Database Users

So G5 owners with a handset older than 4 weeks.

What is your opinion now? Still think its a good choice?
Personally i think its a great phone sold short, looking at the hardware and potential i think the handset would easy have a 2 year life span.
But i would like to see bigger modular support, things like physical keyboard, physical zoom lenses etc. And i would like to see some of the software updated a bit closer to the V20.
My biggest concern? Physically will it last 2 years? The build quality aint bad but it aint great.

jamiee6610 said:
What is your opinion now? Still think its a good choice?
Personally i think its a great phone sold short, looking at the hardware and potential i think the handset would easy have a 2 year life span.
But i would like to see bigger modular support, things like physical keyboard, physical zoom lenses etc. And i would like to see some of the software updated a bit closer to the V20.
My biggest concern? Physically will it last 2 years? The build quality aint bad but it aint great.
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Click to collapse
Had it for 4 months, never Had a problem, just a bit of light bleeding, but it's visible only in Dark area with full brightness.

Best smartphone I ever had.
Last three were before it were Moto X Pure, Droid Turbo, and HTC M8.

I have since May, great phone. It has some issues but which phone doesn't. Ghosting happens on thia screen sometimes but nothing permanent, it goes away. I got scratches on the camera glass which is annoying (although easily replacable if you don't care about the warranty). Battery lasts around 4 hours SOT with around 30 hours of usage. I got the battery + external charger kit from Amazon for 30$ which is just great to have. Screen could be brighter. Super bright mode isn't stable enough. The camera is amazing! I love it (and I have a group of already 350 G5 photographers on Facebook). The speaker is one of the best in the market. It's fast, fingerprint sensor works great, colors are good.. I'm very happy with the phone! Oh.. important! The screen is curved on top which can be super annoying if you like to apply a tempered glass acreen protector. I don't have any issues with the build quality. I would prefer the V20 just because I like the big screen..other than that they are pretty similar. I think the G5 is the most underrated phone in the last in the last few years.

I got two of them - one for me and one for a friend. I am not really concerned about the quality, why shouldn't it last more than two years? It gives a great bang for the buck. If money isn't a concern, I would aim for the V20 (bought the G5 before it was announced and it may not be released where I live). I was with Samsung phones and Tablet for several years now but I think LG also does a good job here.

Love it. Great phone but I wouldn't have it for two years. I have Jump by T-Mobile for a reason. The only thing I hate is no matter how much they say the phone screen is scratch resistant, if I have my keys and phone in the same pocket it gets scratched. Planning on getting the V20 when it comes out. LG is taking forever to release it.
Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

XAlexander_AlexanderX said:
Love it. Great phone but I wouldn't have it for two years. I have Jump by T-Mobile for a reason. The only thing I hate is no matter how much they say the phone screen is scratch resistant, if I have my keys and phone in the same pocket it gets scratched. Planning on getting the V20 when it comes out. LG is taking forever to release it.
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Yep, i can confirm this, and not only on my G5 but also on a S7 Edge of a friend, it seems that corning Got worse in these years on the scratch part...

I love the phone but I'm extremely disappointed in the GPS issue as I use my phone for navigation quite a lot. And my battery has never been to great. But that's probably because I'm used to the battery life I was getting on my iPhone 6 plus and Nexus 6P (wish I never sold my 6P). The camera is fantastic and as I have 2 little ones it's great for taking pictures of them.

Love my phone G5 coming from my G2 which I gave to my mother and she loves it. Camera, performance and the like are all great on my G5
GPS is fast and no issue.

bluerain28 said:
Love my phone G5 coming from my G2 which I gave to my mother and she loves it. Camera, performance and the like are all great on my G5
GPS is fast and no issue.
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Your lucky then. I try to use mine to navigate and it's hit and miss, most of the times miss and just says searching

Have had it since it rolled out. Not a single problem or issue. So impressed with it, in fact, that I recommended it to the wife and my parents when it was time for them to renew/upgrade. So now we all have g5's. Didn't recommend it to my in laws because..... They are my in laws. And because they are under the impression that "Apple is the only quality phone manufacturer". Their loss hahahaha.

I am honestly ready to throw mine through a wall. Gps is always searching and i use it alot for work. Wifi will just stop working for no reason. I am currently trying to get out of this phone. Worst phone ever.
Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk

Had mine for a month now only problem i've found is the GPS i'm gonna try some calibration software to see if there is a difference. This phone should be good for two years i think.

