Google Camera updated with AR Stickers! - Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion

Just checked today to see that I had the StarWars and Strangers things among other stickers for AR on my camera! Tried it and it works real smooth and fast!

Yeah real smooth indeed, in the cost of 1% battery every minute. Have had my fun with it for about 10 mins.

ithehappy said:
Yeah real smooth indeed, in the cost of 1% battery every minute. Have had my fun with it for about 10 mins.
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Click to collapse
No kidding on the battery. I've not seen anything beyond a rogue or malfunctioning app drain it as fast as these stickers.
They're cool as a novelty and for specific situations (such as the Star Wars stickers when taking pictures before and after watching The Last Jedi this week), but it's not something I'll be using hardly at...if at all.
And before anyone asks, they won't show up in your camera until after you've updated to 8.1 and have had the two necessary apps from the Play Store installed (ARCore and AR Stickers - which will install automatically at some point).

Small children will be really excited.

Really 1% a minute that is pretty bad.
Mind you I can not see anybody spending too much time on it.
Create a picture with an overlay and call it a day .... may take a minute.
This does not seem original to me, apps have done this in the past

Picture. Video is more fun. If you put 2 stickers in they interact.
Just a fun playtoy.

I expect we will see other people make pacs for this.

I just got the pixel xl 2 after having op 5t (thanks god) but I don't see stickers on mine even though everything is updated?

