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Hi all, I'm currently using the Galaxy S5 and looking to upgrade to the G4. Anyone has switched to the G4 from Samsung's high end phones like the S6 or the Note 4? Can you give some impressions and comparisons (Camera (most important), screen, performance)? Thanks a lot!
From Note 4.... The G4 should crush the S5 except water resistance
I did it after one month with s6 edge, battery in s6 edge is so bad, other things are ok and almost identical, no lags on both phones. Camera is identical.
I came from the S5 to the G4 and haven't even had a second thought on going back
Camera is amazing. UX 4.0 beats Touchwiz (in my opinion better than S6 as well, my wife has that). Just takes some getting used to the no "hard" home buttons and the power/volume buttons on the back rather than the side but once you do it's actually more convenient knowing a case can protect them even more and are less susceptible to being damaged
I came from galaxy s3. Well, it's obvious that the g4 performs wayyyy much better
Note 4 to G4 here. So far, seems better in all aspects. Only one it might not beat the Note 4 in is battery, but I haven't had for long enough to really see how it averages. Camera is better. UI seems cleaner and easier to use. Love double tap on, as I was used to it with the HTC M8 and missed it on the Note 4. Only weird thing I had to get used to was in the cam app, the 3 software buttons don't show up (have to hit the back button in the camera view).
LG really did well with this phone
Thanks all , would love to hear more from Note 4 and S6 users too!
toughthrone said:
I came from galaxy s3. Well, it's obvious that the g4 performs wayyyy much better
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Click to collapse
I made same switch. And yeah, the G4 does seem to have just slightly better performance.
Master619 said:
Thanks all , would love to hear more from Note 4 and S6 users too!
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I'll post more as I get to use phone more. Just got yesterday. So far, it's really nice. I had almost written LG off after the Optimus G. Glad I didn't. So far:
PROs for G4 vs Note 4
Lighter. Also noticeably smaller despite screen being almost same size.
Better Camera
UI - UX 4.0 really is nice and light
No Keyboard FCs! Man that was annoying in Lollipop Note 4...keyboard FC but stayed on screen, had to reboot to get rid of
Double tap on and Knock unlock code
Themes
Settings app broken down into proper sections (Note 4 Settings scrolls all day with all settings on a single scrolling list)
Can get a real Glass Screen Protector without the dreaded Halo effect around all edges (Note 4 curved edge to screen caused this no matter which glass protector I used (tried 6).
64 bit processor
Faster in real world use
Cool offers of free stuff from LG
About $200 cheaper
PROs for Note 4
Stylus (I only used a handful of times....was more of a gimmick to me)
Better battery life?
Fingerprint scanner and heartrate monitor (I hardly used either, as the fingerprint scanner required an odd hand placement for such a large phone)
Physical Home button
Just different between the 2:
Home button and volume button placements (I prefer LG after using for a little bit)
Both have IR blaster, large beautiful screens, expandable storage, 3GB RAM, excellent wireless radios.
Switched over from a Samsung Galaxy S4...I traded it in for $100 to At&T so my G4 only cost me $99 + tax on my upgrade option. Loving it so far, praying for root to get rid of the bloatware. :fingers-crossed:
I did. I have the S6e at home and I intend to switch back and fourth. The G4 feels so much bigger. The camera quality is NOT the same and I have tested them both in the same scenarios. The s6 is brighter and crisper than the G4. Stock launchers is far better and faster than TW. TW began to lag on my S6, so I installed Nova Prime and it was super fast again. Battery on the G4 is 10 times better than the S6. I got 36 hrs on my G4 and still had 25% left.
I came from a rooted Note 3. First non-phone-specific: I REALLY REALLY miss root. The ability to block ads is missed and I have to wait to restore all of my titanium backups that I have sitting till the G4 is rooted.
As far as performance goes, my Note 3 was pretty snappy. I haven't noticed very many differences in performance yet. But I've been waiting for the battery to get a few cycles before I really start pushing performance with games and stuff.
