I want to buy a flagship mobile. But can't really decide what to get between S5 or S6(simple version).
My preference and daily usage detail is summed up below:
18 hours of daily use. (6 hours of screen on time)
I need internet access 4G LTE is preferable but a 3G will work too.
I don't use voice services that much. (don't get much calls, i mostly interact on SMS or other social media apps.)
Should have a good camera.
Memory is a must 16GB or plus.
Should be snappy and No lags or glitches (needless to mention that of course no one like lags and glitches lol)
Should have a good custom ROM and Kernel support on XDA forums. (for example the Galaxy S3 has a huge XDA support as compared to Galaxy S4)
I Live in Pakistan.
Please suggest me a device (with the variant number)
Go for the S5 international version (SM-G900F).
The battery is bigger than the one on the SGS6 and the screen resolution is lower so from start you will get a better battery life.
Both have 4G even if the GS6 has a faster download speed.
The SG6 has limited space (32GB, 64GB, 128GB) and no sd-card option. If you record videos at 4k the 32GB version is almost useless.
At the same time the SGS5 has 16GB internal (the base version) and has micro-sd slot card so you can add cards up to 128GB, plus you can carry 2 or 3 and swap them as they fill.
The latest LP ROMs are working fine, no lag and now an official MM ROM was leaked which improves battery life and gives a smoother interface.
The support from the community is OK and you can find plenty of ROMs and kernels, both TW-based and CM-based.
I don't even mention the fact that the GS5 is dust and water proof and that you can keep a spare battery with you and just replace it when you need to.
And the last argument pro GS5 is the price. At this moment you can find the GS5 at a perfect price for its performance.
As for the GS6 I can say that it has a beautiful design, but it's very hard to repair anything in it, almost impossibile.
It's more slippery than the GS5, it isn't water-proof, no sd-card and the battery is a joke.
So I would gladly recommend the SG5.
Wish you the best!
@AlexVat thanks for the inside info mate, so far from your feedback and some of my personal findings the S5 SM-G900F seems to be the best fit. Since i have a couple of more days to finally decide/get the device lets hear more from the community what there say is in it.
double post.
I'm torn between these two phones. I like the pure Android of 6P but I've heard they have issues like bootlooping and power button problems. The S7 looks and feels premium and I know it's probably got more power than the 6P and is also newer. I plan on keeping the phone for at least the next year. What do you guys think? Vote
Thanks for the suggestion!
I've used both.
PROS [NEXUS 6P]
amazing sound quality
amazing dev support
decent battery life
Camera quality
CONS [NEXUS 6P]
It isn't lightweight like the S7
has a history of bootlooping and bad volume buttons
No SD Card
PROS [S7]
Water and dust resistant
lightweight and more portable
No history of bootlooping
It charges really fast
Amazing Camera quality
SD card works too
Better resale value (BECAUSE IT'S SAMSUNG!)
CONS [S7]
Weak Battery
Fragile build (glass everywhere)
Poor sound quality
You hardly get software updates too
I'm using the 6P because i love flashing ROMs, taking pictures, and listening to High quality songs. The samsung could only take pictures (Touchwiz got boring and AOSP ROMS ain't stable). So i switched. If you like the same things as i do, then buy the Nexus 6p. If not, then get the S7.
I agree with Mavelos. I had the S7 for a month and just returned it due to a locked boot loader and very few options to customize etc. there are some hacks for non rooted options such as adblockers (adhell), universal nogat rom with hotspot mod. I like the options more for roms with the nexus 6P. now if i can only get my 6P working with sprint then i will be happy
Get the S7 if you can get it with the capability of unlocking the bootloader... As I have been lurking the S7 edge forums.. and they were able to Port lineage os to exynos variant if i am not wrong....
So u could have the best of both worlds... Best of Samsung hardware and stock Android with Lineage....
Thank you for the input guys. The pros and cons are both represented well. I'm still torn between the two. I found a 32gb 6P for $240 and an S7 for $280. The S7 is the T-mobile, Metro PCS etc one. Is that bootloader unlockable?
I'm leaning towards the 6P by the way
tech15 said:
I'm leaning towards the 6P by the way
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally would not buy a Samsung phone because my first thing out of the box is unlock the bootloader and install TWRP.
My next phone is probably a Essential PH-1 if the BL can be unlocked.
