Database Users

Help me decide!

Hey guys! So i've narrowed down my choices for a new phone:
Huawei Mate 7 or Xperia Z3. Both are great sexy phones but I like the larger screen, fingerprint, and less bezel on the mate 7. Both have around the same screen on time (around 10 hrs).
For Mate 7:
- Screen looks washed out compared to other flagships, Z3 gets brighter
+ Bigger screen, smaller bezels
+ Fingerprint scanner
? Kirin 925 (I've heard its worse than the 801 and has lags and micro stutters when scrolling in browser, is the phone laggy?)
For Xperia Z3:
+ Bright, colorful screen
- Smaller screen, bigger bezels
+ Front facing stereo speakers
+ Faster updates (It's nice but I don't really mind that much about updates, as long as the mate7 eventually gets lollipop)
Is there some way to adjust the colors and make it more saturated/vivid on the Mate 7? and are the reports of the Mate 7 lagging in browser etc true? Please help me decide what you would go for if you had the choice between these two

It would depend on how you would use the phone. If you are just a regular user and a non techy one. Mate7 is good enough. But keep in mind that Emui has no app drawer. Updates are slow compared to Sony. Limited custom Roms if you are in to that. I would suggest reading the owner's impressions thread to see how others like the phone and the pros and cons for them.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Easy Computer said:
It would depend on how you would use the phone. If you are just a regular user and a non techy one. Mate7 is good enough. But keep in mind that Emui has no app drawer. Updates are slow compared to Sony. Limited custom Roms if you are in to that. I would suggest reading the owner's impressions thread to see how others like the phone and the pros and cons for them.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I primarily use my phone for social stuff like Facebook and Whatsapp (though barely use the camera), listening to Music, and heavy gaming, like GTA San Andreas (which i've heard runs extremely well on max settings (because of the mali GPU in the mate 7) compared to Snapdragon devices, where they lag on max,) and Asphalt 8. I don't care about updates or custom roms ever since Xposed. Can always stick an AOSP based launcher on top, and that would probably be the first thing I do if I do this device. Don't care about updates that much. My main, biggest gripe of the Huawei is the screen color saturation, they look bland compared to other flagships. Anybody figure out anything to fix that? My Nexus 4 had the same problem, but after using a custom kernel with gamma controls the screen just felt like something else completely. I got spoiled by the beautifully saturated colors of my N4 after calibration, and don't want a bland screen. The Z3 is better in this regard - its not the most saturated screen but its miles better than the mate 7 in that regard. Why can't Huawei calibrate their screens properly out of the box!

Colors are great, Screen doesn't look washed at all. First go and see the phone live in a showroom.
The phone it's not laggy.
But if you are a heavy gamer don't expect to get 10 hours screen on time with neither one. 5-6 hours maybe, and with brightness set on auto.
8 hours screen on time it't the best that I got with mate7( dual sim version).
Sony are not quick to update their phones also, just one month ago they updated z3 to lolipop.

The warmth/colour tone can be adjusted via settings slider
Screen is excellent, my last phone was a z2

roy8846 said:
The warmth/colour tone can be adjusted via settings slider
Screen is excellent, my last phone was a z2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw the Mate 7 irl for some reason I think it was washed out... maybe it's just my imagination :silly: i'll try to check it out again in a store

In all honesty wait for Mate 8 it will be released soon most likely.
And also I heard news today that Note 5 most likely will be released in July too...
Mate 7 will most likely drop even more in price for that reason It might be attractive for some though.
It still a good phone for the price.

If you wait for a bit more... You can get almost all of the last years flagships for less after july or august.
Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-TL10

Please tell me after Note 5 and mate 8 and D8 what the hell other devices are worth waiting for ?
as what I know there are known.. unless you want an iphone 6s
The reason Note 5 will be released more early is that they want to get it out before Iphone 6s the big version.
Also Samsung have said the development has gone faster the expected with Note 5.
Do you mean paper releases like oneplus1 ?
or the new bezelless oppo find ?

Easy Computer said:
If you wait for a bit more... You can get almost all of the last years flagships for less after july or august.
Sent from my HUAWEI MT7-TL10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The prices have already come down enough for them to be in my price range for all of last year's flagships, so that doesn't matter to me anymore. Its just these three phones which I have narrowed it down to because of my personal preferences
If some sort of confirmation or leak about a huawei nexus, or mate 8 or oneplus two gets released by the end of June then I think i'll wait if I like, otherwise i'll just take one of these phones, because right now i've been with a Lenovo A706 (some cheap budget android phone that came free with my new laptop) because my nexus 4 crapped out on me a year ago, and this lenovo is horrendously slow, bad battery life bad everything basically :laugh:
Note 5 (and iPhone 6/6S) will be too expensive for my price range (my price range is ~1700 AED), and I haven't liked Samsung's designs since the S2/Galaxy Nexus, because of the colored, pattern bezels, (just want deep black) which is also the main reason why I won't consider the Note 4, even though it has better specs overall (and that LOVELY amoled screen) and is in my price range. I'm very picky with my devices, because I only change once every 3-4 years.