Related

Issues with Xoom WiFi - 3/27/11

Picked one up from Costco today - there is a long list of things wrong with it, I hope there are fixes out there cause they are really critical flaws and I'm close to returning it back to store. Oh, I own a EVO4G so I'm by no means a noob to Android. Its also important to note that I don't own any apple products
1. Browser:
Wow force closes like none other. It also fails to load any website after you've crashed once. No way around it except rebooting the device. Poor adobe flash performance - should be much faster than my Evo but it ain't so. Defaults to mobile browser as stated on here. Screen, text fonts and pics started to blur when I was on a website, serious bug wow. Tried alternatives such a as firefox and dolphin, meh. Did I mention it was laggy, irresponsive browsing experience?
2. Apps:
Faceook, Pandora, VPlayer, etc. fail to work. Force close heaven...come on! They're basic frggin apps. Market is portrait only. Most apps aren't formatted properly - fonts are way too small. Widgets are non customizable in size and are just too small to be useful. Look at the calendar and mail widgets....
3. Display:
10.1'' is way too wide to hold comfortably. I now spend 100% of the time in portrait mode. Videos look proper but pictures look blurry? Fonts look horrendous. Screen has this blurring effect, it is far far from crisp and decent. I expected 1280x800 to be better, sharper.
4. Build.
Heavy. So heavy you cant even rest it on just anything to get it to prop up properly. Very Dense. Not comfortable, strain to the palms.
5. Battery
4 hours of use and its already down to 60%. Expected better from two large batteries weighing this much.
I know I forgot to list some other issues...and sadly there are more.
Honeycomb is unfinished but I didn't expect them to be this far off?
OK.... we need solutions, or when is the next update(s)! Desperately needed.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
Ehm ... Didn't you research before you bought the Xoom?
It's been in this very forum for weeks ... all those were mentioned.
Nothing new ... so cope with it and wait for an update ... or return it.
Case closed.
1) Only had one browser FC in nearly a month.
2) Not 3.0 optimized apps. Contact the app devs.
3) Get bigger hands.
4) Lift weights. Apparently the Xoom is a good one to start with.
5) I get at least two days of heavy use.
(Bonus comment) The Xoom has been out a month and there are 3415453215 threads of people whining about it. No need to make another. Return it, do some research and buy something that satisfies your expectations and anatomy.
You made me laugh ... LOL to "anatomy"
El Daddy said:
1) Only had one browser FC in nearly a month.
2) Not 3.0 optimized apps. Contact the app devs.
3) Get bigger hands.
4) Lift weights. Apparently the Xoom is a good one to start with.
5) I get at least two days of heavy use.
(Bonus comment) The Xoom has been out a month and there are 3415453215 threads of people whining about it. No need to make another. Return it, do some research and buy something that satisfies your expectations and anatomy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to counterbalance, I bought the Xoom wifi yesterday and love it. I had a great time rooting and playing with my Android phone, and I can't wait to dig into the Xoom. I did a lot of research before buying the Xoom and actually found the problems to be non-existant or not as bad as stated.
Mr Bland said:
Just to counterbalance, I bought the Xoom wifi yesterday and love it. I had a great time rooting and playing with my Android phone, and I can't wait to dig into the Xoom. I did a lot of research before buying the Xoom and actually found the problems to be non-existant or not as bad as stated.
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Click to collapse
Same here. Im getting great battery life. I took it off the charger about 6pm last night. Took it took work with me and browsed and streamed with it all night. With bluetooth on and a lil under max brightness im at 32% at 745am. i have had no force closes in the browser and the only problem i have is flash not working in the browser (works with Dolphin though).
Also thumb keyboard is great in landscape, but im comfy with the stock keyboard to.
Pretty sure, could be wrong here...but pretty sure an update won't help the weight of the device...(which I enjoy, feels good in my hand)...but then again if they optimize code enough between now and then, removing enough 1s and 0s could help....
vTeCz said:
Picked one up from Costco today - there is a long list of things wrong with it, I hope there are fixes out there cause they are really critical flaws and I'm close to returning it back to store. Oh, I own a EVO4G so I'm by no means a noob to Android. Its also important to note that I don't own any apple products
1. Browser:
Wow force closes like none other. It also fails to load any website after you've crashed once. No way around it except rebooting the device. Poor adobe flash performance - should be much faster than my Evo but it ain't so. Defaults to mobile browser as stated on here. Screen, text fonts and pics started to blur when I was on a website, serious bug wow. Tried alternatives such a as firefox and dolphin, meh. Did I mention it was laggy, irresponsive browsing experience?
2. Apps:
Faceook, Pandora, VPlayer, etc. fail to work. Force close heaven...come on! They're basic frggin apps. Market is portrait only. Most apps aren't formatted properly - fonts are way too small. Widgets are non customizable in size and are just too small to be useful. Look at the calendar and mail widgets....
3. Display:
10.1'' is way too wide to hold comfortably. I now spend 100% of the time in portrait mode. Videos look proper but pictures look blurry? Fonts look horrendous. Screen has this blurring effect, it is far far from crisp and decent. I expected 1280x800 to be better, sharper.
4. Build.
Heavy. So heavy you cant even rest it on just anything to get it to prop up properly. Very Dense. Not comfortable, strain to the palms.
5. Battery
4 hours of use and its already down to 60%. Expected better from two large batteries weighing this much.
I know I forgot to list some other issues...and sadly there are more.
Honeycomb is unfinished but I didn't expect them to be this far off?
OK.... we need solutions, or when is the next update(s)! Desperately needed.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's why I returned my 3G Xoom I had on release date and was bashed here. Minus the battery and app fc(which is supposedly a WiFi only problem.) I mean I got the iPad2 because it's just so much more Stable and likewise have my Evo4G for Android goodness. I wanted to buy the wifi xoom but so many more problems......?
Really interested in Samsungs new 10.1 skinny design. And it's light(important)!
vTeCz said:
Picked one up from Costco today - there is a long list of things wrong with it, I hope there are fixes out there cause they are really critical flaws and I'm close to returning it back to store. Oh, I own a EVO4G so I'm by no means a noob to Android. Its also important to note that I don't own any apple products
1. Browser:
Wow force closes like none other. It also fails to load any website after you've crashed once. No way around it except rebooting the device. Poor adobe flash performance - should be much faster than my Evo but it ain't so. Defaults to mobile browser as stated on here. Screen, text fonts and pics started to blur when I was on a website, serious bug wow. Tried alternatives such a as firefox and dolphin, meh. Did I mention it was laggy, irresponsive browsing experience?
2. Apps:
Faceook, Pandora, VPlayer, etc. fail to work. Force close heaven...come on! They're basic frggin apps. Market is portrait only. Most apps aren't formatted properly - fonts are way too small. Widgets are non customizable in size and are just too small to be useful. Look at the calendar and mail widgets....
3. Display:
10.1'' is way too wide to hold comfortably. I now spend 100% of the time in portrait mode. Videos look proper but pictures look blurry? Fonts look horrendous. Screen has this blurring effect, it is far far from crisp and decent. I expected 1280x800 to be better, sharper.
4. Build.
Heavy. So heavy you cant even rest it on just anything to get it to prop up properly. Very Dense. Not comfortable, strain to the palms.
5. Battery
4 hours of use and its already down to 60%. Expected better from two large batteries weighing this much.
I know I forgot to list some other issues...and sadly there are more.
Honeycomb is unfinished but I didn't expect them to be this far off?
OK.... we need solutions, or when is the next update(s)! Desperately needed.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Mine doesnt FC all that much. When there is a fail however, closing all tabs with the x on the tabs, reopening the browser and hitting the home button works for me to reset it.