I like it a lot, especially camera and loudspeaker. Even better with Poetic Rugged case.

I got mine like 2 month ago and is pretty nice fast and non rooted yet just waiting how will move

I'm using it for a month now and I still can't find a flow. I like the design, love the camera, the software and hardware are doing well. Overall it's a great device. Oh, and I don't care about the moduls, don't plan to use them anyway.

Look at my warranty thread. It's been a nightmare. LG refused to switch out the housing when I sent it in, and they scratched it. Had to change the housing myself, luckily it wasn't that expensive. So far, most of the issues I had are gone. GPS is fine now, and the LCD isn't yellowing anymore.

Any new stories about the camera cracking?

As you know I'm thinking about the V20 or Pixel XL and I'm wondering has anyone still been having the cameras on these shattering or has this defect been corrected?

The lens cover sticks out from the back of the phone. If you're careful about setting it down, you shouldn't have any problem. A good case should mitigate the problem further.

It had to have been a bad batch because myself like plenty of others have dropped out tested the theories of the people who cracked there's and nothing has happened so far. Hoping I didn't just jinx myself.

Mine cracked in my pocket. No keys or or anything else in that pocket. Pretty sure it wont be covered under warranty, so I'm looking for a replacement but no luck on parts yet.

kitchencop said:
Mine cracked in my pocket. No keys or or anything else in that pocket. Pretty sure it wont be covered under warranty, so I'm looking for a replacement but no luck on parts yet.
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Was there any kind of significant temperature change (being outside in the cold for a period of time and then going inside a warm place or vice versa) right before or around when you noticed it had cracked? I'm just curious because if not the only thing other thing I can imagine causing them to spontaneously break, would be if the way they were installed somehow causes the them to be under constant pressure? That's crazy though this is a first time time I've heard about this so hopefully it won't be widespread, does it the camera itself break too or just the lens around them?
Sent from a ridiculously modified ColecoVision

I was in and out of the house and it was 40°F outside, 70°F inside. I'm assuming I bumped up against something. Camera still works, just the lens is broken. Wide angle camera is useless though since the shatter originated there. Right now I have a piece of tape over the lens to keep it from cracking any more and damaging the cameras.

kitchencop said:
I was in and out of the house and it was 40°F outside, 70°F inside. I'm assuming I bumped up against something. Camera still works, just the lens is broken. Wide angle camera is useless though since the shatter originated there. Right now I have a piece of tape over the lens to keep it from cracking any more and damaging the cameras.
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Would you buy another V20 after this?
People say the s7/s7e camera shatters easily too but I've never had that problem.

Blues fan said:
As you know I'm thinking about the V20 or Pixel XL and I'm wondering has anyone still been having the cameras on these shattering or has this defect been corrected?
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I use otter box case. Dropped my phone on concrete, nothing happened.
Sent from my LG V20 using XDA Labs

BROKEN1981 said:
I use otter box case. Dropped my phone on concrete, nothing happened.
Sent from my LG V20 using XDA Labs
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I use Defender cases a lot, but the one for the V20 looks like plain overkill. I wish Supcase made one for the V20. Not a lot of Defender style case options for V20 but it's only been out for one half months now.

Blues fan said:
Would you buy another V20 after this?
People say the s7/s7e camera shatters easily too but I've never had that problem.
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Click to collapse
I came from the Note 7. Only reason I bought the V20 was because I didn't like the S7E. I am not too pleased with this phone. For being a phone with such a great camera, I find photos taken in auto to be lackluster. I know you can get some great shots with manual mode, but I have a 1yo that doesn't sit still long enough to mess with the settings. The N7 was great for just point and shoot. I'll use my Cannon DSLR for more advanced shots. Also, to me, it feels like the software isn't as well optimized as on the N7. It gets sluggish at times and the battery doesn't seem to last long either. It may be my overall frustration with phone since August, going through the 2 recalls and 5 phones in that time, but I am disappointed to say the least.

