub -120dBm RSRP), the OnePlus 5 will tend to drop to HSPA or even Edge whereas the S8 will maintain a usable signal. In other words, VoLTE'ers, you may experience more dropped calls when venturing about in weak LTE areas.
WiFi Performance
The OP5 supports 2x2 MIMO and wireless AC so 5Ghz networks is vastly improved over the OP3/OP3T in regards to WiFi coverage/performance. In comparison, I can pull up to 540mbps in a corner of my house on the OP5 whereas the OP3T will only be able to pull 32mbps on the same network. Oneplus has really went above and beyond in terms of WiFi antenna design and has consistently matched the GS8's WiFi performance (Note: I do not have Gigabit internet so I wan't able to test higher-end speeds.)
Battery - 9/10
I am coming from a Le Pro3 (which is one of the best devices for battery), and I'm not too concerned with what I'm getting on the OP5. I am consistently getting through the typical work-day with around 30-40% juice left after a few hours of screen time. If I need a quick charge, Dash charging is there. I will mention that I wish Dash Charging wasn't so proprietary. Because almost all of my current chargers are Qualcomm QC which aren't compatible with the Oneplus. Although it'll still charge the device, just not rapidly like Dash would.
Camera - 7/10
I am not a photographer by any means and a good camera doesn't necessarily sell me on a device by itself. I will say though that while the pictures are not as good as what you'd get on the GS8, they are pretty good shots and I honestly can't see people looking at your facebook pictures and thinking "wow, whatever camera took this picture sucks." I am quite content with the camera because it is better than a mid-range device, but worse than a flagship.
Software/Customization - 10/10
This is the main reason I went with the OnePlus device. Oxygen OS is so smooth and AOSP-like. The nearly bloatless experience and ability to change the theme/accents of your device are amazing. That, and I know the community will be behind some massive developments for this device so I can satisfy my flashing urges as they come up. It all just works.
Sound/Speakers - 9/10
I would have preferred stereo speaker setup, instead of mono speaker. Still, I would say I have been very impressed with the mono speaker on the bottom with the amount of quality and loud sounds that come from it. Music in the car over Bluetooth/Android Auto also works great and is very clear sounding. I actually flashed the Viper/Arise sound mod and disabled it shortly after because stock sounds that good (I don't play around with the Viper/Arise settings too much, so maybe I can improve it but to me there's not much left to be desired.) Voice Calls, people are loud and clear.
Overall, I am very happy with my purchase and would recommend the product to a friend!
Man the phones on point. I went hard on my op5 & have yet to hit 34 °c I play the phone for long stretches so not worrying about my phone getting to hot is my favorite upgrade so far. The battery for sure last longer than the 3t but the 3t charges about 10 minutes faster
My phone was delivered on the Friday after the key note and have used this as my daily driver. My most recent phone was the Samsung s7e, but gave to my wife as I found it too slow (and I really wanted to try a one plus 5).
Initial impressions are similar to the (honest) reviews:
1. Damn this thing is quick
2. Damn the fingerprint reader is quick
3. Damn that charges quick
3. Oh, the camera isn't quite as good as it was hyped
I think it looks "fine" (i.e I couldn't care less what it looks like).
Battery life has been good, at least comparable to a 6 month old SGS7e (I bought that second hand) but not as good as my old Sony z3c.
The camera is good, don't get me wrong, and it can take better shots than the Samsung, but it's not as consistent. Low light isn't as good (but again, the Samsung is a very high bar). I'd say that 90% of my photos come out fine first time. It's very quick to take photos though (if Oneplus wanted a "speed" theme to come through in this device then they certainly succeeded)
1080p video is very good. Surprisingly good. Ok 4k recording lacks stabilisation, but hey, do people bother to record in this resolution? (I suppose that do, but I sure as hell don't). They've also said that 4k EIS will come in an update.
The screen is very good. Having had the S6 and S7e, I've experienced excellent screens (i.e. high resolution) but really don't see the point for 99% of the time (I played with vr for a couple of days about 12 months ago so I really do mean 99%). 1080p is absolutely great for a 5.5" screen.
My only complaints have been:
1. Jelly (yes, either I'm susceptible to seeing it or my device has it)
2. Camera not as good as hyped
3. Some vague software oddities which I'm sure will be sorted (notification issues with eBay)
I'll post up some photos...
Some photos #shotonaoneplus
The best thing about OnePlus 5 is support from this community. I ordered on the conference day and there was TWRP and root solution available before this phone even arrived to my home. Another great thing is overall performance, clean OS, no bloatware.
