Database Users

Discounted Mate 8 or new Mate 9 - are the 'improvements' worth it?

Hello guys. First of all if a similar thread like this is has been created then I apologize. I'd just like to get your thoughts if getting a new Mate 9 over a discounted Mate 8 is worth it given the differences.
I'm will be upgrading from a Note 3 btw and I can't go back to a smaller screen. The Porsche design of the Mate 9 is out of the question.
Things I'm considering:
1) Design - This is subjective for me but I honestly prefer the sharper design of the Mate 8 over the more rounded design of the Mate 9. Admittedly though I haven't held the Mate 9 personally to know what it feels like; I've only seen pictures and videos.
2) Camera - Is the dual Leica camera setup of the Mate 9 that much better than the Mate 8 and its corresponding image quality also that much better? I don't really care about the lack of 4k of the Mate 8.
3) USB type C - Am I gonna be missing something with the Mate 8 being stuck with usb 2.0?
4) Performance - I mostly choose to play games with good graphics on my phone. Is the Kirin 960+GPU that much better than the 950+GPU? For those with the Mate 8, how's the performance so far since you've bought it?
5) Audio - From the Pocketnow review, they claim that audio volume of the Mate 9 via its headphone is severely lacking. I plan on using mostly bluetooth headphones moving forward so how's the volume of the Mate 8 so far?
That's about it.. Hopefully I can get some replies. Thanks guys!

If you already have the Mate 8 then its definately not worth to upgrade, because the camera in the mate 8 is enough for daily usage. if you wait for andoird n the performance of the kirin 950 can handle most of todays games easily. for audiophiles you better buy a htc..and the mate 8 is way cheaper and bigger

It's a pretty minor upgrade, not worth the current premium over the mate 8 although you will get updates a little bit longer.
If you want a good audio phone you can do great with an Axon 7 which isn't even that expensive. There are various Android tricks with root to boost volume I believe.
No point in caring about usb c. All it really means is your old cables won't work.

The Axon 7 would've been great if they released a version with bigger screen. Anyway thanks guys for the input. Haven't been able to check out all the threads but are there still lingering issues with the Mate 8 like with notifications and doze having conflicts and the like?

I guess the guys above didn't bother to read your post as you said you have a Note 3.
I would choose the Mate 9.
No. 2 & No. 4 are no contest, the 9 is considerably better in those areas.

Different Mate 8 Versions, compatibility?
I would like to tag onto this thread, since i'm looking into a replacement for my Note 3 as well, and I really like the Mate 8.
I always bought my devices through my provider (AT&T) but because of the troubles with locked bootloaders and limited development I decided i would buy my next device unlocked.
What is important to me is the freedom to switch (GSM) carriers, large screen, and the freedom to customize the device through xposed/custom roms. (don't care much for gaming, camera quality etc, but love the large screen to browse the web, watch video, lower DPI)
Looking on Amazon, i can find a unlocked Mate 8 ranging from $367 up to $510, i'm leaning to getting the "cheapest" one: Huawei Mate 8 32GB 6-Inch 4G LTE Factory Unlocked Smartphone - International Stock No Warranty (Space Gray) hxxp://a.co/8WgbFbA
I understand this has only 3GB memory and 32GB storage, but I (think I) can live with that, my biggest concern would be compatibility with the Mate 8 development on XDA.
Can any of you guys say anything about that ? are the different versions of the Mate 8 so close they are interchangeable, or are there things to watch for?
Thanks in advance....

Hey man, I bought my mate 8 from that exact link and i can tell you that it is compatible with the xda mate 8 posts here. The model that was shipped to me was L29C636B180. I just rooted my phone a few days ago and it is working great! I am also upgrading from a note 3 att haha

It's difficult for me to handle mate8 with one hand. I do this with my pinky finger at the bottom of the phone (the phone is standing on it. The edge of the mate8 hurts my pinky.
Im not sure about mate9 though. Just wanna tell you my experience.
Sent from my HUAWEI NXT-L29 using XDA-Developers mobile app

As long as you get an L29 model you should be fine. People tend to get the Mate phones generally to run stock, there's a lot less flashing and custom roms than most other phones out there.
Ended up getting a Mate 9 recently. Beautiful phone. Main differences are mostly the processor, camera, and newer Rom. It's the best phone I've owned but it's fairly subtle of a difference from the mate 8.