BROKEN1981 said:
I use otter box case. Dropped my phone on concrete, nothing happened.
Sent from my LG V20 using XDA Labs
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Click to collapse
kitchencop said:
I came from the Note 7. Only reason I bought the V20 was because I didn't like the S7E. I am not too pleased with this phone. For being a phone with such a great camera, I find photos taken in auto to be lackluster. I know you can get some great shots with manual mode, but I have a 1yo that doesn't sit still long enough to mess with the settings. The N7 was great for just point and shoot. I'll use my Cannon DSLR for more advanced shots. Also, to me, it feels like the software isn't as well optimized as on the N7. It gets sluggish at times and the battery doesn't seem to last long either. It may be my overall frustration with phone since August, going through the 2 recalls and 5 phones in that time, but I am disappointed to say the least.
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Note 7 for me had some stutter to it but other than that the phone was PERFECT! Well maybe put an IR blaster on it. I was so ticked I had to get rid of it. Nothing else out there fits my preferences 100 percent right now. We are kind of in the lull period until next March when the S8 series comes out.

Blues fan said:
Note 7 for me had some stutter to it but other than that the phone was PERFECT! Well maybe put an IR blaster on it. I was so ticked I had to get rid of it. Nothing else out there fits my preferences 100 percent right now. We are kind of in the lull period until next March when the S8 series comes out.
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I have high hopes for the S8's. Hopefully my wife will let me upgrade when they come out. That's if I can find the glass lens to fix this phone

kitchencop said:
I have high hopes for the S8's. Hopefully my wife will let me upgrade when they come out. That's if I can find the glass lens to fix this phone
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Click to collapse
I expect the larger version of the S8 or S8 edge or whatever they call it will have similar size to the S7 edge. I don't think we will get a bigger screen until the Note 8 comes out. I'm not a huge fan of the curves and rather would have a fully functional large screen. I wonder if a lot on here plan on keeping the V20 until the Note 8 is out.
I would like the Note 8 to be like the v20 and have removable battery, and bring back the IR blaster too.

Considering switching from Note 8

Have had a Note 8 for about 2 months now (got it 20th Sept), and I've been fairly happy with it so far.
A few annoying things about it, let's start off with the screen. It looks fantastic, it's made by Samsung, why wouldn't it? The curve however, is something I've hated since the S7 edge, not a fan of it, completely useless. Can't even get a decent screen protector to stick on it because of the stupid curves.
Up next we have the software. It's great, very fluid, works very well, but I haven't received a single software update/security patch since the day I got the phone. We're still on the August patch, and haven't received anything newer.
Then there are the speakers. One word, garbage. They suck ass, I honestly think even the speakers on my S7 edge were better. You can try all you want to cup your hand around the speakers, but that doesn't help. There's also the placement of the headphone jack, I may be nitpicking a bit, but seriously having headphones plugged in while you're trying to watch something.... is impossible. It's so uncomfortable to hold and in such a stupid spot.
So for you XZ Premium owners, I've got a few questions:
1) I've been going through some battery life related posts, and they seem pretty good, but most of the screenshots are from when you guys were on Nougat. Has the battery life gotten worse/better since the Oreo update or has it remained the same?
2) How is the camera after the Oreo update? And was the distortion issue really that bad?
3) Is the phone uncomfortable to hold due to the large bezels and overall shape of the phone? Do keep in mind I'm coming from something with virtually no bezels at all.
4) Does the adb command to stay in 4K mode all the time still work on Oreo and does it revert after a reboot?
5) Substratum working fine on 8.0, anyone tried Swift Black?
Would appreciate all replies/answers.
Thanks