Time for bad things. It is always bad sign when the company behind any device lies to you. They lie about camera peformance, they lie about screen issues... I wonder what will be next. Had I waited few days and seen how OnePlus acts, I would not buy it again.
Still I have it, so let's talk about user experience. I am switching to OnePlus 5 from my 4 years old OPPO Find 7, so this is my point of reference.
Form factor. The phone is a bit slippery and uncomfortable to grip. It has some sort of additional sharp line on the edge, and I ordered a cover to make it feel better. Other than this, it looks great and sexy. Shame it is not original design, but it is still good if you don't care about such things (I personally don't).
Screen. Screen has great colors and real blacks. It doesn't have the best resolution but just looks better than 2K IPS of Find 7. Use some dark wallpaper and you will be in heaven. At the same time you have this jelly effect and before I got used to it, it felt wrong. If you are motion sick, you should stay away from this phone.
Camera. The only good thing I can say about camera is its tonal range. You get all the colors instead of washed whites when you shot something with high contrast. At the same time I have seen way more details on the Find 7, which is four years old than on the OnePlus 5. Maybe it is poor compression of images, maybe it is some de-noising algorithm... anyway when you zoom in, you will see only blur in the image. Also, the telephoto camera is almost never used indoors (easy to check - cover one lens and see yourself which lens your phone is using) and used outdoor only when light is perfect (hello sun). When you click this magical 2x zoom in your camera app you will newer know whether you are doing software zoom loosing even more details or actual optical zoom... which even in best case is software-processed.
OS. Is great. Clean, fast android. Easy to root, easy to mod.
Battery life. Mixed. It will give you a full day, easily, but also drops significantly when you don't use the phone. Still, you have the DaSH/VOOC fast charge, so that's not a big issue.
Summary - this phone is great when you love messing with your phone, you are going to try custom rooms, you need root and great community support. It should be your choice if you with to have hardware that has enough power to stay with you for years. If you are looking for "clearer photos" look somewhere else. This is outward lie, and camera peformance is just average. It is also not a device for you if you must have the latest technology in hand or a very decent screen.
It is also not a steal anymore. You pay a bit less than premium range and you get a bit less then premium quality. Consider what you are looking for, and if your boxes are matched go for it.
ab7casper said:
How I typically use my phone is all day, everyday. It's a bit of an ADD thing where I have to keep myself busy. Games, XDA, more games. I play VainGlory a lot, and it's pretty heavy on my phone. Does anyone else play this, and how does the 5 perform while playing?
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I've never played that game but I play some games (the Idolmaster rhythm games) that are pretty heavy and made my Nexus 6 very sad. They run very smoothly at highest settings on the 1+5, and thanks to the massive amounts of ram, I can switch between several games with no problem.
The one complaint I have is the placement of the speaker. If you are playing a game landscape orientation your hand will keep covering it. Big problem when playing rhythm games.
j0ff said:
Some photos #shotonaoneplus
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Those are more than acceptable pics for a smartphone. I don't expect DSLR quality, and it looks like it could be an improvement over my 6p.
I really appreciate everyone's responses. They all are very insightful, and definitely put my mind at ease about the purchase.
ab7casper said:
Those are more than acceptable pics for a smartphone. I don't expect DSLR quality, and it looks like it could be an improvement over my 6p.
I really appreciate everyone's responses. They all are very insightful, and definitely put my mind at ease about the purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will be happy with it, I'm sure!
From the forums you might think it's nothing but problems, but overall it is still a really great phone. Keep in mind most of the folks who even know about this phone are the pickiest of the pickiest!
yubimusubi said:
You will be happy with it, I'm sure!
From the forums you might think it's nothing but problems, but overall it is still a really great phone. Keep in mind most of the folks who even know about this phone are the pickiest of the pickiest!
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Haha, true that. I might say that camera performance means a lot to me. But I have no actual "training" in being a photographer, or what is supposed to look like what. I just like taking pictures for myself, and I throw em up on Instagram. I use a lot of my pictures for wallpapers for my phone, mainly.
If anything, the better the phone is performing at games the better it would be for me, and this sounds like a beast. I'll be doubling my ram, and storage capacity so I'll be more than happy at that fact alone. Haha
Edit: I hope this post stays near the top for anyone on the fence about the purchase. I was just thinking about you're only hearing so many users complaining about the phone, but how many other users out there that are completely satisfied.
I bought it just an hour after the event, and I'm returning it tofay. I love taking pictures with my phone and I don't like op5 photos at all. I'm sending it back this week before the 14-day period is over, I'm moving to the S8 which I found at the same price...
I just hate how it deals with low-light and with colour, in particular in the details, which are just awful. I come from three and an half years with the Nexus 5, which had OIS and an awesome HDR. In this phone, HDR pics are way too noisy and sometimes colours look much worse than non-HDR photos.