Mate 9 vs Axon 7? (Updated, I bought the M9)

Update
I write this with the sole purpose of informing (as objectively as possible) possible buyers of the advantages and disadvantages of this terminal, since there is always a lot of talk about the good things of the phone, but seldom is spoken of the bad; given that these 2 terminals are in my opinion the best and most complete in the market today, I will write what I think and feel after having the Mate 9 for 3 days and comparing it with Axon 7.
Size
I loved it, and I think it's exquisite. I really thought that the phone would be bigger, but it is almost the same measures of the Axon 7, being that one has a screen of 5.5 "and the other one of 5.9".
Screen
I honestly thought the screen would be worse because of the change in resolution, but it's pretty decent, and I can say that unless you're not playing, you're not going to notice the difference between the QHD screen and the FHD of Mate 9. The resolution difference will be noticed immediately in games, I already installed 2 and I can say that it is quite annoying to see the graphics a little pixelated and with that lack of sharpness and definition that I had in Axon 7. Still not sure if the lack of quality is because most of the applications are not optimized for Kirin yet or is because of the limitation of the screen,
Performance
I can say that I had never had such a fast and responsive terminal, even with Android stock. Comparing the 820 and 4GB RAM from the Axon 7, I have to give this one to the Mate 9 because the stupid speed it has, there is nothing more to say.
Software
Both UI pleased me, although I must say that EMUI 5 is a breakthrough. MiFavor of the Axon 7 still feels like past versions of EMUI, while EMUI feels a little to iOS, which is nice for me, even when I hate Apple and its products, I must accept that they have good taste for designs. Both ZTE and Huawei have already launched some updates and both have been polishing things, so this should not be a worry. I didn't take in consideration the version of Android, because in the UI i always more important the version of this than the version of Android.
Sound
The Axon 7 is better, both in speakers and in audio output. I didn't like the speakers of Mate 9, especially for the positioning. Although the headset works as a speaker, the reality is that the volume is far below the other speaker, and this panning at the end does not feel like stereo and just confuses. The concept is good, but the implementation was not the best, they would have put up speakers of similar power to achieve this correctly.
Camera
I am one of the few (starting to be many) who are disappointed by this camera. It is not a wonder or magic, it takes good pictures, but nothing more. I sincerely bought the equipment with the promise that it would be an incredible experience in photography, but the only thing I got are decent photos and several times I had to use the manual mode, when I expected that the Auto mode was already quite good, and only use the manual mode in very complicated conditions. There is much to improve here, and I can say that I do not notice any difference between the photos made with Mate 9 and Axon 7, and even, I like more the colors that the Axon 7 has. On the other hand, the videos on the Mate 9 are way better that the mediocre quality on the axon 7.
Battery
There is nothing to say, the battery on the Mate 9 is impressive; at the end of the day I come around 60% with about 3-4 hours of screen. The Axon 7 was giving me at most 4-5 hours of screen.
Price
The Axon 7 can be bought for about € 400, while the Mate 9 can be get for around € 650. Does the difference is justified ?, no in my opinion, and I think that if you are not looking for a big phone or a giant battery, the Axon 7 is the device to buy. Having a "just decent" screen, a poorly achieved sound and a camera that does not behave much higher than the Axon 7, made it a big disappointment for me to have buyed this equipment.
I waited the Axon 7 for many months but I gave up on it because I never could get one, is really hard to get where I live.
I was going with the Mate 9 because Huawei has big presence in Europe and is easier to get, but just last week I saw an Axon 7(A2017G) at good price and I pulled the trigger. The initial plan was to play some days with the Axon 7 and then sell it, because I already had the plan for the Mate 9, but with each day that passes, I'm thinking in keep it.
I was planning to get the Mate 9 because I'm really interested in camera quality, and I have seen Mate 9 is slightly better in this, but not for much in my opinion and it comes with the cons of losing the nice audio and the screen resolution, but with the pros of a better camera and battery.
I'm not interested anymore in development(root, ROM's, kernels, mods, etc), usually all the things I need now come with the stock ROM. I'm more interested in the camera, screen, battery and overall performance and experience.
Both cost the same where I live, so I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the Mate 9 or had the opportunity to play with it, I would be interested in your opinions and comments so I can take a decisions about these 2 devices.
Thanks
:highfive:

One plus 3T, hands down. If they'd had that around when I purchased the Axon, I would've went with that.
If not, but the mate 9.