If you play games and take a lot of photos yes, or if you are very picky of speed when web browsing etc you will notice a difference of course. Personally I will wait a little bit. I want my next phone to be bezelless and there is a few ones that are rumoured to come soon.

getting ready and done

Hi guys
for the past 2 month i have been reviewing and looking after a new phone to buy
my last list is
Huawei P9
Huawei Mate 8
Xperia Z5 Premium
and my criteria
Good performance
good battery
good screen specially under the sun light
good camera with ability to save RAW images kinda 'm a Mobilographic
and the cost
between 300$ to 400% if any suggestion beside these phones

hejawi said:
Hi guys
for the past 2 month i have been reviewing and looking after a new phone to buy
my last list is
Huawei P9
Huawei Mate 8
Xperia Z5 Premium
and my criteria
Good performance
good battery
good screen specially under the sun light
good camera with ability to save RAW images kinda 'm a Mobilographic
and the cost
between 300$ to 400% if any suggestion beside these phones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me, I look for VALUE. I bought a Mate2, in 2014 on a whim. It SURPRISED me how well it worked on an SD400 with a 720p screen.
It was the FIRST phone I've owned that I never rooted. Owned it for over 2 1/2 years, never powered it off unless I was some place that
required it to be turned off. 100% stock.
Last winter, when the Mate8 came out, I LOVED it...except for one minor detail. THE PRICE. So I just kept the 2 and waited. When the
Mate9 was announced, I started watching the price on the 8. When it came down to a level I found ok, I bought it. "But, the 9 is right
around the corner". Yeah, and the price is similar to what the 8 was less than a year ago.
The dual camera, and other do-dads didn't impress me.
I've got the 8, the camera for a point/shoot is pretty good, the performance is top notch, along with another kick butt battery.
Right now, I'm a Huawei fan.

p51d007 said:
Me, I look for VALUE. I bought a Mate2, in 2014 on a whim. It SURPRISED me how well it worked on an SD400 with a 720p screen.
It was the FIRST phone I've owned that I never rooted. Owned it for over 2 1/2 years, never powered it off unless I was some place that
required it to be turned off. 100% stock.
Last winter, when the Mate8 came out, I LOVED it...except for one minor detail. THE PRICE. So I just kept the 2 and waited. When the
Mate9 was announced, I started watching the price on the 8. When it came down to a level I found ok, I bought it. "But, the 9 is right
around the corner". Yeah, and the price is similar to what the 8 was less than a year ago.
The dual camera, and other do-dads didn't impress me.
I've got the 8, the camera for a point/shoot is pretty good, the performance is top notch, along with another kick butt battery.
Right now, I'm a Huawei fan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
me too
i had never had a phone mid range to high end always low range phones
and now i'm gonna pay 300$ (230 JOD) to 400$ (300 JOD)
the phones i mentioned all at the price range
but have a different specification and i can't decide without seeing the user experience after all

mate 9 at my country worth 450 JOD ( 600$ ) and damn that's alot of money to put in mobile phone

Mate 8 does it support emui 4.1 and support RAW file save ?

hejawi said:
Mate 8 does it support emui 4.1 and support RAW file save ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, current stable roms include emui 4.0 and emui 4.1. beta firmwares with emui 5.0 are also available (android nougat, whereas 4.0 and 4.1 are marshmallow)
Sent from my Huawei Mate 8 NXT-AL10

jbmc83 said:
yes, current stable roms include emui 4.0 and emui 4.1. beta firmwares with emui 5.0 are also available (android nougat, whereas 4.0 and 4.1 are marshmallow)
Sent from my Huawei Mate 8 NXT-AL10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so mate 8 is it really good phone or should i go with Xperia Z5P or P9 ?

Only mate 8. P9 sucks

Which phone would you buy after a Mate 8?