murtaza02 said:
Have had a Note 8 for about 2 months now (got it 20th Sept), and I've been fairly happy with it so far.
A few annoying things about it, let's start off with the screen. It looks fantastic, it's made by Samsung, why wouldn't it? The curve however, is something I've hated since the S7 edge, not a fan of it, completely useless. Can't even get a decent screen protector to stick on it because of the stupid curves.
Up next we have the software. It's great, very fluid, works very well, but I haven't received a single software update/security patch since the day I got the phone. We're still on the August patch, and haven't received anything newer.
Then there are the speakers. One word, garbage. They suck ass, I honestly think even the speakers on my S7 edge were better. You can try all you want to cup your hand around the speakers, but that doesn't help. There's also the placement of the headphone jack, I may be nitpicking a bit, but seriously having headphones plugged in while you're trying to watch something.... is impossible. It's so uncomfortable to hold and in such a stupid spot.
So for you XZ Premium owners, I've got a few questions:
1) I've been going through some battery life related posts, and they seem pretty good, but most of the screenshots are from when you guys were on Nougat. Has the battery life gotten worse/better since the Oreo update or has it remained the same?
2) How is the camera after the Oreo update? And was the distortion issue really that bad?
3) Is the phone uncomfortable to hold due to the large bezels and overall shape of the phone? Do keep in mind I'm coming from something with virtually no bezels at all.
4) Does the adb command to stay in 4K mode all the time still work on Oreo and does it revert after a reboot?
5) Substratum working fine on 8.0, anyone tried Swift Black?
Would appreciate all replies/answers.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Battery life is improved. In nougat I was getting ~6.5 hours SoT. In Oreo I can get ~7.5 Hours SoT. But it depends on usage.
2) The camera is good, I'm quite pleased with it but when zooming on a picture it's grainy due to the post processing algorithms.. You can compare pictures taken with the Note 8 and XZP at GSMArena. The distortion was visible when taking pictures if objects with lines,and square shapes as well as a bit distortion on objects,nothing too crazy , but now it's much improved.
3) I never had a bezel-less phone, but the XZP is very comfortable to hold. The bezels aren't that bad. When I'm taking pictures with one hand, the bezels helps. Or when watching movies or gaming, it helps rest your fingers. Also the XZP has also a curved front glass, so finding a good screen protector might be hard.
4) and 5) Im sorry, I can't answer these because I don't use them.
Also the speakers on the XZP might not be the loudest, but produce excellent sound quality. And the fact that it has dual front firing speakers is very good for gaming, videos, music.
Software wise, there are monthly security updates along with bug fixes. Samsungs have more software features such as night light. But if you watch videos on YouTube, the XZP had some nice software features as well. Smart battery charging, Xperia Actions, etc.
The whole phone is super smooth and as fast as day one. The display is truly amazing. The black levels are impressive for an LCD display. There are 3 display modes to choose from ( SRG-B, Standard and Vivid).

@Lazaros_K
Thanks so much for answering the questions.
I actually forgot to ask about something you mentioned in your post.
Night Light. I've been using it since Samsung included it in the 7.0 update, it's not available on the XZP? Is there an alternative that works without root?
Sent from my SM-N950F

murtaza02 said:
@Lazaros_K
Thanks so much for answering the questions.
I actually forgot to ask about something you mentioned in your post.
Night Light. I've been using it since Samsung included it in the 7.0 update, it's not available on the XZP? Is there an alternative that works without root?
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Click to collapse
Unfortunately apps from the play store aren't as good as a native night light. Unfortunately Sony won't implement night light.

Lazaros_K said:
Unfortunately apps from the play store aren't as good as a native night light. Unfortunately Sony won't implement night light.
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That kinda sucks.
You also mentioned the screen is curved, there are a few protectors on Amazon and a few local online websites in my country are selling normal tempered glass protectors for the XZP, so I guess it should stick fine?
Sent from my SM-N950F

murtaza02 said:
That kinda sucks.
You also mentioned the screen is curved, there are a few protectors on Amazon and a few local online websites in my country are selling normal tempered glass protectors for the XZP, so I guess it should stick fine?
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Click to collapse
I don't use any screen protector so I wouldn't know. There is a thread on screen protectors for the XZP here on XDA which might help you.

murtaza02 said:
That kinda sucks.
You also mentioned the screen is curved, there are a few protectors on Amazon and a few local online websites in my country are selling normal tempered glass protectors for the XZP, so I guess it should stick fine?
Sent from my SM-N950F
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Click to collapse
Just sharing what I know about XZP screen protectors (I might not be 100% correct):
- Tempered glass full coverage + full adhesive protectors do not exist other than the one that uses LOCA and UV curing as seen in this thread. The seller is in Singapore and they haven't announced plans to sell overseas yet.
- Other tempered glass options either do not have full coverage to the curved parts of the screen (ugly, IMHO) or do not have adhesive on the entire screen (which causes sensitivity problems). Some claim to have full adhesive but those don't have proper full coverage or have a weird dotted adhesive pattern.
- There don't seem to be any tempered glass protectors for the back.
- TPU based screen protectors are available for full coverage of front and back but are not as hard as tempered glass and might suffer from yellowing over time or have an orange peel effect (depending on brand).
- Regular PET film protectors are the cheapest of the lot and offer full coverage but these seem to come off the curved parts of the screen easily. They usually feel smoother than TPU ones though.