actually all phone had the same spec but only the firmware, kernel and Os and great dev to make the whole experience user friendly, unfortunately what i can tell from Axon 7 G version the software experience is totally different with other variant which i think will leads to the main downfall of this great hardware device..... ZTE will not focus on this device after nougat updates and basically this is the main problem and strategy for all mid range phones except for couple of brands in the market like Xiaomi/redmi. Xiaomi or redmi most likely will not upgrade their mid range phone OS but they still give consumer their latest MIUI look and feel which makes their customer happy... so far i just did not see ZTE what they are trying to do... same goes to Asus... about are my 2 cents of thought

icenight89 said:
One plus 3T, hands down. If they'd had that around when I purchased the Axon, I would've went with that.
If not, but the mate 9.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I was considering the OP3T some weeks ago, but the problems with the screen, bluetooth, notifications, etc., make me discard it. I think is a great device, but I'm more a multimedia consumer and a good screen, stereo speakers and decent camera are more valuable to me than being able to have development on it, and the OP3T fails on 2 of those.
Besides that, I really hate capacitive buttons and front facing fingerprint reader, they just take unnecessary space and make the device more bulky, and even when the Axon 7 has capacitive buttons, the form factor and tiny bezels make it be smaller than many phones of the same screen size with on-display buttons.
Anyway, I really value your comment and I will have it present for my next buy, because it seems that OP4 could come sooner with some nice surprises.

The Mate 9 is probalby better in almost every way. I see only three things better on the Axon 7 : the amoled 2560*1440 screen, the audio and the development (i don't know if things have changed with Huawei or not).
But the price point isn't the same at all !
Personally, i own the Axon 7 and i don't regret buying one second. It's a great device !

ramnkc said:
actually all phone had the same spec but only the firmware, kernel and Os and great dev to make the whole experience user friendly, unfortunately what i can tell from Axon 7 G version the software experience is totally different with other variant which i think will leads to the main downfall of this great hardware device..... ZTE will not focus on this device after nougat updates and basically this is the main problem and strategy for all mid range phones except for couple of brands in the market like Xiaomi/redmi. Xiaomi or redmi most likely will not upgrade their mid range phone OS but they still give consumer their latest MIUI look and feel which makes their customer happy... so far i just did not see ZTE what they are trying to do... same goes to Asus... about are my 2 cents of thought
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I'm pretty impressed by ZTE respond with the Axon 7, most of the complaints and things users asked, are put on the phone continuously., and the fact they allowed to unlock the bootloader gives the impressions that they actually want to care about the phone. I think that the Axon would receive another update at least after Nougat, because when they were advertising selling it, ZTE advertised as first Daydream ready device, which also implies Nougat device.
Besides, I don't consider the Axon 7 as mid range device, and ZTE hasn't anything else to be fully working on.

Galaxo60 said:
I waited the Axon 7 for many months but I gave up on it because I never could get one, is really hard to get where I live.
I was going with the Mate 9 because Huawei has big presence in Europe and is easier to get, but just last week I saw an Axon 7(A2017G) at good price and I pulled the trigger. The initial plan was to play some days with the Axon 7 and then sell it, because I already had the plan for the Mate 9, but with each day that passes, I'm thinking in keep it.
I was planning to get the Mate 9 because I'm really interested in camera quality, and I have seen Mate 9 is slightly better in this, but not for much in my opinion and it comes with the cons of losing the nice audio and the screen resolution, but with the pros of a better camera and battery.
I'm not interested anymore in development(root, ROM's, kernels, mods, etc), usually all the things I need now come with the stock ROM. I'm more interested in the camera, screen, battery and overall performance and experience.
Both cost the same where I live, so I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the Mate 9 or had the opportunity to play with it, I would be interested in your opinions and comments so I can take a decisions about these 2 devices.
Thanks
:highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Axon 7 is perfect in all aspect except one, low light pictures. It has a very good optical and electronic stabilization for video recording. And color accuracy of pictures is remarkable. The screen is superior to any other phone in it's price range with the excellent Samsung panel. The battery lasts for almos 2 days. I got an average of 14 hours of screen on time with medium use (emails, whatsapp, texts, web browsing, phone calls, Skype, hangouts, PDF view, taking pictures, etc). I have root the device but I am using stock kernel, stock rom with a couple of tweaks, but always with nominal voltages and speeds. ZTE has a nice service for customers here in USA. It has a public beta program and I really like the way they are doing with this phone.
Nougat has been announced by ZTE to be released before the end of this month and that unlocks Daydream.

djona12 said:
The Mate 9 is probalby better in almost every way. I see only three things better on the Axon 7 : the amoled 2560*1440 screen, the audio and the development (i don't know if things have changed with Huawei or not).
But the price point isn't the same at all !
Personally, i own the Axon 7 and i don't regret buying one second. It's a great device !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I remember you from the other european thread, back in july when there was only on thread for Axon 7 and there wasn't forum yet.
Anyway, I think that battery and camera are better on Mate 9, but I'm thinking on that FHD screen, moreover because of the size of the phone and also because is IPS, so no Daydream at all. For design, performance, usability, etc., I think both are great devices, but the Axon 7 and how ZTE has been polishing the software and the camera in this time have me impressed.