Hi
About 2 years ago I bought my mate 8 on a business trip in Guangzhou/China. I loved the phone, I did not rebrand it, because I liked it to get faster updates and could live with most of the chinese textes. In two weeks I travel again to china and it's time for a new phone. Not because my mate 8 is not good enough anymore, I still love it, but my son want's a phone and I planed to give him mine and I buy a new one for my self as a christmas gift.
Unfortuantely it's hard to decide which phone should be my next daily driver. The following phones are on my list:
- Mate 10 or Mate 10 pro
- Mi Mix 2
- Oneplus 5t
Each of this phones have advantages and disadvantages. I like MIUI, therefore the Mi Mix 2 would be a good choice, but the camera is not so good. I like the stability of the Mate series, but EMUI is not really my favorit, but the camera seams to be very good. The Oneplus 5t has a nice UI as well and also the camera seams not to bad.
Which phone would you choose?
Mike

CoolMike said:
Hi
About 2 years ago I bought my mate 8 on a business trip in Guangzhou/China. I loved the phone, I did not rebrand it, because I liked it to get faster updates and could live with most of the chinese textes. In two weeks I travel again to china and it's time for a new phone. Not because my mate 8 is not good enough anymore, I still love it, but my son want's a phone and I planed to give him mine and I buy a new one for my self as a christmas gift.
Unfortuantely it's hard to decide which phone should be my next daily driver. The following phones are on my list:
- Mate 10 or Mate 10 pro
- Mi Mix 2
- Oneplus 5t
Each of this phones have advantages and disadvantages. I like MIUI, therefore the Mi Mix 2 would be a good choice, but the camera is not so good. I like the stability of the Mate series, but EMUI is not really my favorit, but the camera seams to be very good. The Oneplus 5t has a nice UI as well and also the camera seams not to bad.
Which phone would you choose?
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate 10 or V30 are the only real choices
Sent from my HUAWEI NXT-L29 using Tapatalk

Leo_83 said:
Mate 10 or V30 are the only real choices
Sent from my HUAWEI NXT-L29 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery, battery, battery! screen size/resolution, update history, build quality, CPU/RAM, XDA support, price point.. probably in that order.
I'd never go backwards in terms of battery life. Everything else would then be considered.
Sent from my HUAWEI NXT-L29 using Tapatalk

HTC u11 plus.

CoolMike said:
Hi
About 2 years ago I bought my mate 8 on a business trip in Guangzhou/China. I loved the phone, I did not rebrand it, because I liked it to get faster updates and could live with most of the chinese textes. In two weeks I travel again to china and it's time for a new phone. Not because my mate 8 is not good enough anymore, I still love it, but my son want's a phone and I planed to give him mine and I buy a new one for my self as a christmas gift.
Unfortuantely it's hard to decide which phone should be my next daily driver. The following phones are on my list:
- Mate 10 or Mate 10 pro
- Mi Mix 2
- Oneplus 5t
Each of this phones have advantages and disadvantages. I like MIUI, therefore the Mi Mix 2 would be a good choice, but the camera is not so good. I like the stability of the Mate series, but EMUI is not really my favorit, but the camera seams to be very good. The Oneplus 5t has a nice UI as well and also the camera seams not to bad.
Which phone would you choose?
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mate 10 pro is best in battery, screen size and preinstalled software (oreo). however, it lacks a headphone jack and sd card slot and the 6" screen is actually smaller than the mate 8 due to different ratio (18:9 vs. 16:9). also, if the mate 8 is any indication, huaweis update policy is a bit lackluster...
mi mix 2 is king when it comes to small bezels, however screen size and battery capacity are not acceptable. no idea about miui, from what ive seen its quite similar to emui though. just hope that xiaomi is a bit better than huawei when it comes to android support of their phones.
OP5T would ne king in terms of pricing and xda dev support. however, since the OP left his mate 8 stock, this will probably not be a valued point in this regard...
out of the above, i would probably go for either mate 10 pro or OP5T. however, ive been eyeing the mi max 2 because of its humongous screen size and battery lets see what 2018 will bring to the table, ill keep my mate 8 until then...
Sent from my HUAWEI NXT-AL10 using Tapatalk

LG V30!!