I am happy with battery life on my xz premium. It holds up well. Can't wait to get the update to try oreo out. Hope it improves the battery life further

Paid off?
Is your Note 8 paid off? May be willing for a trade I wanted a note 8 but needed a new phone before it came out so got the XZ Premium instead.

e8onbreak said:
Is your Note 8 paid off? May be willing for a trade I wanted a note 8 but needed a new phone before it came out so got the XZ Premium instead.
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Click to collapse
Already sold my Note 8 earlier today.
Got a chrome XZ Premium an hour ago.
Besides, I'm in Pakistan so shipping to you would be very difficult.
Sent from my G8142

I think if you plan on installing a custom ROM, you'll have more development on the Note8. The XZP side is pretty barren in my opinion. My last phone was a Nexus phone, the custom kernels extended the SOT geatly.
I'd keep it IMO

I rooted my phone for the sole purpose of getting a night light similar mod on my phone. F.lux has issues with oreo, so I went with cf.lumen instead.
Battery life on Oreo is pretty much the same, maybe even a bit better for standby.
For the screen protectors, I got the skinomi. It's a TPU one. Great "self-healing" thing. Scratches and "impressions" do go away on its own after a day or two. I recommend getting that. Devilcase also has a nice TPU SP called "Luster", however it's self-healing thing doesn't really work well.
Basically I stopped looking for a screen protector for the phone. Where I live, we have this phone insurance thing that covers accidental damage + water damage. I'll just send it in if ever it breaks.
Enjoy your new XZP!

Patrck744 said:
I think if you plan on installing a custom ROM, you'll have more development on the Note8. The XZP side is pretty barren in my opinion. My last phone was a Nexus phone, the custom kernels extended the SOT geatly.
I'd keep it IMO
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a fan of custom ROMs anymore. The XZPs stock ROM is good enough.
The Note 8 was also terrible with software updates.
iArvee said:
I rooted my phone for the sole purpose of getting a night light similar mod on my phone. F.lux has issues with oreo, so I went with cf.lumen instead.
Battery life on Oreo is pretty much the same, maybe even a bit better for standby.
For the screen protectors, I got the skinomi. It's a TPU one. Great "self-healing" thing. Scratches and "impressions" do go away on its own after a day or two. I recommend getting that. Devilcase also has a nice TPU SP called "Luster", however it's self-healing thing doesn't really work well.
Basically I stopped looking for a screen protector for the phone. Where I live, we have this phone insurance thing that covers accidental damage + water damage. I'll just send it in if ever it breaks.
Enjoy your new XZP!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't gotten around to rooting yet, not sure if I will.
The lack of night light is a bit annoying but I'll just stick to using my other phone at night. Even the lowest brightness setting on this thing is really bright in the dark.
I also forked out extra for the insurance and accidental drops and whatever, cost me a sh*t ton but hopefully it's worth it.
Sent from my G8142

@murtaza02
Please before getting root keep in mind if you unlock your bootloader to getting root access then
1- all the DRM keys will be lost forever from your phone
and with lost of DRM keys these functions will stop for you. Bionz Engine for Low light photography, OTA updates, High Res Audio, Image & Video Enhancement
2- Lost your Warranty if you have
My suggestion is that do not unlock your bootloader until there is a method available here to backup TA Partition with DRM keys without root
Right now its not available
I am also from Lahore, and want to but XZ premium, from where you get yours and in which amount ?

zohaib0001 said:
@murtaza02
Please before getting root keep in mind if you unlock your bootloader to getting root access then
1- all the DRM keys will be lost forever from your phone
and with lost of DRM keys these functions will stop for you. Bionz Engine for Low light photography, OTA updates, High Res Audio, Image & Video Enhancement
2- Lost your Warranty if you have
My suggestion is that do not unlock your bootloader until there is a method available here to backup TA Partition with DRM keys without root
Right now its not available
I am also from Lahore, and want to but XZ premium, from where you get yours and in which amount ?
my number 03314901564
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Click to collapse
I got mine from a store in Islamabad.
76k with official 1 year warranty from Inovi (Sony's partner in Pakistan).
You can get the imported one without warranty for around 65k (new) or around 45-50k (kit).
Sent from my G8142

What do you think of the phone compared to the Note 8?