Samsung Galaxy S8 & S8+ International Exynos varients are unlocked Bootloader out of the box. But yes most are locked like a vault!
The T-Mobile one can't be unlocked and have custom Recovery installed ? If not, then screw that phone.
I still love my 6P, I even returned the S8+ to go back to my 6P
I really don't understand why Samsung chooses to lock their bootloaders. Such a waste to have a powerful phone like an S7 but not flash a ROM on it. It's feeling more like I'm gonna have to go with a Nexus
Hello guys, recently I dropped my LG G2 and broke its screen, so I decided to buy a new phone. I've searched a lot in the internet and I think I'm going to buy a Galaxy S7, but before doing so, I would like to get these questions answered (I would really appreciate if you could answer these questions, it'd help me a lot):
1. Which version would you recommend me to buy, S7 or S7 Edge? Is it purely up to my taste or are there any key differences? When it comes to my taste, I prefer S7 because I don't like the curved edges.
2. Should I pick the Snapdragon version or Exynos version? I have the possibility to choose, which one is better?
3. I'm afraid of burn-ins that are very common on AMOLED screens, does this phone suffer from kind of problem?
4. Is it possible for me to root this phone and then unroot it without letting Samsung know it was previously rooted (I mean, still get warranty after unroot)?
5. What about custom ROMs? Are they easy to install on this phone? what about camera driver, is it released by Samsung or is it closed source? (I'm asking this because my current phone, LG G2, doesn't have its camera driver released by LG, that means, we use a generic camera driver on custom ROMs like LineageOS and thus reduces the camera quality a lot)
Thank you for your time
Hey mate,
All very valid questions
1. S7 edge has bigger and curved screen, edge interface on stock rom and bigger battery. That's it. Otherwise they are very similar. S7 edge doesn't sell in my country anymore. Not sure about yours. I reckon the price jump is not worth. Only got s7 edge cos of amazing deal where it was cheaper.
2. Exynos is better in performance and development.
3. I haven't gotten any burn ins ever with amoled screens so far. The problem isn't as bad as it used to be. I tend vary the things on my screen and use alot of black so burn in is unlikely.
4. As far as I know the answer is no. Knox is an efuse and cannot be reversed in s7 and s7 edge.
5.
Roms are dead easy to install if you have done it before. It's just twrp then install ROM. I think it has a camera driver cos the photos are always better on touchwiz ROM. I don't think the drivers are ported. But the open camera quality isn't so bad these days(but noticeably worse).
I also come from an LG G2, which I loved, but which had Bluetooth which stopped working. I now have an S7 Edge for 1 year.
1. Which version would you recommend me to buy, S7 or S7 Edge? Is it purely up to my taste or are there any key differences? When it comes to my taste, I prefer S7 because I don't like the curved edges.
I chose the S7 edge, because I like a large screen-to-body ratio (this was one strength of the G2). The inconvenience with the S7 edge though is that the curved screen makes it difficult to hold without touching the screen, I end up always leaving it its case.
2. Should I pick the Snapdragon version or Exynos version? I have the possibility to choose, which one is better?
I have the Exynos version and I have never been able to compare with the Snapdragon. Online reviews says that Exynos is faster and more energy efficient, but I don't know to what extent it is perceptible.
3. I'm afraid of burn-ins that are very common on AMOLED screens, does this phone suffer from kind of problem?
Personally, no problem, after a year, I am still amazed by how beautiful the screen is.
4. Is it possible for me to root this phone and then unroot it without letting Samsung know it was previously rooted (I mean, still get warranty after unroot)?
AFAIK, there is no way to have root with a fully functional kernel without tripping the knox counter and losing warranty in some countries.
5. What about custom ROMs? Are they easy to install on this phone? what about camera driver, is it released by Samsung or is it closed source? (I'm asking this because my current phone, LG G2, doesn't have its camera driver released by LG, that means, we use a generic camera driver on custom ROMs like LineageOS and thus reduces the camera quality a lot)
I constantly played with custom ROMs on my LG Optimus 2x, because that phone was far from perfect, but with the LG G2 and S7 Edge, I have never seen a custom ROM that makes me want to leave the official ROM, so I can't help.
Hello folks.