Dual camera, horrible photos I'd say
I was really excited about this phone, so I'm very disappointed. I know they might fix it in the future, but I don't feel like trusting OnePlus seeing how they are dealing with the OP3 update and with the jelly effect
P.S. Sorry for bad English, I'm new to the forum world
giaesse said:
I bought it just an hour after the event, and I'm returning it tofay. I love taking pictures with my phone and I don't like op5 photos at all. I'm sending it back this week before the 14-day period is over, I'm moving to the S8 which I found at the same price...
I just hate how it deals with low-light and with colour, in particular in the details, which are just awful. I come from three and an half years with the Nexus 5, which had OIS and an awesome HDR. In this phone, HDR pics are way too noisy and sometimes colours look much worse than non-HDR photos.
Dual camera, horrible photos I'd say
I was really excited about this phone, so I'm very disappointed. I know they might fix it in the future, but I don't feel like trusting OnePlus seeing how they are dealing with the OP3 update and with the jelly effect
P.S. Sorry for bad English, I'm new to the forum world
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OK have fun in the s8 forums. deuces
I love it ?
Camera can't complain needs few extra features I think there's always pro mode but I'm not cam savvy so just use normal mode sure it will be improved in updates , ?
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
DoobyDroid said:
I love it ?
Camera can't complain needs few extra features I think there's always pro mode but I'm not cam savvy so just use normal mode sure it will be improved in updates , ?
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Click to collapse
Nice pics
Here are some pics I couldn't update earlier. You can see how bad the camera works in some conditions (like in the tree in two of the photos, which looks very unreal). Also in low light HDR is too noisy and I had to take twice the photo in the square and still I couldn't get a sharp image. Also you can see some artifacts in the two road pics. This is what convinced me to send this phone back, I take lots of pics and my old Nexus 5 worked better in all of these conditions
Edit: I might sound crazy, but look at the details
DoobyDroid said:
I love it ?
Camera can't complain needs few extra features I think there's always pro mode but I'm not cam savvy so just use normal mode sure it will be improved in updates , ?
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Click to collapse
I figured I would take one picture and edit in Snapseed to see how that pans out. I'm posting both the original and edited.
Honestly, I don't think I'll be upset at all for the quality. I like it. The pro mode will be fun as well to play with,
Had a great time in NY with it this past weekend.
I have to say that I love the phone. I have an s8+ too and I actually don't miss it at all. I bought the LG G6 last month an lasted 1 day with it and some would, well do argue that it's a better phone than the s8.
What I like: The performance. That phone is fast in every aspect. The best example I can give is the setup. I have 161 apps. It took 2 and a half hours to download on the s8+. Guess how fast it was on the OP5 25 minutes. I've never see that before.
The screen is fine, the camera is no prize winner but no slouch either. I'm sure SW updates can make it better. The sound is good.
What I don't like: So far it's that damn screen that flips to landscape for no reason.
I didn't think of returning the phone until I saw the thread with all the people whining about the most trivial things.
The way I see it is. If the camera really matters to you. S8+, Pixel XL, U11. If not, by all means. You cannot go wrong with this. 8gb of ram 128 GB of storage and this community. Your kids can use it 6 years from now it will still be a top contender.
Say "cheese", then rate this thread to express how photos taken with the Moto Z2 Force come out. A higher rating indicates that photos offer rich color (without over-saturating), sharp detail (with all subjects in-focus), and appropriate exposure (with even lighting).
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
So far I'm pretty pissed off with the camera. I recently tested the LG G6, Huawei Mate 9, OnePlus 5, and now the Moto Z2 Force which I was hoping would be my dream phone. I owned the Z Force and so far and a bit disappointed. The Camera seems to have potential but the software is terrible, at least on my specific device. The camera is plagued with shutter lag which really seems to take a toll on picture quality. Pro mode is what really upset me with only having the option of 1/4 for shutter speed as the longest time for exposure. I have taken a great deal of pictures to compare with the phones listed above, so far the Huawei Mate 9 has had the best camera in my opinion. Obviously, this is totally objective as views will change per individual. I am by no means a photography expert, but I am always in search of a great camera in a smartphone. The biggest reason for my angry toward the quality of the Z2F camera is the retail cost of the phone, I really thought this would be a camera I would have loved. It seems like I may wait to see how the Essentials Phone turns out and am very curious about the Nokia 8, both in terms of camera. To date I think the use of a dual camera, one being monochrome and the other RGB, is the best implementation. Please let me know if the inconsistent shutter I'm facing is just a problem with my unit or if other's share it as well. I really had my heart/mind set on this phone being able to go toe to toe with others in its price range. Side note, the LG G6 wide angle lens was great for taking pictures, I was surprised that I liked the secondary camera being a wide angle lens as it allowed for unique perspective. I let go of the LG G6 because my father broke his phone and really thought the Z2F would be the phone of my dreams.