2)Yeah, lots of apps fail... but it was expected. Once they get optimized for HC, itll be nicer. Till then facebook and some others are done through the browser. Also... my market works in landscape. Dont know why yours is only in portrait.
3&4) You seriously are complaining about the design of the device when you could have found this out in 2 seconds by holding one at a store that had a demo??? I find that the screen is very crisp with high res pics and I have no complaints on it.
5) My battery life is great... no complaints here. Wife and I played with it non stop with angry birds, web surfing and whatnot for hours and it only went down maybe 20%.
I really dont see this as a fail device, just a device that needs a few tweaks here and there. I bought it knowing the charging plug was crappy and a terrible design, no USB charging and a chance that my normal android apps wont work on it due to optimization. Knowing what it is going to be used for, the size and weight... I am more than happy with the device.
vTeCz said:
5. Battery
4 hours of use and its already down to 60%. Expected better from two large batteries weighing this much.
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Click to collapse
You are experiencing advertised battery life. The XOOM is rated for 10 hours of battery life so 4 hours would be 40% of the battery if you've been using it for that long. Plus you haven't run through any charge cycles on your battery. It will get better.
One and Two are valid, but will be fixed in time.
The others are rediculous.
Sent from my Xoom
vTeCz said:
Picked one up from Costco today - there is a long list of things wrong with it, I hope there are fixes out there cause they are really critical flaws and I'm close to returning it back to store. Oh, I own a EVO4G so I'm by no means a noob to Android. Its also important to note that I don't own any apple products
1. Browser:
Wow force closes like none other. It also fails to load any website after you've crashed once. No way around it except rebooting the device. Poor adobe flash performance - should be much faster than my Evo but it ain't so. Defaults to mobile browser as stated on here. Screen, text fonts and pics started to blur when I was on a website, serious bug wow. Tried alternatives such a as firefox and dolphin, meh. Did I mention it was laggy, irresponsive browsing experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Odd. I've been using my device pretty much constantly since I picked mine up. No force closes. No laggy browsing. Your Evo does better? You may have a defective unit.
2. Apps:
Faceook, Pandora, VPlayer, etc. fail to work. Force close heaven...come on! They're basic frggin apps. Market is portrait only. Most apps aren't formatted properly - fonts are way too small. Widgets are non customizable in size and are just too small to be useful. Look at the calendar and mail widgets....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Facebook works for me. The rest I haven't tried. And the widgets are personal preference. Too small? How old are you?
3. Display:
10.1'' is way too wide to hold comfortably. I now spend 100% of the time in portrait mode. Videos look proper but pictures look blurry? Fonts look horrendous. Screen has this blurring effect, it is far far from crisp and decent. I expected 1280x800 to be better, sharper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
10.1 too wide? Last I checked, you could have pulled out a ruler to figure that one out. But hey, whatever. Blurry screen? Again, you must have a defective unit. Either that, or maybe your fingers are really, really greasy.
4. Build.
Heavy. So heavy you cant even rest it on just anything to get it to prop up properly. Very Dense. Not comfortable, strain to the palms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting a very interesting image of what you look like. 1.5lb is too heavy? Orly?
5. Battery
4 hours of use and its already down to 60%. Expected better from two large batteries weighing this much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had mine running since I got to work at 1am (i work 3rd shift), and after a full shift, I still have 45% battery. I've watched youtube videos (HD), listening to music, downloaded apps, posted on forums, read news, downloaded podcasts, added numerous widgets. You know, typical stuff. And it hasn't touched the charger all morning (since you have to use their approved usb charger).
I know I forgot to list some other issues...and sadly there are more.
Honeycomb is unfinished but I didn't expect them to be this far off?
OK.... we need solutions, or when is the next update(s)! Desperately needed.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not saying the Xoom with Honeycomb is flawless. It's clearly not as optimized as it should be. Opening up the Apps menu, for example, should obviously not be laggy like it is. That said though, most of the "issues" you have above are NOT mirrored on my identical device.
reuthermonkey said:
Odd. I've been using my device pretty much constantly since I picked mine up. No force closes. No laggy browsing. Your Evo does better? You may have a defective unit.
Facebook works for me. The rest I haven't tried. And the widgets are personal preference. Too small? How old are you?
10.1 too wide? Last I checked, you could have pulled out a ruler to figure that one out. But hey, whatever. Blurry screen? Again, you must have a defective unit. Either that, or maybe your fingers are really, really greasy.
I'm getting a very interesting image of what you look like. 1.5lb is too heavy? Orly?
I've had mine running since I got to work at 1am (i work 3rd shift), and after a full shift, I still have 45% battery. I've watched youtube videos (HD), listening to music, downloaded apps, posted on forums, read news, downloaded podcasts, added numerous widgets. You know, typical stuff. And it hasn't touched the charger all morning (since you have to use their approved usb charger).
I'm not saying the Xoom with Honeycomb is flawless. It's clearly not as optimized as it should be. Opening up the Apps menu, for example, should obviously not be laggy like it is. That said though, most of the "issues" you have above are NOT mirrored on my identical device.
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Click to collapse
Have to say facebook acts like the old roms for the tablet use to. Sometimes it would crash, and you can't add facebook in accounts / sync. Twitter adds just fine
I spent about 7 hours playing on my xoom yesterday and really didn't experience any of the problems you did. Yes some of my phone formatted apps weren't working but I expected that.
I think I had one force close with my browser. That's not so bad.
Screen looks fine to me. Yes initially loading a webpage is blurry, but that's just how its rendering stuff. For me at least that lasts maybe a second before the browser fully loads the page.
And if its too big for you, maybe you should get a child sized tablet for your child sized hands? (Or stick with your phone?)
Sent from my Droid using XDA App
Aldiko, ezpdf, xda premium and many others I use on a daily basis are completely useless as the fc's are so frequent is not worth my time
I did read about all the issues beforehand, so right now I have 89 days before either there is an update that fixes the issues or is going back to cotsco
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
At first I was upset that the XDA app doesn't work properly yet. Then I thought, "Hey dummy, you have a 10.1" screen... Use the real site".
After that I uninstalled Facebook, Engadget, etc. and just added the bookmark widget to the home screen.
Sent from my Xoom.
i only get about 6.5 hours max of real usage on the xoom
I'm talking about 'DISPLAY' time usage, or, HOW LONG the screen has been on, as a case to determine the battery life.
MikeyMike01 said:
At first I was upset that the XDA app doesn't work properly yet. Then I thought, "Hey dummy, you have a 10.1" screen... Use the real site".
After that I uninstalled Facebook, Engadget, etc. and just added the bookmark widget to the home screen.
Sent from my Xoom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with XDA site specifically is that it is very slow typing responses and some other things. It does work, just lags.
aohus said:
i only get about 6.5 hours max of real usage on the xoom
I'm talking about 'DISPLAY' time usage, or, HOW LONG the screen has been on, as a case to determine the battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And what goes into said usage? I'm overclocked to 1.5ghz and I get much longer than that.
keitht said:
The problem with XDA site specifically is that it is very slow typing responses and some other things. It does work, just lags.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've found all typing in the browser lags, and always has, since my OG Droid. It's quite annoying, I expected Google to resolve it with 3.0...

Yotaphone 2: reviews and such.