I bought the Mate 9 about 3 months ago. The 8, replaced my 2....
I'll probably get the 10, about this time next year. (I sell them after I buy a new one).

I was thinking about Xiaomi Mi Mix 1 not 2
SD 821 is still a beast , 6.4 inches in a 6 inch body is appealing , humongous battery , and I don't really care much about the camera , the only thing that worries me about the Mi Mix is the phone speaker which is impeded in the screen itself and has mixed reviews about it , some good some bad
Sorry for the bad English ...

i did it, made the plunge and got myself the mi max 2. not regretting it! already used to the huge phone size, the 6.44 inch screen is absolutely lovely and the battery life...insane. seriously.
i got lineage os 14.1 installed based on android 7.1.2 and my first battery charge is heading towards 24h sot (yep, you read correctly, thats twenty-four!!!! hours of screen on time ) currently, im at 42% battery and already have 14h8min sot tucked under my belt... so thats around 24.4h sot for 100% charge
Sent from my Xiaomi Mi Max 2 (Oxygen) using Tapatalk

jbmc83 said:
i did it, made the plunge and got myself the mi max 2. not regretting it! already used to the huge phone size, the 6.44 inch screen is absolutely lovely and the battery life...insane. seriously.
i got lineage os 14.1 installed based on android 7.1.2 and my first battery charge is heading towards 24h sot (yep, you read correctly, thats twenty-four!!!! hours of screen on time ) currently, im at 42% battery and already have 14h8min sot tucked under my belt... so thats around 24.4h sot for 100% charge
Sent from my Xiaomi Mi Max 2 (Oxygen) using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Booooooo we will miss you around here.
I was also going to upgrade my phone this fall but mostly because I dropped my Mate 8 in water last spring. Battery and screen took some damage but after replacing the battery it has been running like a charm.
I actually went so far as to having the Mate 10 in the hand before my gf stole it from me so now I will wait for next year's flagships. Very curious about OnePlus 6 hopefully with fingerprintscanner under the screen and Treble. Also the new line from Sony, who is finally getting a new design looks very interesting, the leaked renders with front facing speaker looked exactly what I am looking for.
Sent from my HUAWEI NXT-L29 using Tapatalk

Leo_83 said:
Booooooo we will miss you around here.
I was also going to upgrade my phone this fall but mostly because I dropped my Mate 8 in water last spring. Battery and screen took some damage but after replacing the battery it has been running like a charm.
I actually went so far as to having the Mate 10 in the hand before my gf stole it from me so now I will wait for next year's flagships. Very curious about OnePlus 6 hopefully with fingerprintscanner under the screen and Treble. Also the new line from Sony, who is finally getting a new design looks very interesting, the leaked renders with front facing speaker looked exactly what I am looking for.
Sent from my HUAWEI NXT-L29 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, its definitely about time that sony trimmed their HUGE bezels around the screen
btw, also keep an eye out for the xiaomi mi max 3, it will follow the new 18:9 display ratio trend, but sporting thin bezels, 7 inch (!!!) screen diagonal and a whopping 5500 mAh battery. could very well be the perfect successor phone for us mate 8 lovers plus, itll also sport upgrade performance with potential SD 630/660
links:
https://www.xda-developers.com/xiaomi-mi-max-3-rumors/
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Xiaom...5500-mAh-battery-Snapdragon-660.274350.0.html
https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_mi_max_3-8963.php

What's gonna be your next phone after the Mi Max 2?

The large phone segment is small so there aren't many options for those of us who like these large phone. I personally love large phones like the Max 2 because no notch and I love big screens, big battery, and I don't keep my phone in my pocket (I keep it in my purse ).
The only downside on phones in this segment are software and camera since neither of Google, OnePlus or Nokia make such large phones. But I am currently running the Pixel Experience ROM on the Max 2 which I have been enjoying.
So I am wondering, what's the next phone upgrade folks here are looking forward to or are planning to upgrade to?