Other than that, I don;t really miss my Note 3. The G4 is smaller, looks nicer has a better (but only slightly smaller) screen. I kind of miss AMOLED screen tech for battery and contrast, but everything else makes up for it. Do not regret it.:good:
EVOme said:
I did. I have the S6e at home and I intend to switch back and fourth. The G4 feels so much bigger. The camera quality is NOT the same and I have tested them both in the same scenarios. The s6 is brighter and crisper than the G4. Stock launchers is far better and faster than TW. TW began to lag on my S6, so I installed Nova Prime and it was super fast again. Battery on the G4 is 10 times better than the S6. I got 36 hrs on my G4 and still had 25% left.
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I have an S6e as well and agree with you. I had a Note 4 before the S6e and now the G4 and it feels downright massive compared to the S6e. The Note 4 felt smaller to me because it was thinner but it was a big device as well. I got rid of my Note 4 because of it's size, I ride motorcycles almost daily and the damned thing was never comfortable in my pocket, it was just too big and rectangle and flat. The S6e is perfect size for me in that regard but I really miss having a larger display (had a Nexus 6 before the Note). Because of the slight curvature of the back of the G4 it makes just enough of a difference in my jeans that it doesn't dig the corners of the phone into my leg when I squeeze the tank in turns, etc.
Cameras between S6e and G4 seem pretty similar to me but there is a difference but I attribute that to Samsung doing a better job of processing the jpg file that's output than LG with the G4 having the ace in the hole of giving you the raw file you can subsequently edit yourself. I know that's not what most people want to do (myself included for phone snaps), but I think the LG camera is better for that reason alone as you can certainly make a better image in the end. All that said, I believe the S6e will do the same once it gets official 5.1.1 and then a proper camera comparo can be done, though in all honesty it's still a phone camera and they are both outstanding for what they are.
Same thoughts on launchers too, the iteration of TW on the S6e is much better than anything they've done before but it still suffers from the same old problems of lag ultimately. I too use Nova (on both phones) and it solves the issue. If forced to use stock, I would probably pick the LG but I do hate the DPI of 640 and everything is so damned big and there's so much wasted screen real estate. The S6e out of the box with it's adjustable grid sizes and what not better utilizes the screen.
Agree on battery life also. On the stock ROM I could make it through a day (I work 18-20h shifts at times) on a single charge but I would cut it close some days. The built in Qi charging is really nice and I have a charger at work and I can just drop the phone on it when I can make it to my office and the quick charge via the INCLUDED wall charger is awesome. So even though the battery life wasn't great, it's quite easy to top it off. I did run the leaked TMo 5.1.1 software for a week or so and the battery life on it is a completely different animal. I could make it nearly 48 hours without a top off, so again, with 5.1.1 I think the S6e will be a lot better device than it currently is. The battery life on my G4 seems great so far. I've run it down to 10% twice now and it was at about 40h off charger each time. The phone itself supports quick charge 2.0 but the included wall charger doesn't. The wall charger charges it incredibly slow so I've been using my S6e charger which charges it in about 1/3 the time. I ordered a proper quick charge 2.0 certified charger that should be here tomorrow along with a Qi sticker for the stock back. All things considered, the G4 battery is certainly longer lasting but more of a pain in the ass to recharge for now (until my free spare battery from the promo shows up lol!) and for the way/scenarios I use my phone I prefer the S6e here. My Note 4 easily crushed them both in this category, it could go just over 3 days before dying.
Coming from S5 (Verizon) to the G4 (Verizon) ...
The S6 with no SD support was a no-go for me.
Battery life seems a little shorter than the S5. I suspect it is due to the beefier processor on the G4 even though the G4 has a bigger battery. The battery on the G4 seems to drop a LOT less when unused however.
I am kinda missing my fingerprint scanner on the S5, but the knock code and "locked files" in gallery help me keep certain pictures away from prying eyes.
Speaking of pictures, this camera is awesome. Period. Check out the "My LG G4 Photography" thread by alexfoxy. The front camera is pretty good too. A lady friend took a few selfies with my phone and said "damn, your phone makes me look good!"
I don't really notice the difference in the screen (size or resolution). S5 looked good and a the size is right for my big hands. G4 is the same.