I'm looking to replace my current cell phone. It needs to be an unlocked CDMA (Sprint) phone. Things that are important to me:
high quality screen
processing power
decent storage
Things that aren't that important to me:
camera
I have a price limit of $150. Given the above, I am looking at:
Moto E4
Galaxy S5 (refurbished)
Galaxy J3 Emerge
Moto G4 Play
All of them have 5" screens, but the S5 has the highest resolution (the rest are 1280x720). The S5 also has the highest clock rate.
My concern is that the S5 is using technology from 4 years ago, while the rest are more recent. Should that be a concern, or is the S5 the best option here?
Thanks!
mrfeh said:
Hello folks. I'm looking to replace my current cell phone. It needs to be an unlocked CDMA (Sprint) phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your best bet is to post this question within one of the following threads that is specific to your question.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1846277
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1620179
Good Luck!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I DO NOT provide support via PM unless asked/requested by myself. PLEASE keep it in the threads where everyone can share.
yes
mrfeh said:
Hello folks.
I'm looking to replace my current cell phone. It needs to be an unlocked CDMA (Sprint) phone. Things that are important to me:
high quality screen
processing power
decent storage
Things that aren't that important to me:
camera
I have a price limit of $150. Given the above, I am looking at:
Moto E4
Galaxy S5 (refurbished)
Galaxy J3 Emerge
Moto G4 Play
All of them have 5" screens, but the S5 has the highest resolution (the rest are 1280x720). The S5 also has the highest clock rate.
My concern is that the S5 is using technology from 4 years ago, while the rest are more recent. Should that be a concern, or is the S5 the best option here?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in my opinion, for this expense and one of the best!
I use a Samsung Galaxy S5 Neo and everything works fine.
2 weeks ago there was an update for the S5 over OTA. It is still alive and good.
In USA the normal S5 is still a smartphone that is one of the bestsellers.
I have no need to get another phone.
And the original S5 is better than my neo.
Gesendet von meinem SM-G903F mit Tapatalk
I would go with the S5...
Amoled screen, wireless charging, fingerscan...16mp cam..
Put LOS or RR and youll get the best deal...
Or try a xiaomi mia1
Hello, had a galaxy s5 for around 3 years. My unit had a bit of a network issue, which sullied my experience, so be careful when buying a refurb!
Also, if processing power is important to you, you should note that it has constant slowdowns/stutters and, though not as often, crashes. It also heats up pretty quick and has mediocre battery life, draining pretty fast with any decent usage. The chipset really does not hold up compared to mid range chipsets now imo. Near the time I upgraded, it became nearly unusable for a bit whenever i turned the wifi on, though a factory reset and a sparser app library has alleviated the worst aspects of using the phone. It might be powerful specwise, but in irl use I find newer midrange chips outperform it in day to day use.
I recently upgraded to a redmi note 5 (china) and it was an upgrade in every way. From build to smoothness to battery life (and both cameras but you don't care about that). It also has the 6' display while retaining the same width as my s5, thanks to the 18:9 display. The aspect ratio is great in all apps that aren't games and in general UI use. It also has oreo out of the box and will get updates in the future, unlike the s5.
The redmi 5 plus(china) could also be a replacement that's cheaper, but I can't vouch for the screen on that one. The redmi note 5 has a bright lcd that looks really good. It's not amoled, but the transition hasn't bothered me at all, it's quite excellent! I've gotten compliments on the screen from many friends who have seen it in person as well.
So, yeah, look into the phone and see if your budget can be adjusted. Shoot for the 3/32 GB which is a steal imo. Oh, and it has a micro sd card slot, just like the s5, so storage won't be an issue. Another plus with these phones is that they actually have a fingerprint scanner that's not trash - another thing from the past that does not hold up.
I looked up the prices for these phones and they seem to be out of the 150$ budget, so, if the budget is rigid you might want to look into the redmi note 4, which can be found for 160$ and has all the same internals as the redmi 5 plus. I cannot vouch for how good the screen is, but it's 1080P IPS LCD. I would personally consider it a better phone to buy than the Galaxy S5 as well (working fingerprint scanner, larger screen, equivalent if not better chipset usability wise).
Anyway, I'm not really as knowledgable as most people in xda but I am a s5 owner, so I figured I'd chip in and try to help.
While S5 is still a nice phone, it is not worth buying one at this time. The best option would be to get current/last year mid end phone. Look at the local market websites, maybe there are good deals. Xiaomi redmi 5 plus is nice phone for low price, also redmi note 4 is nice phone too, you will get better peformance than S5, or at very least the same, more ram, much better battery life due to bigger battery and better chipset, you will get android updates.