daubh said:
The large phone segment is small so there aren't many options for those of us who like these large phone. I personally love large phones like the Max 2 because no notch and I love big screens, big battery, and I don't keep my phone in my pocket (I keep it in my purse ).
The only downside on phones in this segment are software and camera since neither of Google, OnePlus or Nokia make such large phones. But I am currently running the Pixel Experience ROM on the Max 2 which I have been enjoying.
So I am wondering, what's the next phone upgrade folks here are looking forward to or are planning to upgrade to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well ill be sticking to my MM2 for a while, but if i were on the market for a new phone, it would most likely be one of the following:
Mi Max 3 (natural choice as the MM2 successor)
Pocophone F1 (compromise of smaller display and battery but very high end hardware and well supported in the community, total OnePlus 6(T) competitor if u ask me!)
Mate 20 (Pro) (awesome specs and style, but sadly locked bootloader. so just a choice for those who could live without any AOSP custom roms)

I think the biggest potential going forward will be the foldable phones/tablets. Imagine a 5-incher AMOLED unfolded into a 7-plus inch tablet.
The manufacturers will need to get this right.

Shaolian said:
I think the biggest potential going forward will be the foldable phones/tablets. Imagine a 5-incher AMOLED unfolded into a 7-plus inch tablet.
The manufacturers will need to get this right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ooor, as in the case of the mi max class: a 7 inch phone unfoldable into a 10-12 inch tablet
Sent from my Xiaomi Mi Max 2 (Oxygen) using Tapatalk

Well, if you ask me I will this time buy a last year's (or maybe even two years old flagship device). I really love modding and flaghisps seems to be getting the best of it as most developers get either flaghisps or few mid-range high selling devices. Max series are sepcific device, and even though I like the big screen I think not so many people are interested in it; including: regular people, developers and even Xiaomi People due to releasing incomplete sources Plus, I think that with flagships you are investing even better in the future. You can sell it easier, you get way better hardware and if you don't get time to modd it and actually get to love the device you can keep it for years as hardware has evolved so much and has potential to last for years to come. This is my two cents on this topic
Sooo, my next device, if in 1-2 years it gets enough of developers love (and they most probably will) will be one of these (has to have official bootloader unlocking method):
- Mi Mix 3,
- Mi Mix 2s,
- OnePlus 6T or
- if they get to 6,4+ no notch screens maybe something from Mi 8,9,10 series

Enjoying my Mi Max 3 since I dropped my Mi Max 2 and no one stocks a screen for it. Repairmen look at me like I have 2 heads! ?

Mi Max 2 replacement
First of all, Mi Max 2 is just really awesome. I will use it some more time before replacing with a newer one. But, Here are the mobiles that I might prefer for replacement:
Huawei Mate 20X- My only gripe is the FHD+ display given the price tag. Otherwise, an excellent device.
Honor Note 10
Pocophone F1
Mi Max 3
Honor 8x Max
I would like to know what others think of mate 20xx

SaiTejVejju said:
First of all, Mi Max 2 is just really awesome. I will use it some more time before replacing with a newer one. But, Here are the mobiles that I might prefer for replacement:
Huawei Mate 20X- My only gripe is the FHD+ display given the price tag. Otherwise, an excellent device.
Honor Note 10
Pocophone F1
Mi Max 3
Honor 8x Max
I would like to know what others think of mate 20xx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mate 20 is really awesome, but as i said before: honor and huawei phones are out of the question now because u cant unlock their bootloader, that means no custom roms ever for those devices!
Sent from my Xiaomi Mi Max 2 (Oxygen) using Tapatalk

Yeah, the Mate 20 X sounds absolutely superb but the bootloader kills it stone dead for me. I'd love a Mi Max Pro with amoled and 845, it would be an instant buy.

I already bought Samsung galaxy note 9 but to tell you the truth I have a hard time letting go of mi max 2. The note 9 screen feels tiny compared to mi max and I keep thinking that maybe I made a mistake in buying the note 9 . Also I found that the mi max 2 combined with the gcam mod of pixel 3 produces better pictures in low light with night mode than note 9. I know that it might sound unrealistic but it is the truth. The one only things that I prefer in note 9 is the qi charging, the USB c to hdmi capability and the better speakers. All in all keep enjoying your mi max 2 and Dont rush into a new smartphone.