The Yotaphone 2 is now established, no longer on the horizon, so I thought we should have a dedicated thread to it, reviews about it, thoughts etc.
right, yotaphone 2 review so far.
First of all I will say that the specifications of the phone are perfect for me. Yes I like flagship specs but after a few generations of going for the best there is and having tried all the roms and UIs around (miui, touchwiz, sonys one, cyanogen, htc sense, windows, the oppo one etc, it goes on) I decided that I was bored. I wanted something completely different. Considered the jolla but when the yota 2 was announced I was instantly infatuated. Liked the idea of the first model, the second one nails it for me. And to be fair to it – a snapdragon 800 is a very competent soc, does all I need it to do and does everything fast. Currently I don’t need a 64 bit octacore chip, this one handles basically all the things I can throw at it and I don't really play the huge games anyway. Other than an occasional test of a heavy game, its gba and ps1 emulators, casual rpgs and a couple of shooters for me. Also, I read somewhere that Yota’s reasoning was they needed time to get the soc figured out with their device. Yota say they’re using the 800 to keep the heat low, preventing damage to the e-ink screen.
UPDATE: I have since realised that the phone is actually using the snapdragon 801. When announced in February it was using the 800 but it seems they quietly upgraded it before release. The phone says it's the MSM8974pro-aa which can be either 800 or 801 but the gpu clock speed is higher at 578mhz which is exclusive to the 801, so that's a lovely discovery .
On the face of it (both of them) this is a wonderfully pretty phone. At least from my point of view the aesthetics are all spot on. Everything is presented beautifully. This includes the box it comes in and everything in it. Even the charger is lovely to look at. Wonderfully compact and has yotaphone written across the back that lights up when the phone is connected. On the point of the charger, it outputs 1.5A and charges the phone in a couple of hours or so (25% to full takes between 1.30 and 1.45 hours). This adds to the convenience of the phone and lack of battery worries that I will get into later. You also get a load of earphone buds, like, loads.
The front facing screen is an excellent screen. Super AMOLED (my preference, I love the deep blacks), 442ppi on a 5inch screen produces a brilliant, crisp and clear image and the touch responsiveness is excellent. There are a few niggles with using the keyboard (slight over sensitivity with using swype input) but you soon get used to this, once your fingers and thumbs adjust to the screen this goes away I find. It’s much like using someone else’s laptop and their mouse pad is much more sensitive that yours. EDIT: I will concede that the keyboard probably needs a patch sent through, swipe input is fine but normal typing you have to learn to be more accurate than usual. Doesn't take long but if someone borrows your phone... (to be fair, no one is borrowing my Yota. There are many like it but this one is MINE).
The second screen is just beautiful. The whole back panel is made from the same piece of curved gorilla glass so you don’t notice the screen is there, it hardly feels like one but it’s joyous to the touch, smooth (so smooth) and a nice matte black/dark gray. The sensitivity is obviously slower and there are slight delays waiting for the screen to change, but these are minor and you get used to them. I’m still just wildly impressed that yota have pulled this off so well. The backscreen is excellently implemented, the yota mirror feature works like a dream, anything you want on the back can and will be. The screenlock is done using the gyroscope as well, whichever side is facing up is the one that unlocks when pressing the button. Also, the possibility of leaving some vital information like a map or a plane ticket on the back while the rest of the phone is turned off or utterly dead is likely to not be used often, possibly even if ever by some, but the fact that it can be done is a lovely bit of life insurance.
The yotapanels (configurable pages of widgets made for the EPD) are very pretty indeed and very functional. The back screen has its own phone and messaging app. My only niggle with notifications on the back is that the email part of the notification widget is at this point set to the stock email app, not customizable. Only a minor niggle as I would use the front screen for sending emails anyway but it would be nice to choose to check gmail (hoping for an update to change this). The panel grid layout and widgets can be changed to your liking, within reason. I have 2 businessy type pages with clock, calendar, weather, most called people, battery etc a news page with rss reader, emails, important apps and appy geek and a leisure page with games, book and music widget). What surprised me was downloading appy geek then finding a variety of widgets from them I could use on the panels. This gives me hope that more and more third party back widgets will be added over the course of development.
UPDATE: The widgets are better than I thought - the back panel music player associates itself with whichever music app you were playing from last. Also there are some nice easter eggs that you find as certain things occur on the backscreen which give a great sense of Yota going the extra mile. e.g. get someone to text you with just the word cool and leave the EPD face up.
On the subject of development I have received 2 updates so far, optimizing the back screen touch responsiveness, heat output, battery life, yotaenergy mode etc. Also, eventually someone will find a way to root them and then more possibilities reveal themselves. Honestly though, other than being able to use trickster mod, root explorers, remove system apps and a couple of other things I don’t miss all the little features of custom roms. Even sweep to wake isn’t as essential as it used to be for me – yota placed the lock button slightly above the right side (so your thumb is on it when the phone is front facing). This to me begs the question why doesn’t everyone else do that, it’s so much more natural, convenient and keeps the one hand ability going. Yota have made some smart decisions.
UPDATE: The phone has been rooted, Kingo root can do it with drivers you find on the yota website or other drivers online (mine was a case of trial and error). So a root file explorer, wakelock detector, system app remover and a kernel control app installed. Very happy and now its pretty much exactly as I want it.
The phone is very well put together and feels solid. This all improves with the bumper, which adds to the aesthetic further and makes you feel safer. Gorilla glass 3 on both sides or no, this is a phone you worry about dropping, 2 screens = double the vulnerability and double the worry. The back screen is wonderful to the touch but also quite slippery. The bumper gives you a bit more grip and therefore confidence. Despite the worry I have no qualms, it’s a brilliant thing to hold and have around you.
I think my favourite thing so far is being able to keep your phone locked and face down and still see the time, incoming notifications, respond if needed, read, play games and a host of other things. A simple glance is all you need, so convenient and saves those little bits of time and battery that build up over the course of a day. I still gush with appreciation when I look down.
UPDATE: I still do.
On to the battery life – it’s damn good if you want it to be, otherwise it's still not bad. 2550mah compared to 3000 may seem annoying to those that love a top spec’d beast and now that 4000mah phones are starting to come out this paltry little number is in danger of being outdated. However, this phone saves battery in so many ways such as:
1. Having the e-ink display (no battery usage except when it refreshes). How this saves battery is down to you – use the panels properly, get into chess, Sudoku and the other supplied games, use it for reading etc. Get into the habit of using it and you’ll save hours and hours.
2. Having yotaenergy mode. This is not to be underestimated. You can select what you want it to limit or turn off, if you select everything (except wifi cos obviously you need wifi) then cpu is limited, nfc and gps are off, brightness on main screen is down to minimum, the list goes on. Now, most of these I would do myself on a rooted phone, but it’s nice to have a mode that incorporates all the things needed to save a bundle of energy and implements it so well. This has the potential to save you days if used in conjunction with the back display. I use this at work and I can still check emails, notifications, play games for a bit, read etc and a work day ( 7 and a half hours ) will cost me like 5-6% + or – a few depending on the day. Granted I mostly use the back for that stuff but still, damn good so far.
3. Having a vanilla android experience. Having stock android with hardly any additions, all of which you can disable if you want, keeps the minimal drain down.
Now I’m a man that likes a phone to have a battery life that does not concern me. My old one x would require underclocking, a new rom that would need to be reflashed on occasion, greenify etc to get it through the day comfortably with decent usage and screen time. Now this is childs play, it’s a substantial weight off my mind. No real figures yet, haven’t done proper tests as it’s only been a few days. What I can say is that it’ll do a full 24h with heavy usage, wifi and data on, at least 3 hours of games and youtube, all without using energy saving or the e-ink that much and still have well over 30%. That was the second day of owning it, it’ll get better.
I turned yotaenergy on at 92% today, the first 8% drained in a few hours due to a naughty app that is now uninstalled. Going to test how it lasts over the weekend and will report back afterwards.
The bloatware is limited, some is annoying (don’t have twitter so don’t want twitter etc) but to Yota’s credit their own stuff is minimal, and I wouldn’t want to remove any of their own additions. The games chosen function great on the back screen and I dare say look better on it than on the front. There is the occasional little glitch, but most of these can be avoided or solved with a quick screen refresh of changing of modes etc.
I will stop now, I apologise for the length and hope I covered what most people wanted to hear. Will get back soon with long term battery test results.
UPDATE: Battery anxiety is truly gone. Example - took phone off charge at about 1am, up at 6.30, went to work, bit of browsing and game play during day. Got home, played bit of games, read a bit. Went out that night, stayed at a friends, got up at 11am next day. All of that was with mobile data or wifi turned on throughout. By using yota energy in times of minimal usage and EPD for standard things I saved bundles I intentionally took energy mode off when gaming and when was doing things on phone to create a fair test. When I checked gsam battery monitor it reported I'd used 50% in 34 hours, that was with 2.5 hours screen time, with about as much time spent gaming as reading and a fair amount of browsing and app updating etc. For a phone with 2550mah I'd say that's pretty excellent going. Maybe there are phones that can match it but even if so, they're not as much fun to use as this one.
If anyone has any requests for battery tests (full screen on time, how long on battery saver and EPD etc just ask).
Much TL,DR –
Very pretty phone, great front screen, back screen surprisingly useful and nice to look at and touch. Software well implemented. Hopeful for long term development improvements. Very good performance, great battery. Occasional glitch but nothing that detracts from and limits experience.
UPDATE: glitches have lessened significantly over a short space of time, haven't had one for ages.
UPDATE: there is a recurring one - the back panels app shortcuts will occasionally default to the originals. This takes less than a minute to rectify but still, hoping for it to be fixed in an update. This is only glitch I still encounter, the rest seemed to be teething problems.
Overall, loving it. Expensive but very different and a joy to use. Definitely worth it if you get a discount. I managed to get mine with 10% off and 2 bumper cases (longish story), to me that makes it great value because I honestly already see myself getting the subsequent generations, it would already annoy me not having the back screen.
Worth checking their facebook page every now and again to see if they've got another 10-20% discount going again.
Thanks for the in depth review, it's clearly hit the sweet spot for you ☺
I have a question about notifications.....when in the yota panel or yota cover mode and it is on your desk EPD facing up, what happens if you get a notification from say whatsapp or xda developers I.e. one that doesn't have a specific widget on the yota panel, is there any indication on the EPD that a notification has been received and if so can you interact with it or does it just send you to the OLED side?
Secondly, if you have your home screen mirrored on the EPD and again it's laying on your desk, will the notifications appear in the notification shade and can you swipe down the shade to check and interact exactly with them as you would on the OLED display? I.e using whatsapp as an example again , get the new message notification in the shade, swipe it down, click on the message, whatsapp opens and you type in a reply and send it....All from the e ink side.