Lol you are comparing a flash ship priced mate 9 (800$) to a $400 device??
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

nano303 said:
Lol you are comparing a flash ship priced mate 9 (800$) to a $400 device??
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That depends where you live, and as I said on the OP, I can get any of them around €550, so that's why price is not a factor for me, and I'm more interested in the overall experience of each one.

Mate 9 for us in the States is $600 vs the axon 7 at $380-$400,depending on where you buy from
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 12:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:52 PM ----------
nano303 said:
Lol you are comparing a flash ship priced mate 9 (800$) to a $400 device??
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate 9 pro, maybe. Regular mate 9 is much cheaper
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

Oki said:
The Axon 7 is perfect in all aspect except one, low light pictures. It has a very good optical and electronic stabilization for video recording. And color accuracy of pictures is remarkable. The screen is superior to any other phone in it's price range with the excellent Samsung panel. The battery lasts for almos 2 days. I got an average of 14 hours of screen on time with medium use (emails, whatsapp, texts, web browsing, phone calls, Skype, hangouts, PDF view, taking pictures, etc). I have root the device but I am using stock kernel, stock rom with a couple of tweaks, but always with nominal voltages and speeds. ZTE has a nice service for customers here in USA. It has a public beta program and I really like the way they are doing with this phone.
Nougat has been announced by ZTE to be released before the end of this month and that unlocks Daydream.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always see you are really active around here and is really nice to have people like you helping others.
I feel what you said, and indeed I only picked the device as an experiment, but I'm thinking if I should keep it. For me, this phone with some AOSP/CM development could be for me the Nexus that never came in 2016 because of the Pixel branding. Back in the dark times I used to root my device, install some custom stuff and undervolt/underclock in order to have a decent battery life, but with the Axon 7 even with stock I'm able to get 2 days with around 4 hrs SOT, but having +10 hrs SOT sounds epic.
As far as low light pictures, camera is an important point for me, I still know is a phone and I don't pretend to have the best phone's camera on the market, but I don't see the pictures from the Axon 7 bad at all and I think they are pretty decent (which is enough for me), and if someone needs more, we have the manual mode available as well. I attach some that I have taken over the week.
Maybe the question would be if ZTE is planning to improve the camera or if there has been any improvements since it was launched?, I would be interesting in knowing this, I have only 1 week with the device and I can't tell if ZTE is focusing and improving the camera with updates or not.
Thanks
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Galaxo60 said:
I'm able to get 2 days with around 4 hrs SOT, but having +10 hrs SOT sounds epic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only 4 tweaks can provide you +14 hrs with this phone. Take a look at this.

Oki said:
Only 4 tweaks can provide you +14 hrs with this phone. Take a look at this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any word about the camera?, I mean, if ZTE has been improving it with updates or if is something they are trying to get better?, I would be really interested in knowing this.

I do not know. We have the initial ROM and 2 updates. So in average we have an update every 8 weeks or so. I got this phone barely one month ago. Probably people with longer experience could tell you whether the low light camera has been improved or not. There are other apps with better behavior under low light conditions there is something written in these forums you can just search for.

srimay said:
Mate 9 for us in the States is $600 vs the axon 7 at $380-$400,depending on where you buy from
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 12:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:52 PM ----------
Mate 9 pro, maybe. Regular mate 9 is much cheaper
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Mate 9 Pro for me is a rip off of the S7 Edge, which I don't like at all, and I think is a steal at that price. I have always stay away from capacitive buttons and front fingerprint scanners.
Still I don't understand the decision to put a QHD screen on a 5.5" device and let the 6.0" with just FHD, regular Mate 9 with QHD and AMOLED display could be a nice improvement.

Oki said:
I do not know. We have the initial ROM and 2 updates. So in average we have an update every 8 weeks or so. I got this phone barely one month ago. Probably people with longer experience could tell you whether the low light camera has been improved or not. There are other apps with better behavior under low light conditions there is something written in these forums you can just search for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope ZTE keeps improving the software, and than more and more people keep joining the development scene.
Thanks for your answers!.

Added little comparison with the Mate 9 after spending some days with it.

Have both Axon 7 and Mate 9. I'm a slut for big screens. They both have good and bad issues. FOR the price the Zte can't be beat. Do like the M9 interface, large screen and IPS 1080 display.
After my s7 Edge I'll probably never buy Samsung again

Honest opinions please; tell me about your experience!