Well the mate 20 x can now be bootloader unlocked and rooted so possibly going to be moving there in the next month if nothing else interesting crops up. The Note 10 will probably be great but the screen is too narrow for my liking.

Elementstv said:
I already bought Samsung galaxy note 9 but to tell you the truth I have a hard time letting go of mi max 2. The note 9 screen feels tiny compared to mi max and I keep thinking that maybe I made a mistake in buying the note 9 . Also I found that the mi max 2 combined with the gcam mod of pixel 3 produces better pictures in low light with night mode than note 9. I know that it might sound unrealistic but it is the truth. The one only things that I prefer in note 9 is the qi charging, the USB c to hdmi capability and the better speakers. All in all keep enjoying your mi max 2 and Dont rush into a new smartphone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you please share with us which gcam mod of pixel 3 you're using on you Max2, tks.

ne0t said:
Could you please share with us which gcam mod of pixel 3 you're using on you Max2, tks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I installed this rom, which has the google camera app already installed. It is great. It's the only way I could find, in order to use pixel 3 google camera on mi max 2. You will be impressed with the results.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-max-2/development/rom-lineageos-16-0-t3874986

mi max 4 ?
I have low vision.

probably galaxy note 9

Phone is good at least for the next 2 Jears i guess

FlamingGoat said:
Well the mate 20 x can now be bootloader unlocked and rooted so possibly going to be moving there in the next month if nothing else interesting crops up. The Note 10 will probably be great but the screen is too narrow for my liking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlock codes ain't free for Huawei.

I am bit worried which phone to get next. There is not any hurry though because this is still working pretty good.
Mi Max 3 has been unable to attract large development community (at least on XDA forums). I am afraid that the same is going to happen to Mi Max 4. Specially after Xiaomi made life of enthusiastists more difficult with recent decisions.
I wouldn't want to have any of those ridiculously small phones that seem to be the only other options.

wwwwe said:
I am bit worried which phone to get next. There is not any hurry though because this is still working pretty good.
Mi Max 3 has been unable to attract large development community (at least on XDA forums). I am afraid that the same is going to happen to Mi Max 4. Specially after Xiaomi made life of enthusiastists more difficult with recent decisions.
I wouldn't want to have any of those ridiculously small phones that seem to be the only other options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phone ist good for 2 more years. I stay to it.
But after, no more Huawei, they are not political correct and i do not give my money to them anymore.

Mi Max 3 or 4. I dont think my eyes and hands will want anything smaller. I came from a very small phone (xperia z5 compact) to this very large phone. Just like moving from a mini cooper to a hummer!
Besides the pricing is just right, i dont need all the power of SD 845, nor the picture quality of a Canon.

Should I trade my 6 / 128 Mi 9T for a Mate 20 Pro 8 / 128 ?

Someone offered to trade... it looks like a better phone but no root :/
Wondering what you guys think.

vibraniumdroid said:
Someone offered to trade... it looks like a better phone but no root :/
Wondering what you guys think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The following points come to my mind spontaneously:
1. The Mate 20 Pro is already almost 2 years old. It has received an update to Android 10, but who knows how long it will continue to receive updates...? The Mi 9T has an advantage here, because it is almost a year newer.
2. As you said, the Mate 20 Pro can't be rooted. So no custom ROMs if Huawei decides to drop the Mate 20 Pro from update support.
3. The Mate 20 Pro is faster and has cool features like Face ID and reverse charging. But it has this ugly notch (the Mi 9T is muuuuch more beautiful).
4. The battery of the Mi 9T is better according to several tests. Considering the fact that the Mate 20 Pro is almost 2 years old, it will be even worse.
5. You can extend the storage of the Mate 20 Pro, but you have to buy Huawei's own memory cards
Conclusion: If you just want a faster phone and Face ID/reverse charging, then go for the Mate 20 Pro. If you want to root/use custom ROMs, have better battery and a cool design, keep the Mi 9T

I'm on iPhone xs and looking closely at this forum to make a decision about picking up this phone cause I'm tired of notch and it's a good value, I'm not considering a phone without xda support. That's just my opinion, gl to you mate

I do not recommend. I had it too. Very closed, nothing extra.