S5 is still a great phone.. Do not buy refurbished.. you can find great deals on Ebay.. My cost $110 no dings, or dents or scratches.. Phone actually had very little call time on it.. Moto's IMOP are junk.
Hi ,
I personally think you should go for a newer phone like Honor 8. The main problem i would have with an S5 is the fact that it only has 16GB internal memory. Apart from that it is still a great phone.
With those 16 GB you will always struggle if you want to install many applications and keep Whatsapp data on your phone.
loomax12 said:
Hi ,
I personally think you should go for a newer phone like Honor 8. The main problem i would have with an S5 is the fact that it only has 16GB internal memory. Apart from that it is still a great phone.
With those 16 GB you will always struggle if you want to install many applications and keep Whatsapp data on your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does support SD Cards up to 128 GB though. I'm a kinda heavy user and never had problems with storage, always around 3-4 GB free in internal. Though I did put my games on my card obviosly (there was some app that does this, I forgot name).
i picked mine up monday for 45$. cracked rear camera glass. still takes photos fine.
anyway, i love the thing. i went from an s7 to an iphone 7 then to and old moto then to this. i love the effing thing. i get 2 days in low power mode with the original battery. im hunting for a parts phone now.
the s5 has issues from what ive heard but so far, im running fine.
After 2 weeks using the S5 of my wife I have to reverse my opinion. I installed latest lineageos 14.1 on it and it works like a charm. With lineageos there is still a lot of internal memory left for apps. Bluetooth which is often a problem for custom roms seems to work pretty well.
I've actually recently bought an S5, and although it is not the best option, the support for it has been huge over time and its still going on with amazing roms like AEX or CrDroid.
The only part I dislike is the storage, because yea 16GB are little to me. And the fact that it is refurbished is good contrary to what people assume, because, then that means its already fixed, you wont have to go through that pain as you would with a new one waiting to fail, that's how it is, you have more chances of a new one having issues than a refurbished one because that one already had them and its already fixed. On the other hand, "refurbished" doesnt always mean "it broke and we fixed it", usually its because people return it to the store, the package is open, they cant sell them as new, even if theres nothing wrong with it, it automatically falls to the "refurbished" category and not many people think of that.
Now, the Moto G4 is actually a better option, it has a good performance, but you should opt for the Plus version with 32GB internal
So, I'd recommend the G4 Plus, if you cant buy that, then the S5 is the way to go
S5 is still going strong.
I would not change it, but I need a dual SIM phone now.
So if you can get one, go for it.
However, I am not aware of CDMA capabilities or tested it, sorry. I have European model...
My uncle gave me his old S5 back in January to replace my dying S4 LTE-A, and with LineageOS 15.1, it feels like a brand new phone
im now rooted and running the latest lineage 14.1 and its awesome.
12 hours of battery, 4 hours of SOT and no issues. these nougat kernels are pretty nice. lol
people talking about storage, flash Lineage, have a clean sd card in and use the SD card as adptive storage. it shows it as all internal storage and works like a charm.
Bodisson said:
S5 is still going strong.
I would not change it, but I need a dual SIM phone now.
So if you can get one, go for it.
However, I am not aware of CDMA capabilities or tested it, sorry. I have European model...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
would you recommend the S5 as a backup to the Note 4?
I still have an S5 as a backup phone. Main phone Xiaomei Redmi Note 4x which I bought due to its superior battery life. The S5 imo is still good as backup phone and has an excellent camera (if you stick to TouchWiz based roms).
mrfeh said:
Hello folks.
I'm looking to replace my current cell phone. It needs to be an unlocked CDMA (Sprint) phone. Things that are important to me:
high quality screen
processing power
decent storage
Things that aren't that important to me:
camera
I have a price limit of $150. Given the above, I am looking at:
Moto E4
Galaxy S5 (refurbished)
Galaxy J3 Emerge
Moto G4 Play
All of them have 5" screens, but the S5 has the highest resolution (the rest are 1280x720). The S5 also has the highest clock rate.
My concern is that the S5 is using technology from 4 years ago, while the rest are more recent. Should that be a concern, or is the S5 the best option here?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello!
I can definately assure you that:
A. Off the phones you have listed AND
B. Your stated price range
The S5 is your choice!!