Phat-T said:
What do you think of the phone compared to the Note 8?
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Click to collapse
It's great. Stereo speakers, on-time software updates, a newer, faster quick charging standard, what's not to like? It even manages to give me better performance than the Note 8 which had 6 gigs of RAM.
Only thing I miss from the Note 8 would be the ridiculously quick camera. That thing focuses and takes the shot in the same time the camera app of this takes to open up. Not a deal breaker though. I really like this phone.
Sent from my G8142

Phat-T said:
What do you think of the phone compared to the Note 8?
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https://youtu.be/bbZHuB05_K0
https://youtu.be/_FGBj0h26Ew

Ciro54 said:
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Lol thanks for the vids but I had this phone since June and love it. I was just wondering how he liked it after switching from the Note 8

murtaza02 said:
It's great. Stereo speakers, on-time software updates, a newer, faster quick charging standard, what's not to like? It even manages to give me better performance than the Note 8 which had 6 gigs of RAM.
Only thing I miss from the Note 8 would be the ridiculously quick camera. That thing focuses and takes the shot in the same time the camera app of this takes to open up. Not a deal breaker though. I really like this phone.
Sent from my G8142
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I've just switched from the note 8 how are you finding the display I can't make my mind up if its better or not lol

V20 VS G6? Which one should I pick?

So the lg v20 and the G6 is going at 155$ here, which one should I get? I really listen to music a lot, like a lot and I take pictures of scenery here and there, but I heard lg v20s rear camera lens cover cracks! Which cracks without even bumping into anything or whatever? Is it that bad? I really really wanna get the v20 but that problem really concerns me so should I get the v20 or the G6?
It would be a great help, I am really struggling to decide.
TIA.

a safe haven said:
So the lg v20 and the G6 is going at 155$ here, which one should I get? I really listen to music a lot, like a lot and I take pictures of scenery here and there, but I heard lg v20s rear camera lens cover cracks! Which cracks without even bumping into anything or whatever? Is it that bad? I really really wanna get the v20 but that problem really concerns me so should I get the v20 or the G6?
It would be a great help, I am really struggling to decide.
TIA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for the V20. Dropped mine without a case douzend times. The only thing I did was installing a 9H Glass on the cams. Very stable now. As you can see V20 in general is more physically reliable and you have a swappable battery! G6 looks better though. If you are going for the G6 keep in mind that not all versions are having the DAC. I love my LG V20 so much that I bought a spare one. Dual sim New for 150 euro. :victory:

V20.
I've had both and it's a better overall phone

mrtomaso said:
V20.
I've had both and it's a better overall phone
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Why do you prefer the v20 over the G6? Since you used both, can you tell me the reason by v20 is better please?

a safe haven said:
Why do you prefer the v20 over the G6? Since you used both, can you tell me the reason by v20 is better please?
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Click to collapse
Biggest reason for me is the screen ratio. I don't like the new 'tall' screens, they don't handle video playback as well. (lot of Netflix and mx player here) instead, the v20 has the very useful 2nd screen.
Second... The second screen. Sounds like a gimmick, but love it. Nice to be able to use the flashlight preview messages without even turning on your phone.
Third... Removable battery. They're both older phones, but I like the battery pull option or replacing the battery when the time comes.
I us3d to be a 'replace' phone asap kinda person. Ever since the ppc6700, I was always upgrading. That changed 4 years ago when I bought a used note 4. Loved that phone, but I appreciate the zip/e5c of the v20.
For me, 100 bucks well spent. (sold the note 4 for 75, winner!)

mrtomaso said:
Biggest reason for me is the screen ratio. I don't like the new 'tall' screens, they don't handle video playback as well. (lot of Netflix and mx player here) instead, the v20 has the very useful 2nd screen.
Second... The second screen. Sounds like a gimmick, but love it. Nice to be able to use the flashlight preview messages without even turning on your phone.
Third... Removable battery. They're both older phones, but I like the battery pull option or replacing the battery when the time comes.
I us3d to be a 'replace' phone asap kinda person. Ever since the ppc6700, I was always upgrading. That changed 4 years ago when I bought a used note 4. Loved that phone, but I appreciate the zip/e5c of the v20.
For me, 100 bucks well spent. (sold the note 4 for 75, winner!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your answer, but i am worried about the issue that v20's rear camera glass cracks with any little pressure, is that true? Did it ever happen to you? And hows the nightime photography for both of the phone since i mostly go outside at night and i like to take photos at night so it matters a lot to me, if you can give me some heads up on this, i can decide, it would be a great help!
Thank you!