This is the first phone that I didn't immediately wish for a ROM. I am missing my ad-blocking that requires root, but the default ROM is clean and fast (maybe kudos the the processor). I did have to change home back to Apex, tho.
All in all, very happy with the upgrade.
I'm coming from the Note 4 and I'm pretty sure the G4 is here to stay with me.
I can basically echo what others are saying;
- the ui is cleaner and smoother
- overall phone seems a lot smoother/quicker I haven't had much stuttering. The Note had its moments where it'd freeze or stutter really badly, even on a custom rom
- maybe it's just me but the pictures from the camera seem sharper.
- It feels better in hand aswell.
- The double tap on screen to unlock is nice to have
- the clip tray being an option when I long press where I would usually paste is nice to see as with the Note, the clipboard only showed up in select places
It just seems nicer overall. I do hope root comes soon as I'd want to disable some stuff.
In terms of battery, I feel like the Note might of done better but then again I had certain crap apps disabled *cough* tmo my account *cough*
I can't exactly judge though since my service at work sucks so whatever phone I use drains quickly. For some reason when I had the OnePlus it did a ton better in the poor coverage areas (in terms of battery drain) but it didn't have WiFi calling which is a big deal to me.
I didn't use the spen as much as I initially thought I would. When it came to taking notes I always went back to typing them rather than writing with the stylus. Although it did come in handy for selecting certain parts of a pic online and whatnot and quickly sharing it to something like hangouts.
Fingerprint and shealth I never cared for.
I haven't "missed" my Note 4 yet. I like having new devices and I'm sure I don't use them to their potential as some others do here but for my purposes the phone is great
Even though I have the HTC One M9 Dev Edition, I consider myself coming from the T-Mobile S5 to the T-Mobile G4. The dealmaker for me were the replaceable battery and removable storage. I'm still keeping my S5 of course. I still need a root-capable device.
To ex-note 4 users
What made you switch ?
One Twelve said:
What made you switch ?
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Regarding the Note 4I got irritated with it to the point where I paid off half the phone's price to get rid of it. Lollipop was an absolute mess. First, we waited forever. Then when we get it, it really messed up the phone. Issues I had:
1) Constant keyboard FC (where keyboard stays on screen permanent until reboot)...this would happen about once an hour, but only when using special characters ( . , * $ etc).
2) Upon unlocking, I would go to a black screen occasionally, requiring me to press the power button to shut off phone, then turn back on.
3) Trying to open an e-mail from notifications would take me to e-mail APP, but to a blank page with a back button.
4) Sometimes, cellular radio would choose to ignore wireless data altogether despite being in a strong LTE area.
5) Wifi calling would hardly connect, and was as likely to drop mid-call as it was to stay connected
6) Battery life went from 2 days with my usage to about 18 hours.
On top of those Lolli issues, the settings menu was a mess...scroll all day to find the menu I wanted. Missed double tap to wake too.
While I LOVED the look of the M9 and I love HTC in general, I eliminated HTC M9 due to 2 reasons:
1) The camera wasn't a contender with the current flagships and I use it as my primary camera to take pics of my kids.
2) No dual apps on same screen. It's a feature I used on the Note 4, and M9 didn't have it.
The S6 got eliminated due to 3 main reasons:
1) Looks too much like IPhone...sorry, just not my style
2) Touchwiz...granted my opinion is based on the Note 4, but I found it to be overly heavy and loaded with things I don't really use.
3) No expandable storage. I read their point of using high speed EMMC and wanting to keep system fast. What I read in that was "Blah blah blah we want you to pay MORE to get more storage". Again, goes back to too much like IPhone.
I'm not saying the G4 is perfect...I'd love it to have an 8 core processor, but it's really powerful enough as is. It's not overloaded with apps I won't really used or features I don't use. I'm sure I'll find things I don't LOVE as I use it more, but nothing is jumping out at me so far, and considering this has only been out for what...2 weeks, it's still early release, so bugs could be expected somewhat even though I've had none thusfar. I also liked the promotions LG was putting with it considering it's the least expensive of all the flagships out there (at least for us T-Mobile customers...it's $50 less than the M9, $80 less than S6, $180 less than S6E, hell, it's even cheaper than a 16GB IPhone 6).