Update: Twist for camera sometimes hangs and after some time force closes. This has also happened on 2 occasions when opening camera app, viewfinder is black followed by hang and crash.
Ksehwail said:
So far I'm pretty pissed off with the camera. I recently tested the LG G6, Huawei Mate 9, OnePlus 5, and now the Moto Z2 Force which I was hoping would be my dream phone. I owned the Z Force and so far and a bit disappointed. The Camera seems to have potential but the software is terrible, at least on my specific device. The camera is plagued with shutter lag which really seems to take a toll on picture quality. Pro mode is what really upset me with only having the option of 1/4 for shutter speed as the longest time for exposure. I have taken a great deal of pictures to compare with the phones listed above, so far the Huawei Mate 9 has had the best camera in my opinion. Obviously, this is totally objective as views will change per individual. I am by no means a photography expert, but I am always in search of a great camera in a smartphone. The biggest reason for my angry toward the quality of the Z2F camera is the retail cost of the phone, I really thought this would be a camera I would have loved. It seems like I may wait to see how the Essentials Phone turns out and am very curious about the Nokia 8, both in terms of camera. To date I think the use of a dual camera, one being monochrome and the other RGB, is the best implementation. Please let me know if the inconsistent shutter I'm facing is just a problem with my unit or if other's share it as well. I really had my heart/mind set on this phone being able to go toe to toe with others in its price range. Side note, the LG G6 wide angle lens was great for taking pictures, I was surprised that I liked the secondary camera being a wide angle lens as it allowed for unique perspective. I let go of the LG G6 because my father broke his phone and really thought the Z2F would be the phone of my dreams.
Update: Twist for camera sometimes hangs and after some time force closes. This has also happened on 2 occasions when opening camera app, viewfinder is black followed by hang and crash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Camera shutter speed seems to be a stock app issue mostly. I have CameraZoom FX and that works better at taking the picture quickly. I do expect this to improve as the device matures and some updates get pushed out to it.
That being said, the overall photo quality seems to be pretty good overall. The S8 I am leaving does a better job of handling multiple light levels (like say bright window light in an otherwise dimly lit room), but I do think the Z2F has some promise for sure.
I do agree that I think the shutter lag is very 2015.....so hoping Moto does fix that
disappointing camera
Ksehwail said:
The Camera seems to have potential but the software is terrible, at least on my specific device. The camera is plagued with shutter lag which really seems to take a toll on picture quality. Pro mode is what really upset me with only having the option of 1/4 for shutter speed as the longest time for exposure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with this. The camera app is terrible. I came from the HTC 10 into this phone and the HTC blows it out of the water as far as camera quality goes, and I doubt there's any reason for that as far as the sensor/hardware goes There are also other apps that don't seem to access the front flash on this phone, I.E. Instagram, snapchat, etc. could be a driver issue or something, but motorola needs to get it together with the Android O update.
Has any compared picture quality with Open Camera and the google camera app?
Camera App Update
I just noticed that they added two features to the camera app. Object recognition and landmark recognition.They said that they included some bug fixes but did not elaborate. Hopefully they will continue to work on the app and image quality will improve as the phone matures. I think there is potential to improve low light photo's seeing that the black and white sensor should aid low light photography.
So far I am very happy with my photo's. I am a casual user and happy with the images. Realistically I do not think one can expect DSLR quality on a mobile phone. Maybe one day....
I've used several third party apps, and this camera is total trash compared to even my nearly three year old Galaxy S6.. I have to place dramatic Instagram-style filters on everything to hide how crappy this camera is.
I took this picture with full manual mode and it's quite good for me
why not use Hasellblad?
RE910177 said:
why not use Hasellblad?
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It's only useful for its optical zoom.
Does anyone have problem with autofocus....? The autofocus on this device is absolutely terrible.
Google Camera port is your friend when it comes to the Z2 Force. Also, Snapseed is a great editor.
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
xRogerxC said:
Google Camera port is your friend when it comes to the Z2 Force. Also, Snapseed is a great editor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I'm reading through this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/z2-force/themes/app-modded-gcam-hdr-t3735494 ; there seems to be no gcam available for Z2, which would be fully functional. Are you saying you solved this issue and have one that works? Perhaps you can post to the thread with your findings if you did?
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.
)
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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
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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
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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.
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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.