Battery drain leads to battery anxiety, I am hoping that the yota 2 works how I've described above as I spend a lot of time lighting up the OLED on my phone just checking and responding to notifications and it could be a game changer to be able to do that from the e ink side. Saving the OLED for the more intense stuff like games, videos web browsing etc.
Thanks in advance
Mike
Sent from my GT-N8010 using XDA Premium HD app
Not a problem, it very much has and also it was a slow day at work .
The notification widget on the panels and covers has 4 items, phone, text, email and general notifications. Phone and text can be interacted with, and lovely apps they are to use as well. A great example is that if someone sends you a text that just says cool (even with third party text apps) then the text will show up and atop it is a picture of a man adjusting his bowtie. Lovely little easter egg. The email sends you to the stock email client, hoping for a way to get that to associate with gmail to come out eventually. The fourth is for other notifications (whatsapp, xda and everything else). The email and notification icons will simply send you to the front screen. You can just mirror them straight back over though. And I suppose having the phone implement everything would be a bit tricky. You never know, development might add them later. Sorry I write too much. In short, you can't interact with 'other' notifications straight from the screen but have to mirror it back.
To answer your second question - yes. If your using mirror on the home screen it will appear just as the same homescreen and same android, just on the back screen. Anything that comes up you can interact with, including pulling down the notification shade, opening your apps (in this case whatsapp) and interacting with them as you would (replying straight from the app). The only difference is its slower obviously, but still very do-able. If your going for super battery saving then it doesn't strike as a problem if you have to take a bit longer. It's enjoyable and pretty anyway, and very easy on the eyes.
So to summarise, yes, you can use the EPD just as you would the amoled. Even if you have to turn over activate the notification from a panel you can just mirror it straight back over, avoiding amoled over use.
I'm the same, always hate having the battery life hanging over me. The yota has got rid of that for me. It came off charge at 6am friday morning, its now just before 5pm - gsam says 34 hours. Battery is on 35%, both data and wifi have been on and being used constantly, games being played a lot, internet and youtube have occurred here and there. I've been trying to push it through its paces when have had the time. Had a couple of cheeky battery draining apps for first half of Friday so got rid of them but still.. It's nice to have 35% and feel confident that I could probably get another full day out of it if needed. And all in such an interesting package.
So, 48 hours battery life without a struggle with normal usage is perfectly feasible and also the charger charges it in a very short time, super convenient.
Hope I helped, sorry for the length again.
Thanks that really helped ?
I really like the idea of a more than one day battery life for moderate to heavy use, I'm out of contract in a couple of months and have been considering an xperia Z3 which has a large battery and is being reported by users as achieving 2 days use, however this phone is intriguing, I can think of so many potential uses for the snap shot on the EPD and to be able to control music and audio books etc. But it's the battery life that is most tempting with this device your quoted figures are impressive, how much were you using it during that period?
Another question if you don't mind, in some reviews and videos I've seen views of yota panels than display what look like short cuts to regular apps such as chrome, youtube, currency converter, maps, whatsapp , can you configure the yota panels to show an icon of any app in the app draw? For instance I use audible a lot and the EPD would be perfect for using and controlling audible from a short cut on the Yota panel. Would this short cut direct you to flip the phone to the OLED then mirror it back as per the general notifications you described above?
Thanks
Mike
Sent from my GT-N8010 using XDA Premium HD app
It is a nice freedom to have to be sure, to not feel you have to charge it over night. If caught in those party situations, or when just away from charger its nice to know its fine. I read some z3 reviews and the z3 seems to do something similar with battery. The z3 would almost certainly beat the yota in a hands down typical battry test but for long term endurance with conservative usage (and lots of use of the EPD) then i'm certain that the yota could take it. And even if not, the EPD is amazing to have. Keep stumbling across more uses for it. (currently replying to your review on a laptop with your reply screenshotted onto back of my yota). I would say that other than when at work (minimal usage but still some games here and there) I was using it between normal and heavy usage depending on the time. Normal - moderate for most of the time with a few sessions of heavy usage. Data and wifi on the whole time, almost always downloading and updating apps too. More than I would usually use it basically and 2 days use was a breeze. In a few days I think i'll go for intentional conservative usage and see how long it goes for.
Not at all. The app shortcut widgets have different sizes available, 1, 3 and 6 apps. Each one of these widgets can be configured, you can choose any app. Clicking on the app from the EPD will open the app directly on the EPD, it'll basically activate mirror mode without having to switch over. A wonderful feature I think. So you would be able to open audible from the shortcut and control it straight from the EPD without the need to even activate the OLED at all.
The z3 is a good phone, better processor, better camera etc. It rivals the s5, the m8 etc in terms of features. For me though, the yota covers everything pretty well, even if it's using now slightly outdated specs - it does the job happily. And the EPD adds a whole new level of functionality and makes using a phone a very interesting practice again. It's a new way of using a phone and that's what's most attractive for me.
Thanks again for your reply, it seems that the yotaphone will do pretty much all I would want it to on the EPD, it has really got my interest up now! I'm seeing a yota panel with my most used apps that would not really suffer from being on the EPD, audible, fotmob, kobo, whatsapp, beyond pod maybe even words with friends!
I think along the same lines as you in wanting something a bit different and interesting, I've had two android phones now and before that an iPhone, to be honest another straight forward android seems a little samey now hence deciding that battery life would be my priority rather than screen size or the latest cpu etc.... If only that eye watering price would drop a little come March.....
Sent from my GT-N8010 using XDA Premium HD app
Yeah above all I wanted battery life with decent enough specs and something different. I finished my contract and began saving with the express aim of getting this phone, once got the money figured might as well as no other phone appeals to me enough. The modular smartphones coming up certainly piqued my interest but I can't wait for them, wanted a new phone now. For me the yota is worth it so far and I hold out hope for the duration of my ownership of it.
Good luck to you whether you decide to go for it or something else.
20% discount offer on facebook if your still wanting dude. £444 seems pretty reasonable.
zute333 said:
20% discount offer on facebook if your still wanting dude. £444 seems pretty reasonable.
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Oh that's so tempting, i don't have face book tho, where's the discount coming from,yotaphone themselves? I've been waiting for March to see what the HTC One M9 and Galaxy S6 looks like....trouble is android now looks the same on most handsets, so will a M9 be that much different from my M7 meh.
My kids have Facebook tho, how do you get access to the discount?
Thanks
Sent from my GT-N8010 using XDA Premium HD app
yotaphone themselves indeed, celebrating 120,000 fans. Seems a bit harsh on the rest of us but i'm not one to begrudge success on a company I would like to succeed.
They all look the same now. Samsung have never been that good on the aesthetic look of their phone's imo, the m7 is beautiful in the same way as the m8 and m9 and possibly so on. And yeah, launchers are pretty stripped down now, and I find having a launcher that you can theme, or using something like dodol or themer you can get a phone looking exactly how you want, which negates manufacturers launchers anyhow. The only real difference comes from the odd gimmick here and there or in the case of the note edge a part of a screen. That one I kind of get but I'm also of the opinion that a whole second screen beats a sliver of one on the side .
Sorry, what you actually want to see is this: https://www.facebook.com/YotaPhone/posts/439221752895395
I hope the link works and the discount is still active if you go for it.
Well Zute333 thanks for the heads up on the discount , my daughter pulled up the voucher code via her FB and I've bought one at £421.80 ☺????????
It feels genuinely exciting to have something different to use over the coming months. Btw Is it a mini or micro sim?
Thanks again for helping me decide
Mike
Sent from my GT-N8010 using XDA Premium HD app
Well I'm a bit gutted if i'm honest, got mine at £495-£555 (discount still pending, long story), with the bumper. But to be fair I've had a lovely few weeks and am getting the jolla tablet for hilariously cheap price so counting it a good overall load of deals lol. Still though, £421.80 is epic, congrats and I hope you enjoy it dude. Lollipop on the way at some point, can only improve things.
It's micro sim.
EDIT: nano-sim
No worries dude.
I'm even more gutted: it seems this is only valid in the UK, as I can't change the country field to any other. Website is partly in Dutch, though.
Sad for you dude. I think they made the post in other languages for other countries but can't find em and don't know if they did one for the Netherlands.
I don't really mind having paid full price, just happy to have it. You can always wait, another offer will surely arise, the standard price will also probably drop eventually.
By the way, a reseller here in Holland says in its specs the Yotaphone has nanosim. I assume they're wrong?
---------- Post added at 12:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:43 PM ----------
Also, I see different specs on radio: some say 3G, some say 4G.
bartveld said:
By the way, a reseller here in Holland says in its specs the Yotaphone has nanosim. I assume they're wrong?
---------- Post added at 12:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:43 PM ----------
Also, I see different specs on radio: some say 3G, some say 4G.
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Ah, no I was wrong, I got the names mixed - thought there was mini and micro, equating micro with nano. The yota 2 sim tray is a nano-sim tray.
Also it can do 4g.
Thanks.
Hi all, newbie here! i've just bought Yotaphone 2 couple days ago, can't say how happy i am with this phone so far. It's fast enough and the always-on screen is amazingly convenient. Can't say much about battery life yet as only charged it once so far.
The only couple of minor things to mention though - the back-panel is very, very slippery so can easily drop the phone out of your hands. The other thing - email notifications on the back-panel. It's configured to default email app (as mentioned in some previous posts) and looks like there's no way how i can change it to gmail which is my primary email. But am i right thinking that there should be an update to fix this?
smekla said:
Hi all, newbie here! i've just bought Yotaphone 2 couple days ago, can't say how happy i am with this phone so far. It's fast enough and the always-on screen is amazingly convenient. Can't say much about battery life yet as only charged it once so far.
The only couple of minor things to mention though - the back-panel is very, very slippery so can easily drop the phone out of your hands. The other thing - email notifications on the back-panel. It's configured to default email app (as mentioned in some previous posts) and looks like there's no way how i can change it to gmail which is my primary email. But am i right thinking that there should be an update to fix this?
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Hey dude. Lovely phone isn't it. Yeah the back is pretty slippy, the bumper solves that problem if you can manage to get one? As for the email notification on the back, I agree, it's annoying that you can't configure it but I think they'll probably address that in an update, maybe make they're own email client like with the back sms app or something. Only time will tell on that front I suppose.
By the way, get someone to text you the word 'cool' and leave phone EPD facing up. Lovely little easter egg type addition by Yota. Figuring out various other ones over time