Sorry so long
One Twelve said:
What made you switch ?
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im a phone whore ......... i wanted a new toy till the note 5 comes out. I pray they dont ruin it like they did the galaxy series
fatboypup said:
im a phone whore ......... i wanted a new toy till the note 5 comes out. I pray they dont ruin it like they did the galaxy series
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hah, once their sales figures come in they will not make that same mistake with the s7 is my hunch. g2-g3, m7-m8
Talk about scoring an own goal against LG
g2 vs s4 and g4 vs s6 (!)
At the time if g2 intl version was like g2 korean version i think i would have bought it.
---------- Post added at 02:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:35 AM ----------
Th3Bill said:
Sorry so long
Click to expand...
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You could continue if you want
i'm not one of those TL;DR types.
I know, this seems like a no-brainer: Two-year old Chinese upstart’s first device vs. the 7th generation Samsung Galaxy flagship phone. But here’s why: I sold my S4 and skipped the S5 & S6 because the OnePlus was that good, and back then the motto “Flagship Killer” was no exaggeration. And after having the S7 for a week now, I realize that I could have been pretty content pressing on with my OPO—it’s still that good. But I wouldn’t go back, and here’s why:
DESIGN
When I unboxed the OPO it blew me away. The unboxing experience was amazing for a $350 Chinese device, from the quality of the packaging materials, quality of the accessories (even the SIM tray ejector tool!) and the device itself looked amazing. I had unboxed the S3 and S4—this was better by 100 miles! The S7 unboxing experience wasn’t nearly as good as the OPO, just meh... another typical Samsung box with a cool flap that has a magnetic lock.
But when I put the two devices side-by-side, the OPO feels well... merely good whereas before it felt amazing. The S7 takes it up several notches and is absolutely stunning to look at and stunning to touch! If they made a Braille version for blind people, I know they’d love it!
S7 clearly wins over the OPO which is saying a lot.
DURABILITY
I don’t use cases, usually don’t use screen protectors and I don’t drop my phones. In two years, my OPO has taken one fall from the seat of my Tacoma onto rough pavement. That fall merely scuffed a corner before the phone landed face-first on the glass with no discernible scratches. If that had happened to the S7...
In favor of the S7, it has an IP68 rating which the OPO doesn’t. But, since I won’t treat even my S7 like a bath toy, the best moisture protection available is something both devices have—a careful owner.
OPO wins over the S7, which is totally expected. Don’t drop a glass & metal sandwich expecting great things!
DISPLAY
I’m fine with anything above 1080P. I have extremely good near-sighted vision and can occasionally discern pixels on the OPO, though it’s not a bother. So the S7 earns a hollow victory on this front if you ask me.
But I’ve missed SuperAMOLED, and the S7 reminds me why—the deep blacks extracted from a nearby black hole, better color saturation, and yawning viewing angles that are tough to beat.
Both are capable of great color accuracy. My July 2014 OPO doesn’t have the yellow band issue found in many early production models.
In favor of the OPO, it does have good enough viewing angles, but the best thing is that there is very little color shift (none?) at even deep viewing angles. As soon as an AMOLED screen goes off-center, the colors shift blue-green. Not so with the LCD on the OPO, though there is a significant drop in brightness.
S7 easily over OPO, though LCD does have its advantages.
AUDIO
A weakness of the OPO but a strength of the S7. The DAC (at least in the Exynos version) of the S7 is great and the speaker is by far better.
S7 over the OPO.
BATTERY LIFE
No contest here: The OPO is better than the S7 by a long-shot (maybe 25-35%) with a similar usage pattern. I know this isn’t very scientific, but I’m on the charger a lot more with the S7. It’s DEFINITELY better than the S3, S4 and Nexus 5 I had before the OPO. Both devices charge really fast, but the S7 is a bit faster.
OPO clearly over the S7, but the S7 is good enough for me.