Hey friends in the sub $300 range!
I'm shopping around for a new device. Currently I'm using an Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 5.5" -- it has served me well (very well) since November 2015. Unfortunately the battery seems to be failing, so it seems the time has come for me to replace my precious. I'm actually in the sub $250 range, trying VERY HARD to not go over (which is why I'm considering the Axon 7 Mini and not the full-featured Axon 7).
I've been looking at all different phones for a couple days now and I'm stuck. I'm really drawn toward the Axon 7 Mini but from the reviews I've been reading the word is that it's just not that great for a $299 phone. Is it great for a $199 phone? Should I pay the extra $50 and get the Honor 6X (which I'm shying away from because of its overall durability -- yes, yes, I know to put a screen protector and case on it but it's the what ifs that get me), or do you think I'll be satisfied with the Axon 7 Mini? Normally I wouldn't hesitate to get a phone like this because I'm no stranger to the world of root and custom ROMs, and I know the dev community is stellar in making a stuttery device smooth like butter, but I see there hasn't been much luck with this one. I feel like my Idol (and Galaxy SIII before it) have spoiled me. Both devices just WORKED. They do and did what I needed them to do with minimal fuss and absolutely no worry about installing a custom ROM. Is the 7 Mini one of those phones that you just keep saying to yourself "I know CM would vastly improve my experience with this phone"?
Or should I give up on both phones and hope my Idol lasts a bit longer to see if I can get a really fantastic deal on the full featured Axon 7?

Probably should clarify: I am not by any means a heavy user. I may have a couple apps open at the same time, but I'm not running demanding games or social media apps (unless you count Snapchat as demanding; the Idol cannot handle Snapchat for some reason and it drives me nuts).

the word is that it's just not that great for a $299 phone. Is it great for a $199 phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on what you are looking for. The main reason why the reviews have been complaining is the somewhat weak CPU.
As someone who does not play 3D games on a phone, the performance has been absolutely fine for me.
Just going by the rest of the specs, it is hard to find anything that compares (without heavy compromises) at a $199 price point.
Should I pay the extra $50 and get the Honor 6X
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hard to tell for me honestly. Just comparing the specs, the Axon has an AMOLED screen and better sound, while the Honor should have better battery life.
I'd go by what features you prefer. (more on that further down)
Is the 7 Mini one of those phones that you just keep saying to yourself "I know CM would vastly improve my experience with this phone"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vastly improved? Not really. Somewhat improved? Definitely yes.
The stock system is not bad, but it has some quirks going against it. (somewhat questionable power management, bad stock UI)
If the Android N update goes well, I don't see that much need for a custom rom. It would of course be great to have, but it's not a deal breaker for me.
Overall pros/cons:
pro:
- beautiful display
- outstanding sound (both speakers and headphones)
- quick charge works very well
subjective pros:
- metal case
- usb type c
- overall great hardware design
meh:
- mediocre battery life (will get you through the day just fine, don't expect anything beyond)
- mediocre performance (will perform everyday tasks just fine, you won't be happy if you want to play demanding games though)
- mediocre camera (I don't really use it, but the pictures are unimpressive)
- updates happen every once in a blue moon, but they do happen
cons:
- no root
- no custom roms
- battery can't be swapped
- bad default UI (just using a different launcher will vastly improve your experience with the phone)

d3cay said:
Aight! Summed up nicely, the screen is actually very qualitative although the UI is a bit messy.. Right, nova or evie launcher change this to the good, honestly this is the phone I'm the most satisfacted with, didn't expect a timeless piece like this, woah! The Nubia Z17 Mini is also very nice!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=is.shortcut
http://www.nubia.com/en/presscenter.php?a=showArticleDetail&id=14
http://m.gsmarena.com/zte_nubia_z17_mini-8615.php
Check these links, nubia 17, better photography (although dslr is the queen) idk yet about the audio chip, will share it if you like. Although on 28nm, 652/653 is a nice improvement!
Screen looks great quality too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I came to the mini 7 from a broken Galaxy S6 ($300 to repair it so I figured I'd look at a newer phone). Now that I've got the performance improved (via a soft reset), I'm generally happy with the phone. Admittedly, my S6 was starting to get slow too, it probably also need a reset or cache cleared.
I bought the mini for $199. I think for that price it's a pretty decent phone.
Robnw

The Mini is easy to get for $199, most Best Buy stores stock both colors for that price (they are quite plentiful in the Minneapolis area at least)... For $199 if you don't need Verizon or other CDMA support, it's a pretty solid device.
- The display is beautiful and the sound is something you don't expect for a phone under $500.
- Performance is good for everything but heavy gaming.
- Battery is decent, pretty easy to get a full day with 4.5-5 hours SOT average in mixed LTE/WiFi
- Camera is pretty good and quick, I'll take it over my Moto X Pure edition's 21MP camera any day
- It is a very "premium" feeling phone
- The fingerprint reader is sometimes questionable (my son quite using it because it was so inconsistent, but last few updates it's better)
- MiFavor, the UI, is really disappointing and tries to be too Applish with no app drawer. And there is no usable battery stats in settings?!?!
The custom ROM and root thing is less and less important all the time, personally I don't think it will effect my next decision to get a phone at all. I'm with the previous poster CM might make it a little better, but the stock ROM isn't bad all and it wouldn't make it "amazing" or anything like that.
Add Nova Launcher and GSAM as your first installed apps and it's a good buy at $199, but if it's at $250-$300 I would skip it and get a Moto G5 Plus.
As far as the Honor phones go, I can't stand EMUI... the software ruins what would be an otherwise decent phone. Honor devices are solid hardware, but the software ruins it especially it actively prevents you replacing the launcher or using some other customizations, it's unfortunate they didn't stay with a more simple UI or even stockish Android, they would be a real consideration then.