It is amazing!! You will not be dissapointed! Unlimited battery life (multiple batteries), screen resolution, clock speed etc etc.
I am currently typing from one! Lol, I have the OnePlus 3 and my good ol' trusty S5! Some tips:
You stated about being older firmware (S5 is marshmallow) whilst others are nougat..... The S5 is one of the most developed phones ever! even still!!! In literally 5 minutes and little knowledge you can flash a custom recovery and then a custom ROM, no root needed. I have used the S5 since the early days and have used pretty much EVERY rom, honestly!
I can suggest resurrection remix as THE most customisable, they have features beyond any other! They have 100% stable nougat build and Oreo also, I use them both. In fact we have multiboot so can run 2 ROMs at once just choose at boot!
We have lots of kernels if you choose to root like myself, this way you can have 2.1 amp quick charge, boot windows or Linux on PC from phone, double battery time, gaming performance and over clocking to 2.84 GHz!!!! The phone is a beast!! It is reliable as hell too! I have had mine rooted for 4 years, overclocked and its given me no worries....And waterproof with a removable battery!!!!!!
Hope this helps, any questions at all please ask, happy to help
ErbDroid said:
Hello!
I can definately assure you that:
A. Off the phones you have listed AND
B. Your stated price range
The S5 is your choice!!
It is amazing!! You will not be dissapointed! Unlimited battery life (multiple batteries), screen resolution, clock speed etc etc.
I am currently typing from one! Lol, I have the OnePlus 3 and my good ol' trusty S5! Some tips:
You stated about being older firmware (S5 is marshmallow) whilst others are nougat..... The S5 is one of the most developed phones ever! even still!!! In literally 5 minutes and little knowledge you can flash a custom recovery and then a custom ROM, no root needed. I have used the S5 since the early days and have used pretty much EVERY rom, honestly!
I can suggest resurrection remix as THE most customisable, they have features beyond any other! They have 100% stable nougat build and Oreo also, I use them both. In fact we have multiboot so can run 2 ROMs at once just choose at boot!
We have lots of kernels if you choose to root like myself, this way you can have 2.1 amp quick charge, boot windows or Linux on PC from phone, double battery time, gaming performance and over clocking to 2.84 GHz!!!! The phone is a beast!! It is reliable as hell too! I have had mine rooted for 4 years, overclocked and its given me no worries....And waterproof with a removable battery!!!!!!
Hope this helps, any questions at all please ask, happy to help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello.
Please make recomendation for Nougat and Oreo firmwares
I'm going to be very sad when it breaks.
Mine is breaking. ...
Sent from my SM-N915A using Tapatalk
MSK1 said:
Mine is breaking. ...
Sent from my SM-N915A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's happening? Mine's still a rock, well rockish....back cover is chipped.
Would you still recommend this phone?
Depends on what you need it for. It's great for note taking and general use. But the processor and GPU is definitely aging and cannot handle intensive apps and games of 2019 or 2020.
As someone who still has a note edge and use it for different projects, load lineage os 16 or Viper OS and I guarantee you, the phone will run like a dream. I had my note edge since 2015 and have an Galaxy S8+ and they run almost the same
Boom 7 and Note 8-10 also got pen and edge.
Darth-Kadd said:
As someone who still has a note edge and use it for different projects, load lineage os 16 or Viper OS and I guarantee you, the phone will run like a dream. I had my note edge since 2015 and have an Galaxy S8+ and they run almost the same
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you link the Viper OS (only found for note4) or the Lineage OS that you are saying?
Thanks
Question for those of you who still have Samsung Galaxy Note Edge.
My SM-N915A from AT&T is unrootable and only running 6.0.1. Many apps keep warning me that I need to upgrade my OS or else the software won't work. Right now I can get past that by clicking, yes I understand the risks, etc. but sooner or later I will not be able to use apps I need for work. Also, it seems to get very hot very fast, and randomly reboots despite having a very new battery, so it might be dying.
My query is this -- would you go out and find another SM-N915 that is rootable and then put a newer OS on that, or would you transition to a newer phone (I love having a removable battery)?
thanks for any advice
PS I still have a rooted SM-N915O that has a cracked, burned in screen that is not always responsive to touch; could I swap that motherboard for my SM-N915A's board?
Beside quite slow CPU, it has too bad battery life and camera compared to new phones. I would not use one as my daily driver.