[Gear VR info] I just picked up a Gear VR, ask me a question

I just bought the last Gear VR in Portland. While I expected it to be cool, nothing could prepare me for the actual experience. It is the single most immersive experience I've ever had, as it should be, it is truly mind blowing. If anyone has any questions about it, don't hesitate to ask.
Useful info/links-
Tried and tested bluetooth game controller, flawless operation with Gear VR- http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00FB5RBJM
A great collection on indie games- https://vrjam.devpost.com/submissions
Unboxing video and first impressions, care of @AndyCr15- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=64510072
Video review, care of @AndyCr15- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=6460134
How to view your own movies, 3D and 180 degree VR- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=64750751
To use non-Gear VR games and apps (ie. Google Cardboard)
Download Package Disabler Pro (Samsung) from the Play Store- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ospolice.packagedisablerpro
Open the three-dot menu and choose "Show System" and then find "Gear VR Service" and disable it. This will prevent the phone from detevting the headset and automatically opening the Oculus app. You can now use the non-Gear VR apps and games. Be sure to re-enable it before trying to use Gear VR apps.
I would only be interested in movies and TV shows. How does that work? I recommend you visit reddit gearvr subreddit. They have a ton of information.
Brava27 said:
I would only be interested in movies and TV shows. How does that work? I recommend you visit reddit gearvr subreddit. They have a ton of information.
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Movies are NUTS. It puts you into one of 5 or 6 theater settings where you legit feel like you are watching a movie at a cinema or home theater. You look around and there are seats and wall decor, it's CRAZY. There is also an option to do away with all the flash and just watch a movie which is what I prefer, and it is still amazing. That is the primary reason I bought it, for movies on the plane when I travel. Couldn't be happier so far.
The game Gunjack is seriously the most intense thing I think I've ever experienced. After about 5 minutes I am seriously THERE, and I can't begin to describe what this is like. It's breathtaking. Literally. I was legit out of breath when I took a break. And believe me, I NEEDED that break. Anybody with a modicum of imagination would get sucked into this thing and just be floored by it all. This is EASILY the best $100 I have ever spent in my entire life.
Yes specially insurgent high quality experience was awesome which available in MILK VR
Rather than make a new thread, I'll join yours, I hope you do't mind. I got mine a week back -
It really is an amazing experience. I guess what impresses me so much is how responsive it it. There's zero lag. None at all. I think this is key to the immersion, you really do feel like you're there. I watched a rapper on stage, from just at the front of the stage, for the first few seconds, I honestly expected people in the crowd around me to be looking at me, wondering what I was doing up there!
Gunjack is great, but for me a little simple. I'm looking forward to what games can be like within this thing.
Ocean Rift seems to be a favourite for showing the device off to relatives and friends over the Christmas period. I don't think anyone has failed to be blown away buy it.
The only problem I have is the lenses misting up for the first 5 minutes or so as they raise in temperature. Apparently some anti mist cleaner will help with this.
For me, I always have a top end phone, but have often wondered if I need various aspects -
High PPI count. Well yes, now I do. Even with the Note 5's high count, you can see pixels. I want higher!
Octa core CPU. Do I really need octacore in a phone?! Well yes, now I do, it keeps it lag free.
Fast charging. I used to charge overnight and not really need fast charging or wireless where I can drop the phone down and keep it topped up. Now I do. Watching an hour TV show can burn 25-30%. Being able to boost back up in a few minutes or keep it topped up through the day with wireless is really useful.
What phone model and firmware are you on? Just got my Gear VR and my phone is not compatible (N920G).
In what way isn't it compatible? I have a N920C myself.
When you connect the phone to the headset you should be prompted to install the Gear App. Mine doesn't. The "driver" for the Gear VR is bundled with the firmware. Mine is a 5.1..1 build from August N920GUBU1AOH6. Will you check your build number. It will not make a difference to me because you have a different model.
AndyCr15 said:
Rather than make a new thread, I'll join yours, I hope you do't mind. I got mine a week back -
It really is an amazing experience. I guess what impresses me so much is how responsive it it. There's zero lag. None at all. I think this is key to the immersion, you really do feel like you're there. I watched a rapper on stage, from just at the front of the stage, for the first few seconds, I honestly expected people in the crowd around me to be looking at me, wondering what I was doing up there!
Gunjack is great, but for me a little simple. I'm looking forward to what games can be like within this thing.
Ocean Rift seems to be a favourite for showing the device off to relatives and friends over the Christmas period. I don't think anyone has failed to be blown away buy it.
The only problem I have is the lenses misting up for the first 5 minutes or so as they raise in temperature. Apparently some anti mist cleaner will help with this.
For me, I always have a top end phone, but have often wondered if I need various aspects -
High PPI count. Well yes, now I do. Even with the Note 5's high count, you can see pixels. I want higher!
Octa core CPU. Do I really need octacore in a phone?! Well yes, now I do, it keeps it lag free.
Fast charging. I used to charge overnight and not really need fast charging or wireless where I can drop the phone down and keep it topped up. Now I do. Watching an hour TV show can burn 25-30%. Being able to boost back up in a few minutes or keep it topped up through the day with wireless is really useful.
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I said the same thing to my buddy about the absolutely ZERO lag. The head tracking on this thing is phenomemal. I have been using it for the last 5 hours straight and I still can't believe what my freaking cell phone is capable of.
Agreed about the pixel density. I have a OnePlus 2 with a 1080p screen, I can't image how bad the screen door effect would be with that thing. I'm still going to buy a high end headset to use with it though so I can check out google cardboard stuff. With the Gear VR there's a really frustrating trade off- use an S6 and have a smaller screen but higher ppi, or the Note 5 with the larger screen but lower ppi. Thankfully the immersion is so effective that after a few minutes the screen door effect no longer bothers me.
Yeah Gunjack is simple, but I am an old school gamer and haven't played any current generation games, so simple works fairly well for me. I am obsessed with any media that has to do with space and space colonization, so orbiting a giant planet with a massive space station behind me while shooting down baddies is right up my alley. Ever here of Star Citizen? It looks amazing and has me wanting to buy a gaming rig and oculus headset so I can come close to living my dream lol.
Get yourself some Jaws Quick Spit. It's meant for scuba divers and supposedly does wonders for preventing fogging. I have some on order, haven't tried it yet. In the meantime, just use a little saliva. I'm an old diver so believe me when I tell you that spit is the #1 way to prevent fog. Yes, I did use my saliva in the Gear VR and it did not fog at all for the 5 hours I was using it. It did fog up near instantly before I spit in it so the spit definitely works.
pakalrtb said:
What phone model and firmware are you on? Just got my Gear VR and my phone is not compatible (N920G).
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N920A on latest. All variants are compatible so you must have something going on. Are you rooted/ROM'd? That might have something to do with it.
There's plenty discussion on reddit about incompatible firmwares.
https://m.reddit.com/r/GearVR/comments/3vlluu/gear_vr_not_working_with_note5_no_setup_wizard/
Just read about using Package Disabler to be able to use Google Cardboard games and apps with the Gear VR, and it worked beautifully. Too bad Cardboard is nowhere near as sophisticated as Gear VR. Every game or app I tried was incredibly jerky and laggy and I started to get dizzy after about two minutes. That's a testament to how amazing Gear VR is- 5 hours and no fatigue, dizziness, or headache. I had all three with Cardboard in less than five minutes. Man am I glad I bought the Note.
_MetalHead_ said:
Just read about using Package Disabler to be able to use Google Cardboard games and apps with the Gear VR, and it worked beautifully. Too bad Cardboard is nowhere near as sophisticated as Gear VR. Every game or app I tried was incredibly jerky and laggy and I started to get dizzy after about two minutes. That's a testament to how amazing Gear VR is- 5 hours and no fatigue, dizziness, or headache. I had all three with Cardboard in less than five minutes. Man am I glad I bought the Note.
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That's correct. i never felt any lag nor headache while using gear vr even after using it for countless hours...
Success! I was finally able to flash a stock ROM that is supporting the Gear VR N920GUBU1AOJ4. Man this thing is awesome. These are my initial thoughts :
- agree with other users that with these headsets even 1080p seems basic. Bring on the 16K!
- reorientation only works on the horizontal axis. I would have liked to be able to adjust the vertical axis as well so to watch a movie laying down on a bed/sofa
- hardware wise I'd like the possibility to adjust the optics distance in order to have a perfect match with your eyes.
All in all this headset surpassed my expectations and I see it a very bright future for them.
pakalrtb said:
Success! I was finally able to flash a stock ROM that is supporting the Gear VR N920GUBU1AOJ4. Man this thing is awesome. These are my initial thoughts :
- agree with other users that with these headsets even 1080p seems basic. Bring on the 16K!
- reorientation only works on the horizontal axis. I would have liked to be able to adjust the vertical axis as well so to watch a movie laying down on a bed/sofa
- hardware wise I'd like the possibility to adjust the optics distance in order to have a perfect match with your eyes.
All in all this headset surpassed my expectations and I see it a very bright future for them.
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Nice, glad it was something simple. Yeah I have terrible eye sight, and one eye is far worse than the other. I'm also a stubborn bastard who refuses to wear glasses. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't individual lens adjustment but we gotta be realistic, this thing was $100 (I actually think the build quality leaves much to be desired). But that said, with the adjustment it does have I have no problems dialing in a nice, sharp image and weird enough, my bad eye can see the screen a LOT better than I expected, astigmatism notwithstanding.
I just picked one up today. Doesn't work with MOAR & skyhigh 3.0 (Sprint). Just flashed the factory OK3 firmware via odin & waiting on my phone to boot so I can get this thing working
Waiting on all these stupid ass samsung apps to finish downloading, gotta debloat this thing.....again
The Gear VR was very interesting to use, but I could not get over how pixelated it was.
ksantangelo23 said:
The Gear VR was very interesting to use, but I could not get over how pixelated it was.
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Eh, that stopped bothering me in under 3 minutes. Keep it in perspective- it's $99.
_MetalHead_ said:
Nice, glad it was something simple..
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Simple?!! It took me 40 hours, endless web searches, infinite slow downloads, a couple soft bricks and 4 different firmware before iI was able to pull it off.
Glad I did it though.
Couole more thing : the implementation of vocal commands and a headphone plug would make the Gear VR a killer.

How hot is too hot?