CAMERA
Absolutely no contest here either. In low light, the S7 absolutely kills and buries the OPO. In high contrast situations, the HDR on the S7 is also miles beyond what the OPO is capable of. The fast focus on the S7 makes the OPO camera seem like jurassic technology. Only in great lighting during the day are the two phones comparable, but even then it's the S7. This is one major reason that I upgraded. I've attached some comparison pictures below. The S7 pictures are the first 4, the OPO the last.
S7 over the OPO in an unfair contest, like pitting the 2007 Dolphins against the 2007 Patriots.
PERFORMANCE
I don't care about benchmarks. I’m also not much of a gamer, so I don’t really care about frame rates, except that something in TouchWiz is crippling games with 2D graphics. I’ve looked under battery saver settings, Game Launcher and Game Tools, enabled “Force GPU rendering” under developer options, installed Samsung Game Tuner, all with no joy. Hopefully a future update will address this issue. The power is there, but something deep in TouchWiz is throttling it.
The S7 loads apps faster. I’ve also noticed that even though encrypted, the S7 runs circles around the OPO in USB transfer speed.
S7 over the OPO.
DEVELOPMENT
Samsung is trying to make it so that we can’t use the words “development” and “Galaxy” in the same sentence. On the other hand, the OPO’s development scene is as prolific as the bacteria culture flourishing on a 1,000 Riel bill that’s been passed around open-air markets in Cambodia for the last 10 years. If that makes no sense to you, let’s just say it’s on par with any Nexus device out there!
Since the only S7 that can be modded is the Exynos version, I may get some custom TouchWiz ROMs in the future.
No contest here, nor will it ever be—only the OPO showed up to this fight.
THEMES
I’m not a huge themer, but being able to apply an AOSP-like Marshmallow theme over TouchWiz is a great bonus. Nova Launcher puts the icing on the cake.
If this is your thing, both are good. Maybe a themer can chime in and add more.
Tie...
TL;DR
In my non-journalist and non-scientific completely subjective opinion, they both win and I'll be keeping both.
The OPO beats the S7 in unboxing experience, durability, battery life and development, an area which is as close to night (S7) and day (OPO) as possible.
The S7 beats the OPO in display, audio, camera, design, performance—basically every category relevant to the operation and use of the device except battery life and durability.
The bottom line is that I love the S7 and see myself keeping it for a long, long time. But, neither is the OPO for sale—I’ll be keeping it to satisfy my ROM flashing addiction.
If you’re thinking of moving from the OPO to the S7 and have the coin to do so, I think you should. Just make sure that you have something beside the S7 if you need a platform for flashing/customizing.
I have the S7EDGE and owned an opo for 1.5yrs. Its no contest, even battery life is miles ahead on the S7EDGE. All in all, the S7 is the most complete device on the market to date
Added pictures to the OP, from the OPO first, then the S7.
Very well written, thanks for posting your thoughts.
I can agree to nearly every sentence you wrote. I had an Opo for about 1 year and switched to the Galaxy S7 a few weeks ago. If I had not already switched, I would switch after reading your post. For me, the major reasons for me to use the S7 as my main phone were
1. camera
2. smaller form factor.
In the meanwhile I put my S7 in a spigen thin case, which adds better grip and increases the overall size minimally.
I don't have a OPO, but I guess in terms of smoothness it's like a nexus device: butter smooth. How do you guys the OPO smoothness to S7, in apps like chrome, YouTube, playstore... Is the S7 as smooth as the OPO?
nsmart said:
For me, the major reasons for me to use the S7 as my main phone were
1. camera
2. smaller form factor.
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Click to collapse
I could have written this myself!
gusoldier said:
I don't have a OPO, but I guess in terms of smoothness it's like a nexus device: butter smooth. How do you guys the OPO smoothness to S7, in apps like chrome, YouTube, playstore... Is the S7 as smooth as the OPO?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It can be even smoother if you turn off all the power saving junk.
CafeKampuchia said:
I could have written this myself!
It can be even smoother if you turn off all the power saving junk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which power saving junk?