a safe haven said:
Thank you for your answer, but i am worried about the issue that v20's rear camera glass cracks with any little pressure, is that true? Did it ever happen to you? And hows the nightime photography for both of the phone since i mostly go outside at night and i like to take photos at night so it matters a lot to me, if you can give me some heads up on this, i can decide, it would be a great help!
Thank you!
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I've had the v20 for 4 months and it's been a while since I've had the g6. (returned the g6 and went back to my note 4, aspect ratio annoyed me)
Might be mistaken, but I thought the cameras were pretty close or exactly the same? I was shocked at how good the camera was on the v20 (g6 too) compared to my note 4.
Bought my b20 used and with a solid case, camera lense is protected.

Hey so I've had 3 V20s and a LG G6 which I gave to my daughter. I love the V20 also because of the old 16:9 aspect ratio. And the removable battery is great for long trips. But I hate to say it but I think my beloved V20 is ending it's lifespan. I would think Oreo is last update it will get. And I tried Lineage but I need stock camera and DAC audio. And all my V20s had screen burn in. Never broke my camera lens on any of them but I guess I could see how that could happen because it protrudes a little. I guess my point is maybe G6 will have a little longer life. G6 is still a really good phone.

Essential Phone in 2019?

Hey guys,
Just browsing this forum as I'm contemplating getting a used Essential phone after switching to Android from Apple on an LG G7 and being frustrated by its slow updates. I notice the Essential phone can easily be had for under $200 on eBay. Originally I've been trying to get a Pixel 2 or 1 but the not sure about the 1 quality and the 2 goes for too much even at auction.
Anyway, I like that this phone still gets updates quickly and in general looks very nice. But reviews for it always trash the camera. Just curious if updates improved the camera or if the GCam ports for the phone are stable and work well (the G7 ports are problematic).
Thanks for your input.

I just ordered one off ebay for $160 from yywireless (great support, 30 day warranty!) and I'm awaiting arrival. I can let you know how it performs in 2019 compared to my previous LG G6 and iPhone 6S Plus if you'd like! I have a very good feeling about this phone.

VCan25 said:
Hey guys,
Just browsing this forum as I'm contemplating getting a used Essential phone after switching to Android from Apple on an LG G7 and being frustrated by its slow updates. I notice the Essential phone can easily be had for under $200 on eBay. Originally I've been trying to get a Pixel 2 or 1 but the not sure about the 1 quality and the 2 goes for too much even at auction.
Anyway, I like that this phone still gets updates quickly and in general looks very nice. But reviews for it always trash the camera. Just curious if updates improved the camera or if the GCam ports for the phone are stable and work well (the G7 ports are problematic).
Thanks for your input.
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Using Gcam can get better performance compare to stock
But my recommendation is doing some researches about signal reception before buying this phone.

chanh2018 said:
Using Gcam can get better performance compare to stock
But my recommendation is doing some researches about signal reception before buying this phone.
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Thanks for that insight. I actually had a pixel 3 briefly but reception was the reason I had to change to another brand. I should have that in mind for this phone too.

VCan25 said:
Thanks for that insight. I actually had a pixel 3 briefly but reception was the reason I had to change to another brand. I should have that in mind for this phone too.
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I can't speak for the US, but I have the essential phone in austria and I have LTE with full reception (symbol) -> even in the subway. In germany there were a few spots on the countryside where I only had Edge...and currently I am on vacation in australia (sunshine coast) and with Vodafone i get LTE everywhere -> with nearly always full reception.
So if you get any issues it's because of the carrier and not because of the phone.
btw - I'm rocking AOSiP Custom Rom...maybe it has a different Baseband...

I also just got this phone in 2019. All is good.
Reception seems just fine in my neck of the woods. United States, California, Los Angeles area. T-Mobile. LTE+ in the status bar.
Phone is a refurb via Amazon. No issues so far.
Essential PH-1, /e/ 0.5-n ROM, microG (NoGapps), XDA Legacy

Got this phone together with the 360 cam off Craigslist, with a cracked screen. After a DIY screen replacement, my total cost came to a whopping US$150, which is way more than reasonable. Absolutely love the phone. I never chase the latest tech (don't see the point), and for my needs in 2019 this phone does everything and then some. I hate huge phones, and by today's standards this device is very small given the screen size, which is a big deal for me. Can't complain about anything other than the lack of the 3.5mm jack, but I can live without it. Running full stock ROM (latest update, rooted). As for the camera, Gcam ports are definitely better than stock, and in my experience they work great apart from a broken slo-mo, but even the stock cam with the latest system update is OK for me in most shooting conditions. Overall, a great phone, and highly recommended.