Playing Genshin impact on max settings makes my phone uncomfortably hot... as in borderline "ouch!" hot. A bit like accidentally leaving your phone in direct sunlight.
GPU and CPU temps both reach near 80c after around 10 minutes (this is without a case, and ambient around 68F).
Is this something I should worry about for extended play or are these devices able to handle that kind of heat?
Needless to say I'm going to tune it back a bit in the meantime lol
The phone will tell you when it's too hot for operating.
Personally my phone when left overnight will drop to anything as low as 25c which rivals my PC.
Flicking about on the web and using light apps like XDA, Google etc my phone runs about 32-38
Gaming it'll be in the 40s if light, 50s if heavy.
Anything over that you're heating the whole phone, including the battery, eventually the CPU / GPU will throttle.
I think 60s is as high as I'd like to have it, anything more and you will develop issues faster than a person who doesn't do this to their phone will.
Time x heat= death
It's up to you how fast you want that to happen.
My advice, play for shorter times, lower screen resolution to FHD if you haven't already, 60hz will prolong the time it takes to get warmer and will cool more efficiently.
Ultimately there's not a lot you can do.
If you plan to game a lot, you should be fine, but it will degrade the phone over time.
PA: personally I don't trust genshin. Feels like it has too many permissions and frankly I don't trust it. Can you play it completely offline? They may help if so
Here's one of a few thread discussions about heat
dladz said:
The phone will tell you when it's too hot for operating.
Personally my phone when left overnight will drop to anything as low as 25c which rivals my PC.
Flicking about on the web and using light apps like XDA, Google etc my phone runs about 32-38
Gaming it'll be in the 40s if light, 50s if heavy.
Anything over that you're heating the whole phone, including the battery, eventually the CPU / GPU will throttle.
I think 60s is as high as I'd like to have it, anything more and you will develop issues faster than a person who doesn't do this to their phone will.
Time x heat= death
It's up to you how fast you want that to happen.
My advice, play for shorter times, lower screen resolution to FHD if you haven't already, 60hz will prolong the time it takes to get warmer and will cool more efficiently.
Ultimately there's not a lot you can do.
If you plan to game a lot, you should be fine, but it will degrade the phone over time.
PA: personally I don't trust genshin. Feels like it has too many permissions and frankly I don't trust it. Can you play it completely offline? They may help if so
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Thank you for the insight man. I'll def try 60hz FHD since the game locks at a high of 60fps anyways. Not looking to destroy my phone anytime soon, that's for sure!
To tell you the truth I don't trust Genshin either, and unfortunately it's an online only game. Has anyone ever figured out a way to spoof permissions on an app? That would be great for less trustworthy apps.
I guess at times I feel like I'm secure because I'm using adaway with some good comprehensive block lists that also block tracking servers, malware, etc. But I'm sure theres a lot more to it than that.
cubeplayer1 said:
Thank you for the insight man. I'll def try 60hz FHD since the game locks at a high of 60fps anyways. Not looking to destroy my phone anytime soon, that's for sure!
To tell you the truth I don't trust Genshin either, and unfortunately it's an online only game. Has anyone ever figured out a way to spoof permissions on an app? That would be great for less trustworthy apps.
I guess at times I feel like I'm secure because I'm using adaway with some good comprehensive block lists that also block tracking servers, malware, etc. But I'm sure theres a lot more to it than that.
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No worries man, thing with that game is it looks great, kind of like breath of the wild mixed with dark souls, but the online thing is ridiculous.. why ? It's a single player for the most part right?
Could suppose crack it, but that would take some talent to achieve.
Just keep an eye on your temps when gaming, should be fine..gaming mode seems to help a bit.
Be nice to get an active cooler for the phone.
Do you play without a case?
dladz said:
No worries man, thing with that game is it looks great, kind of like breath of the wild mixed with dark souls, but the online thing is ridiculous.. why ? It's a single player for the most part right?
Could suppose crack it, but that would take some talent to achieve.
Just keep an eye on your temps when gaming, should be fine..gaming mode seems to help a bit.
Be nice to get an active cooler for the phone.
Do you play without a case?
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Indeed it is mostly a single player game, the online aspect is mostly for the microtransactions I believe.
I would love to get an active cooler for this phone kind of like the ASUS ROG. Do they make one? If not I've had the thought to have someone I know with a 3d printer to create one from scratch. (I'll keep the forum posted if I do)
I've only really had temp issues with Genshin so it's the only game I really take my case off for. I kid you not, it creates more heat than any benchmark I've ever ran.
cubeplayer1 said:
Indeed it is mostly a single player game, the online aspect is mostly for the microtransactions I believe.
I would love to get an active cooler for this phone kind of like the ASUS ROG. Do they make one? If not I've had the thought to have someone I know with a 3d printer to create one from scratch. (I'll keep the forum posted if I do)
I've only really had temp issues with Genshin so it's the only game I really take my case off for. I kid you not, it creates more heat than any benchmark I've ever ran.
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Aye I've downloaded it. Half decent game but that online business just didn't sit right with me..
Have you tried all the emulators??
dladz said:
Aye I've downloaded it. Half decent game but that online business just didn't sit right with me..
Have you tried all the emulators??
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Yeah especially dolphin emu that one can be a bit of a torture test at times
cubeplayer1 said:
Yeah especially dolphin emu that one can be a bit of a torture test at times
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I've not had too many issues on it, Mario kart was the hardest thing I had to run.
What about Redream.
Oh and DIG as a front end.
This is my 8 Pro running it.
dladz said:
I've not had too many issues on it, Mario kart was the hardest thing I had to run.
What about Redream.
Oh and DIG as a front end.
This is my 8 Pro running it.
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Dude that is way cool! I never knew about front-ends I'm going to have to check that out. And I was just about to look for a dreamcast emu, that was an awesome console back in the day.
@dladz noticed you have a ps2 emu. How is the performance with that and what emu do you run?
cubeplayer1 said:
Dude that is way cool! I never knew about front-ends I'm going to have to check that out. And I was just about to look for a dreamcast emu, that was an awesome console back in the day.
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Aye it was, you'll love there's some beauties on it and they all run at a solid 60, phone doesn't come either.
I've underclocked my cores by one notch
Eg: Cluster 1
Stock: min - 1000 max 1800
Tweaked: min - 300 max 1700
Same with the 2 clusters only you can't get to 300, they're 700 + 800 respectively and 100MHz off the top end speeds.
Doesn't affect performance but does lower thermals, have had 11 hours SOT this way with Elemental X, governor was conservative..
Pics in the SOT and EX threads.
I've left instructions to a user on YouTube for installation. It's easier then retroarch.
cubeplayer1 said:
@dladz noticed you have a ps2 emu. How is the performance with that and what emu do you run?
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It's the dodgiest emulator in the world, they stole code from another free project then closed their project down.
Several cases ongoing over the last few years.
It's £10 I think, tbh the PS2 wasn't that good. I'd rather just buy the console.
The other PS2 emulators do run but they're slow and unplayable even on the 8 Pro, that damon2 emu is dodgy as anything.
Needs to make calls, see your contacts and be online all the time? I bought it, titanium backed up then refunded it. It does work well enough to play but at what cost.
I'll pass, the games are listed on dig but unplayable at the moment
dladz said:
It's the dodgiest emulator in the world, they stole code from another free project then closed their project down.
Several cases ongoing over the last few years.
It's £10 I think, tbh the PS2 wasn't that good. I'd rather just buy the console.
The other PS2 emulators do run but they're slow and unplayable even on the 8 Pro, that damon2 emu is dodgy as anything.
Needs to make calls, see your contacts and be online all the time? I bought it, titanium backed up then refunded it. It does work well enough to play but at what cost.
I'll pass, the games are listed on dig but unplayable at the moment
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That blows. Guessing they stole the code from PCSX2 on the PC. I hate when "devs" do that crap.
Dude that takes me back though, I used to use the whole titanium backup, then refund thing wayyy back in the day. Hardly payed for a thing... unless the app was really good Lol
cubeplayer1 said:
That blows. Guessing they stole the code from PCSX2 on the PC. I hate when "devs" do that crap.
Dude that takes me back though, I used to use the whole titanium backup, then refund thing wayyy back in the day. Hardly payed for a thing... unless the app was really good Lol
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Yep got it in one. The guys who made those emulators are a talented bunch and they haven't hidden their talent away to profit from it, I have a lot of respect for them and their work so you can imagine my thoughts on the thieves.
And yes I agree If an app is good, of course I'll pay for it, if theres an ad free alternative I'll pay usually..
Have been stung before though.
SPB shell 3D was a crazy launcher which looked awesome at the time.
It was £9.50 and I bought it, now it's been pulled so you can't even install it anymore.
I think the Devs of pcsx2 will probably surpass Damon at some point, but it's an open pot for them to cherry pick what they want, absolutely ruins open source