Gesendet von meinem SM-G930F mit Tapatalk
nsmart said:
I can agree to nearly every sentence you wrote. I had an Opo for about 1 year and switched to the Galaxy S7 a few weeks ago. If I had not already switched, I would switch after reading your post. For me, the major reasons for me to use the S7 as my main phone were
1. camera
2. smaller form factor.
In the meanwhile I put my S7 in a spigen thin case, which adds better grip and increases the overall size minimally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also made the switch the same time from a Opo as you. I really wish i didn't though. I don't like the edges (inadvertent taps), that its not rootable, sensibility issues, bloatware etc. I also had to get a glass protector, normally i don't do this but it scratches really really easily. So i don't like the feel of it. I would have liked to have waited for something better to have come out. My Opo lasted about year too. Normally my phones last longer but the audio insert broke on my phone and couldn't listen to music with out holding the cable in. The 2 for one special seemed like a great deal but too many draw backs.
iamnotkurtcobain said:
Which power saving junk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Under Settings > Battery > App power saving and Battery > Battery usage > More > Optimize battery usage.
jackscagnetti said:
I also made the switch the same time from a Opo as you. I really wish i didn't though. I don't like the edges (inadvertent taps), that its not rootable, sensibility issues, bloatware etc. I also had to get a glass protector, normally i don't do this but it scratches really really easily. So i don't like the feel of it. I would have liked to have waited for something better to have come out. My Opo lasted about year too. Normally my phones last longer but the audio insert broke on my phone and couldn't listen to music with out holding the cable in. The 2 for one special seemed like a great deal but too many draw backs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the international dual-SIM version (G930FD) so mine is rootable and had no carrier bloat.
jackscagnetti said:
I also made the switch the same time from a Opo as you. I really wish i didn't though. I don't like the edges (inadvertent taps), that its not rootable, sensibility issues, bloatware etc. I also had to get a glass protector, normally i don't do this but it scratches really really easily. So i don't like the feel of it. I would have liked to have waited for something better to have come out. My Opo lasted about year too. Normally my phones last longer but the audio insert broke on my phone and couldn't listen to music with out holding the cable in. The 2 for one special seemed like a great deal but too many draw backs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have preferred to buy the Galaxy S7 with sandstone backcover and 64GB internal storage. I don't notice any inadvertent taps any more. Maybe it's the spigen case or it was fixed with the april update, I don't know. I don't have carrier bloatware, only the samsung bloatware (plus facebook), but most of it can be deactivated. If I feel the need to mess again with recovery and custom roms, I would turn on my opo again. In the meanwhile I am just using my Galaxy S7.
I too have switched from my opo to s7. Now that I think back, I miss having a 5.5 inch screen and the stock Android feels. As much as I dislike touchwiz, I was bought over by the awesome camera
Just ordered the Galaxy S7 yesterday. I too am coming from a OPO, which I'm not handing down to my wife. It has really served me well over the past two years. The things I'm most looking forward to is the smaller forfactor. 5.5" is just too large and one hand use is nearly impossible unless I'm running LMT launcher.
I'm getting the Exynos version and this time around I'm not planing on rooting. I've done that to every phone and tablet I've had since my HTC Wildfire. But this time I'm actually looking forward to just using the phone as it is. I've grown a bit tired of the stock android feel. To me it's just boring and bland, so it'll be great to once again being back on a UI that has more of complete feel to it that stock android (I know almost everybody will dissagree with me on this).
I feel like the rooting scene hasn't got much to offer anymore. "Back in the days" there where a lot to be gained from rooting. I overclock my Desire S from 1 ghz to 1.7 ghz and you could really feel the difference. Now the most used custom roms on the OPO underclock from 2.5 to 1.9 ghz, because the processor is fast and powerful enough at that freq.
All in all, I'm looking forward to getting my S7 with all it's pros and cons. Also I've ordered the Spiegen Neo Hybrid Case, 'cause I totally agree on OP views on durability.
BTW, wanted to add that the S7 charges crazy fast, even with the OPO'a charger.