Best phone I ever had. Love it both aesthetically and in term of features. I bought it 6 months ago for about 220 € by Amazon USA and I'm very satisfied. I use it with stock monthly updates and Gcam.
I live in Madrid, Spain and I've 80-100% LTE reception, even in the subway.

Im east coast US on cricket. i get decent signal.
as for camera... well... stick software is good enough fir most... me... i needed a little more fine tuning, but even without the fine tuning any of the latest gcam ports wotk great

While I definately like my PH-1, something to consider coming from the iPhone 6S AND LG G7 is that the vibration motor is EXTENSIVELY different and dare-i-say "bad". The strength is not too bad, but it definately is louder and significantly worse than your previous phones. If you do not desire good haptic feedback, I would say go for it! If it were not from a drop onto a concrete edge at the worst possible place and the very lack-luster vibration motor, I would definitely plan on keeping it until the battery got too weak. (I kinda miss OLED blacks though...)
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

I'm on Sprint and get very good reception, my previous phones had lots of problems getting even voice calls in my office, whereas on this one I can actually do video calls without issue. Phone is plenty fast for 2019 and the 128GB of storage is really nice after my previous two phones (Nexus 5x and a 2013 Moto X) being pressed for space all the time. I did have to break down and get a Tulia case for it, this phone is super slippery and I've cracked the screen 2x.

I just rebought one last week... This phone is goooooood...

Yeah it’s still a very good phone bought 2 sprint recently from eBay 70$ and 90$ with small crack. Easy free unlock. Great phone.

xarekusu said:
Yeah it’s still a very good phone bought 2 sprint recently from eBay 70$ and 90$ with small crack. Easy free unlock. Great phone.
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$70 is just crazy for this spec phone, even with a crack!

IronRoo said:
$70 is just crazy for this spec phone, even with a crack!
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Got mine for 76 with a crack on the back front had a few scratches..but still I have a sd835 beast

IronRoo said:
$70 is just crazy for this spec phone, even with a crack!
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I bought mine off CL with a cracked screen but otherwise in mint condition for $100 Canadian (US$75), including the 360 camera. Spent about the same on the replacement screen, so US$150 in total. Super happy with the phone after a couple of months.

kt-Froggy said:
I bought mine off CL with a cracked screen but otherwise in mint condition for $100 Canadian (US$75), including the 360 camera. Spent about the same on the replacement screen, so US$150 in total. Super happy with the phone after a couple of months.
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Is it easy to replace em? I watched a YouTube video it it scared me off even trying it...

Tech_Savvy said:
Is it easy to replace em? I watched a YouTube video it it scared me off even trying it...
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Well... It depends. If you've never done a screen repair, I'd say this one may be a bit tricky - not the easiest for the first time. I replaced about a dozen screens on different phones (Sony, LG, Samsung, Apple), so it was no big deal. Took me about 30 minutes overall. For a video tutorial, I used the one from fixez.com for a reference. You need to know how to use a heat gun to remove the screen. Also, this phone has a very narrow bezel to mount the screen to the frame, so working with an adhesive may be challenging. Rounded corners don't cooperate well with an adhesive tape, but liquid glue would probably make things easier. The area under the earpiece slot is kinda difficult to work with, because it's extremely narrow, but you definitely need to put an adhesive there to seal the perimeter.
You can read my review of the replacement screen on Amazon, with some points on installing it. If you decide to do it, and have any specific questions, feel free to PM me, so as not to hijack this thread... Good luck!

Tech_Savvy said:
Is it easy to replace em? I watched a YouTube video it it scared me off even trying it...
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that must have been the one they froze which shattered, use a heat gun (gradually) is the go.

I've been using mine since March of 2017 on Stock non-rooted with GCAM and performance is excellent. I'm using Straight Talk here in the US and it works phenomenal (AT&T band). Pictures with GCAM are far superior than stock camera but, I will praise the stock camera for the monochrome photos in low-light as they are amazing. If you play any games this phone handles them pretty well even games like Fortnite, PUBG, and the new Elder Scrolls Blades play excellent.