Impulse buy

I picked this device up as a impulse buy to replace my Note 8 and even though there was quite a lot of negative talk about this phone mostly for the software I have to say I don't regret my purchase in terms of why I bought it. I was considering the Z Fold 2, but couldn't justify wasting THAT much money for something I'd most likely break just using it (screen). Anyway, the Duo has been a great multitasking device so far. The only area I'm highly disappointed by is not so much the crappy potato camera, but the fact 1. it takes soooo long to deploy the camera ready to take one. 2. the gigantic f$%&ing delay when taking a picture vs when the camera shutter sound signifies it took a picture. I'm hoping that future updates resolve this phones issues although it sounds like there hasn't been much attention given other than this past January... At any rate, I've bought a few things to improve the usability of this phone. Magnetic usb-c cable for charging and data transfer (miss Qi charging...) and added screen protectors. Finally made some vinyl overlays for the outsides and used CF for grip although negated when the screens are folded open.
Looking forward to receiving mine next week to finally try dual screen. Will be interesting to see how it compares to the Note 10 I've been using for the last year or so, particularly for battery life. Also heard it doesn't support ARCore which will be disappointing as was key to one of the main uses I wanted this phone for.
Pretty cool
A lot better build than any of the Folds...
wez_p said:
Looking forward to receiving mine next week to finally try dual screen. Will be interesting to see how it compares to the Note 10 I've been using for the last year or so, particularly for battery life. Also heard it doesn't support ARCore which will be disappointing as was key to one of the main uses I wanted this phone for.
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Honestly, I think you'll be disappointed straight away. You'll have to forget most of what you expect a android phone, much less a phone to be and learn how to navigate Microsoft's version of Android and a duel screen (not all Microsoft's fault and the nature of duel screens). With that said if you get comfortable enough with how they want you to do things you may start to love it more than any single screen phone and not want to go back. While I feel pretty adjusted and comfortable with using it for what it is as I was intending. With that said I've run into a few situations where the Duo will just NOT replace a phone at least a flag ship like what I was used to with my Note 8. I don't know if this good or good enough, but I can take the Duo off the charger, go to work, have the bluetooth connected to my headset, playing video, screen at around 15% brightness, be browsing the net or social media at the same time the video is playing and after my 8 hr shift be at around 10-5% battery left. Or I can do a charge for about an hr and a half? and be at around 80 - 90%? Not sure what ARCore is. Let me know if you need any info or help, although in some ways still learning myself.
blackhawk said:
Pretty cool
A lot better build than any of the Folds...
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Thanks, I feel like I'd have wrecked the screen if I had a Fold. I'm not hard on devices, but I still expect it to hold up since I have to use touch so much to interact.
I've changed the outer protectors since this original post. Since I have the ability to make my own vinyl stuff I've been experimenting with a logo. The CF was too big and was peeling at the edges so I needed to adjust the size of the vinyl and cut a new one out. My laptop for comparison to cover the stock logo.
vipfreak said:
Thanks, I feel like I'd have wrecked the screen if I had a Fold. I'm not hard on devices, but I still expect it to hold up since I have to use touch so much to interact.
I've changed the outer protectors since this original post. Since I have the ability to make my own vinyl stuff I've been experimenting with a logo. The CF was too big and was peeling at the edges so I needed to adjust the size of the vinyl and cut a new one out. My laptop for comparison to cover the stock logo.
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Lol, the Folds are designed to self destruct like a Mission Impossible tape... brute force not needed
This isn't intended as a phone per se but I really like the way it's hinged and its conservative but innovative solid design.
A sharp micro laptop... Gene Roddenberry would have loved it.
I'm very interested to hear what your experiences are like with it. It a cool hybrid
blackhawk said:
This isn't intended as a phone per se but I really like the way it's hinged and its conservative but innovative solid design.
A sharp micro laptop... Gene Roddenberry would have loved it.
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Definitely agree. It's really nice hardware. Speaking of which I will watch re-runs of Star Trek TNG if it's on some times.
blackhawk said:
I'm very interested to hear what your experiences are like with it. It a cool hybrid
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My primary use case is in "Nintendo DS" view where I have a screen for video playback on top and then I'm browsing the net, social media, or games on the bottom screen. This is where I think it shines the most. My second use case is like regular phone with one screen mostly for ease of typing like replying to a text message. A cool use case that I haven't done all that much is book view where I have youtube open playing a video and doing whatever on the other screen. This view is primarily nice if I have music playing off of youtube because usually if you try to multi task and youtube will stop the music and close the app entirely. With the Duo I don't have to worry about youtube taking up the screen since I have a secondary one. Something a single screen can't do. Why don't I pay youtube? I'm cheap and part Chinese. lol...
Hi,
Well, given the massive price drop from Microsoft, I decided to go for one that I bought from the MS Store directly.
Openend the package and powered up the device. Well, first thing is you will probably have to wait for 30 minutes for the successive updates to apply... Not really nice on a device that still is 800€ after 50% rebate, but OK.
Once powered up and ready to go, the first impression is amazing. The build quality is about the best you can get. The displays despite what reviewers write, are splendid. And the "Duo" panels are just amazing. App are installed super fast (not sure what memory they used, but here is it indeed pretty fast) ; GPS is super accurate ; communnication areoud and clear and so that is all good
But unfortunately, that only last for some time... And then the problems arise :
- no Led or outter display : you don't have a watch. You'll have to grab the device and open it just to know what time it is. You got a notification ? Same thing just to see what arrived. Even worse : you get a phone call ? You have to grab your phone, open it, see who's calling... and half the times, you'll miss the call because you weren't fast enough !
- the hinges ? Superb piece of craftmanship. Honestly. They feel super solid. They have the exact balance between being stiff enough to allow the displays not to move by themselves but still not to be too difficult to operate and unfold. But once your device is open and if you display, say a webpage, in "full screen" (so on both displays) then you'll just have a gap and so some parts of the page won't be legible... I thought MS would have worked on a seamless displaying of the pages when in "full screen", but no. They went the easy route ;
- the way the dual display are working is totally confusing. When I launch an app, it sometimes will display on the left panel, sometimes the right one. Why ? No idea. But that is OKAY. A little more problematic : let's say that I am using my web browser in full screen (on both displays). I get a notification that I got an e-mail. I go to recents and check the mail, then go to recents again to go back to browser... it works, but will go back to single display, not "full screen", so I have to drag the slider again to have full screen. Maybe I would be able to live with that. But on my device, one of the displays randomly decides to power off. I have to close the Surface Duo and reopen it to get the second display back. That really doesn't fill me with confidence in durability :-(
- and then there is the battery. It's melting like snow in hot summer day. I am used to 5kAh batteries that last almost a week-end given my usage. I know MS wants to mimick some of Apple's features, but why taking the worst and choose the same battery power ? Here, playing a simple game like "Cody Cross" and I will be out of juice within 2h30...
I will not talk about other small glitches, like the MS launcher, which in the Surface Edition is simply a joke ; the fact that some apps will not work in the Surface ; the incredibly poor camera (I don't care, I don't use it but did they even gave a look at the smartphone reviews where the stupid reviewers can take away 1 full star out of 5 for a smartphone just because it's camera is not stellar ?) ; the lack of accessories (proof that it simply hasn't sold)... and some other details.
But the ones I described earlier will probably get me to send the Surface Duo back to MS.
Will wait until September 22 to do that.
Let's see what they'll release on Surface Duo 2...
Because I really would like to love it and justify spending 800€ on a smartphone !
Regards
I bought mine Amazon $419 just to play and get to know - it is a fun device - I couldn't justify the Fold 3 which I had been using contemplating. If I trade this in for a Duo 2 and get US $250+ it's all good.
It fast charges really quickly. It can get to 40C and yes it drains battery terribly.
Even SwiftKey seems buggy - whole thing is more prototype than a finished product - they should be paying us!
But I think I'll wait for Android 12 at this point. 11 is a great already a year old. Also the I like to wait 4-6 months anyway for the any issues.
Hi,
If the Surface Duo was sold in France for 400€, I'd keep it too
But best brand new price I've found here is 800€ (for 256GB model) unfortunately.
This is why keeping it is a question for me :-(

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