d3cay said:
meh:
- mediocre camera (I don't really use it, but the pictures are unimpressive)
·
·
·
·
Actually the camera is very good! Check my instagram @zteaxon7mini and get impressed by its results
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Click to collapse

acejavelin said:
As far as the Honor phones go, I can't stand EMUI... the software ruins what would be an otherwise decent phone. Honor devices are solid hardware, but the software ruins it especially it actively prevents you replacing the launcher or using some other customizations, it's unfortunate they didn't stay with a more simple UI or even stockish Android, they would be a real consideration then.
Click to expand...
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Just wanted to say that with EMUi 5.0, their skin has gotten a lot better. And the Honor 6X is getting it in Q2 this year. Also they don't make it difficult to replace the launcher or anything like that. Got an Honor phone for my Mom and girlfriend and I easily got them on Nova Launcher, Android Messages, Gmail, and even the Google phone app (an older version).
In regards to OP, the Honor 6X does seem like an all around better phone, if you can stand their skin. The performance seems to be better (going by reviews), battery life seems to be better, screen quality seems to be similar. I know the Axon is AMOLED and the Honor is IPS LCD, but all of the reviews (and my in person opinion) state that it is a very capable screen, especially for the price. The Axon does have great audio quality, but the Honor seems to have better performance and battery life. The design of the two is quite similar in that it's mostly aluminum with some glass. Also the Honor is currently on a flash sale for the next few days at $220 on Honor's website. So I definitely think it's up to you, but there's another opinion for ya!

A word on the 9

Had this device quite a few times. Always liked it.
Ultimately moved to the s8+ but had an issue with it so while waiting for my Note 8 I bought the Mate 9 again... And I FORGOT JUST HOW FANTASTIC THIS DEVICE IS! Fast, clear, solid, inexpensive, fantastic battery (I feel a sense of security that I FORGOT!) And I dont know how Apple and Samsung (including on the Note 8) talk like they have the best camera app when this app is so by far the best. I can do Bokeh without zooming in (unique) and then adjust, AND I can uniquely pick the aperture which you can't do on apple or Note 8. It's by far the most creative.
Software has improved since I last had it. It is now a rocket. Love it. And fast charging. Really fast.
There's nothing it doesn't have that I actually miss or need.
So I'm keeping this and selling the Samsungs!!! And I'm going to wait for the Mate 10 which I anticipate will be the best device of 2017.

I like you, am continually dazzled every time I return to the Mate 9. So fluid, so swishy, so quick.
I cannot wait to go out and buy the Mate 10.
Sent from my MHA-L29 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

End of the day, device on since 7am, full day using it, and I still have 23% at nearly 7pm. My Samsungs need juice by 3pm. Love it.

And the only phone that can do this (Bokeh without a zoom)

True, the Mate 9 is the real champion, shame it's name isn't as big as Galaxy's, but well the Mate 10 looking good , can't wait for it, second phone i'll preorder almost for sure.

Derpling said:
True, the Mate 9 is the real champion, shame it's name isn't as big as Galaxy's, but well the Mate 10 looking good , can't wait for it, second phone i'll preorder almost for sure.
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IMO I rather have the phone be underrated, compare to others, that's what gives it the special kick, can't stand it when all around you everyone has a galaxy or an iPhone, I like to be different from the rest

Mate 8 and 9 have been the best overall phone in my personal opinion.
Does everything well.

I really needed a new phone, my LG G3 had a broken screen for the 3rd time. I wanted to wait for the Mate 10, but no real idea on pricing or when it would be available, same with the LG V30. So I had to do something and one of my decisions is the ability to root the device. Samsung has been making that harder and harder, same for LG. So I decided the Mate 9 would do for the next year or so.
Also, this trend towards long skinny phones is not to my liking. I guess there are a lot of people turning their phones sideways to watch videos and play games. I prefer to have a little bit wider phone and the Mate 9 is perfect.
I am extremely happy that I bought this phone, it is by far the best phone I have owned.

Always had iPhone as daily driver and would get a Android from time to time to play around, had S8+, Note 9, Pixel XL and always went back to the Mate 9. Packed with features and options, I love dual sim, Leica camera is awesome, I LOVE IR blaster, IMO the best/most underrated phone. Can't wait for Mate 10, I hope they keep the IR blaster!

Overall love

Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Huawei P30, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Huawei P30 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

The 'If Only' phone of the year.
The things that Huawei have removed in comparison to the pro ruin what could have been one of the phones of the year especially at the price.
I love the reduced size and flat screen but I always get a sense I am using a compromised device when I pick it up. The model that Samsung adopted with the S10 IMO makes more sense.
Shame.

....humm, do you need 10x zoom? in real life No. Time-of-Flight(TOF) for Ultra Boken effect, No. Wireless Charge.... Cool, but No. And IP68: I never broke a smartphone in my life because of water, but broke too much on the ground!!
Saving 200$ USD and I have better battery life, all the main spec of the Pro and I can Hook and use it in ONE hand!!
I compare with Samsung S10 and try it. But, cost me 300$ USD more than the P30 and battery life pain to last one day... No. Hole in the screen not compatible to many app... and Bixby!!!
If someone speak french, there's a link here: youtu.be/5yCJ8o85fXI

I've been using the P30 for a month now.
I need the headphone jack more than wireless charging or 10x zoom. I also prefer the smaler form factor and I drop my phone every now and then and I don't think curved displays like this a lot.
I am coming from a Galaxy S7 so it was a bigger jump and I am completly happy with this phone. Great performance, great screen - but the two most important things are for me - impressive camera and impressive battery life. The Galaxy S10e was an option but then I read about its mediocre battery life, and to my expierience Samsung always looses in this department.
No faults or bugs so far. I've been using Nova Launcher for years so I am not bothered with EMUI. I like the dark mode and the gestures, though. The Huawei software seems a bit too nosie for my taste so I deactivated most of it and I did not activate the Huawei-cloud. But in general I consider this phone the best deal for me at the moment.

tricki said:
I've been using the P30 for a month now.
I need the headphone jack more than wireless charging or 10x zoom. I also prefer the smaler form factor and I drop my phone every now and then and I don't think curved displays like this a lot.
I am coming from a Galaxy S7 so it was a bigger jump and I am completly happy with this phone. Great performance, great screen - but the two most important things are for me - impressive camera and impressive battery life. The Galaxy S10e was an option but then I read about its mediocre battery life, and to my expierience Samsung always looses in this department.
No faults or bugs so far. I've been using Nova Launcher for years so I am not bothered with EMUI. I like the dark mode and the gestures, though. The Huawei software seems a bit too nosie for my taste so I deactivated most of it and I did not activate the Huawei-cloud. But in general I consider this phone the best deal for me at the moment.
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hi!
same situation , s10e was an option, but battery in samsung is something annoying, same with not symmetrical front camera...
p30 is great choice for me!

Just got my P30 2 days ago. It's also my first Huawei phone. No regrets. I absolutely love this. I'm coming from a Pixel 2, and although I prefer stock Android any day, I found it so hard to ignore the hardware innovation from other manufacturers. I didn't want to wait for a miracle and hope Google would design their next Pixel up to modern standards and have more than 4GB of RAM.
EMUI isn't perfect, but it's honestly not as bad as YouTube and tech reviewers say it is. To me, slapping on Hyperion Launcher made it so much better.
Don't even get me started with the battery life of this thing.

theeagleeye said:
Just got my P30 2 days ago. It's also my first Huawei phone. No regrets. I absolutely love this. I'm coming from a Pixel 2, and although I prefer stock Android any day, I found it so hard to ignore the hardware innovation from other manufacturers. I didn't want to wait for a miracle and hope Google would design their next Pixel up to modern standards and have more than 4GB of RAM.
EMUI isn't perfect, but it's honestly not as bad as YouTube and tech reviewers say it is. To me, slapping on Hyperion Launcher made it so much better.
Don't even get me started with the battery life of this thing.
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Did you notice a blue tint when going into the recents screen? Happens to me when using ANY third party launcher, right now i'm using Smart Launcher. Had to remove Huaweis Launcher to get an older, unaffected recents screen back. Quite annoying.

xPandamon said:
Did you notice a blue tint when going into the recents screen? Happens to me when using ANY third party launcher, right now i'm using Smart Launcher. Had to remove Huaweis Launcher to get an older, unaffected recents screen back. Quite annoying.
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Yes, I did notice that. It's likely how EMUI handles app switching, so any third-party launcher we use will always have that effect.
Though I wish it didn't have to happen, it doesn't bother me very much.

Hello,
I got this device for free. I had a Oneplus 6t , and a Mate 10 Pro before.
I can tell, scrolling on this phone is smooth as hell. Compared to the Mate 10 Pro, this is really a complete different level. Oneplus is known as one of the fastest and smoothest phone out.. But really, this phone beats Onplus 6t in scrolling smoothness... Really amazed and surprised after having Mate 10 Pro... Huawei has done its job well! This phone is really fast
The camara is nice and is probably good enough for most of the people out there... but the camara of the Pro model is the way to go if you want to have the best.
I thought battery would be to small for me after having Mate 10 Pro with 4000 mha and Oneplus 6t with 3700. But i m really pleased by the battery life of this phone.. its comparable to the other devices! Nice!!!
Emui isnt that bad as everyone says... And it has improved a lot compared to my Mate 10 Pro. I m sure you wont regret it if you buy this phone, i prefer it over my Oneplus 6t.
Good job!!

XDA_RealLifeReview said:
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 Huawei P30, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Huawei P30 is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whats gonna happen to the P30 now with Google pulled out.....Just happened, like today! Google is done with Huawei.....It says the only way to get google on it now is through open source (AOSP) but do this mean we will still be able to sign into our goolge accounts and get play store updates???
https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/19/18631558/google-huawei-android-suspension

theeagleeye said:
Yes, I did notice that. It's likely how EMUI handles app switching, so any third-party launcher we use will always have that effect.
Though I wish it didn't have to happen, it doesn't bother me very much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay. It really boggles me how they implemented it in their launcher. I guess it gets closed by their aggressive RAM management and that causes this issue. Pretty dumb and a problem for atleast a year now. I did contact them though so they know about this issue and explained it as thoroughly as possible. They told me that they don't need any further information for now, maybe they'll have a fix ready for the next update. That's the only downside to Huawei phones for me: Their UI and software changes aren't really done well, causing issues that shouldn't exist.

Between P30 and P30 pro, for me, my biggest concern is losing is OIS which is helpful in night mode. Having 5X optical would be nice, but not at the expense of suffering with digital between. The 3X optical is probably more useful. Gaining the headphone jack is great and I prefer not having a curved screen. And I prefer a smaller phone. Though at that point, I start to wonder if I should get a S10.

I owned P20-pro and P30.
Except for battery life and camera, everything else is better with S10.
Camera quality is good enough, but battery life is not good.
Sent from my Galaxy S10 using XDA Labs

Well, they are both OLED's and I think the resolution is "good enough". Both are better than my current phone so I guess I wont know what I'm missing. As for one UI vs EMUI, I'm not certain how much it matters. I use nova launcher + lineage right now. I'm unsure how much I'd be affected by the mfr skin. One HUGE thing is that the S10 series can be rooted, the P series can't even be unlocked let alone rooted. So If I don't like EMUI, I can't just install lineage. More importantly, after 2yrs, if it hasnt been unlocked, I won't be able to prolong the life of the phone by installing a newer UPDATED rom. That is probably the big thing that is making me lean towards the S10 series. The other things all seem minor.
But P30 vs P30 pro, its mainly the camera. In reality, I'm not sure how important all the night shooting is to me. I just know that the most frustrating thing about every past phone camera has been its inability to take a phone when lighting is poor so I'm tempoted to go towards the P30.

P30 is probably the best phone I've ever had but it has few downsides. For example scrolling lag in youtube while watching video, while searching for bluetooth devices(probably software bug that will be fixed in near future). That doesn't bother but autofocus is pretty bad compared to my old s8+. I often get blurry images when taking shot on the go sometimes even on steady shots. It's strange that 2yr old samsung phone can do better autofocus. Phone is super fast with amazing battery life(I don't remember ever getting 7hours SOT on 48hours usage with 10% left), the photos that are not blurry are super gorgeous. Call quality, wifi connection.... are excellent. Overall I'm pretty satisfied with my purchase.

Klaudas said:
P30 is probably the best phone I've ever had but it has few downsides. For example scrolling lag in youtube while watching video, while searching for bluetooth devices(probably software bug that will be fixed in near future). That doesn't bother but autofocus is pretty bad compared to my old s8+. I often get blurry images when taking shot on the go sometimes even on steady shots. It's strange that 2yr old samsung phone can do better autofocus. Phone is super fast with amazing battery life(I don't remember ever getting 7hours SOT on 48hours usage with 10% left), the photos that are not blurry are super gorgeous. Call quality, wifi connection.... are excellent. Overall I'm pretty satisfied with my purchase.
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Can u share what is yr phone's setup?

mab71 said:
Can u share what is yr phone's setup?
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128gb, 6gb ram, resolution auto, brightness auto, location on and disabled almost every gestures except do a screenshot with knuckle. System firmware: 9.1.0.178. Mostly using instagram, facebook(and messenger), snapchat, spotify and some not heavy games.

Ok

Do I love this phone? Yes!! It has the performance of a flagship without having an out of this world price. Unfortunately, Huawei support is a cluster****, you need to register your phone with Huawei ID for warranty purpose but there's no link on their Canadian webpage. Also, they advertise support for Huawei Cloud backup but it's unavailable in Canada.

Worst Android device I have owned since 2011, possibly ever