I am trying to convince myself that I am wrong or somehow biased, but I don't think I am in this situation. I am a phone junkie and I bounce between devices quickly. In the last 6 months I have had the Axon 7, HTC 10 (still have, S-off'd with Unlocked GSM firmware/ software), Nexus 6P, HTC M9, s7 edge, s6 edge+, iphone 7 plus, Droid Turbo, and now the V20. I will say that over all, the V20 is built beautifully and performs well. The battery life is a bit weaker than I was hoping, just like the HTC 10, the quick charge 3.0 almost covers that short coming. The things that are making me disappointed though are as follows:
LG Skin / UI : Feels a little off, made up a bit by using Nova launcher, but everyone knows it won't remove it all...
Performance: I might be expecting a bit much, but I have had my device slow down (to unbearable lag / waiting on apps to switch/come up) more than a handful of times requiring a reboot
Battery Life: As stated above, the battery life is pretty week and I find myself having to top up a towards 6 pm, it does charge quickly, but find that a little sad.
Camera: This is where I am shocked. The camera overall doesn't live up to what I expected or how it was advertised. In ideal situations, it can take good photos, and I mean GOOD, not Great. If you don't switch to manual and tweak everything out, you will be sadly disappointed. Auto focus has a hard time locking in, can get a bit of grain / noise, and if there is movement or action, good luck. In video mode or if you flip into manual mode, you can get much better results, but in the heat of the moment, not everyone will be quick to get it ready in time to get that shot. In low light situations, it has been very disappointing. The lag time between the flash / focus and getting a picture off, I end up with a blurry out of focus picture most of the time. I am basing this off pictures I take of my young daughter. The camera on the HTC 10, Axon 7, iPhone 7 plus, S7 edge, and S6 edge+ all out perform in these situations. For a phone/device that is supposed to be built around photography and video, it has been a major disappointment. the Main camera/sensor is decent, but the zoom/cropped area is a bit small. The wide angle does cover a lot more at the cost of resolution. I am hoping that LG does something to address this in software/firmware updates, but as of now, it is a huge let down.
Audio: The single firing speaker does an admirable job for playing music, speaker phone on the other hand is a somewhat weak and sometimes hard to hear, even when driving in silent vehicle with the windows closed. The Quad DAC has also let me down. After the DAC in the Axon 7 and the HTC 10, I am not impressed. It does improve the audio, but not as well as the competition. With the DAC enabled and audio all the way up, the volume level is weak. With the same headphones that I used in the Axon 7 and the HTC 10, I have no problem hearing the outside noise. I also don't feel that it is nearly as tweakable / noticeable as the HTC 10. When I had the DAC on the HTC 10 on, I could immediately tell the difference and the Highs, Mids, and Lows were way easier to notice / spot changes on. Again, maybe software updates may resolve this, but definitely a let down for me.
Overall: The phone is beautiful. For a phone with removable battery, it honestly feels like a unibody device. I am a bit disappointed in all phone manufacturers currently going to this 2.5D curved glass for no good reason, making getting tempered glass protectors a joke majority of the time. The software overall is fairly smooth. The screen is above average and the secondary screen has become second nature to me. Being able to snap a wide angle shot when others can't definitely something that has lead to people asking me what phone I am using. Had I not gone through all the phones I have in the last 6 months, I may have been way more impressed. As a flagship device, I will say it comes close to delivering what was promised. Had the Note 7 not failed miserably with the exploding issue, I think the V20 would have easily been eclipsed. This phone gets so close in many departments, but doesn't quite nail them down. Considering there is nothing else in the market that draws my attention, I will try and see if it makes it through the initial growing pains that might be solved with software updates.
Before anyone wants to say I forgot about the Pixel, no, I didn't. After having the HTC 10 (which I still have and love as a backup device) and playing with the Pixel, I see absolutely no reason to waste the money on the sad excuse of a flagship device at the same taxing price as an apple product. How google basically took the HTC 10, made it ugly , went with onscreen buttons and a whole lot of bezel, and took away removable storage but is still succeeding with it is beyond me. Yes it has an "amazing camera", assistant (you can get with root on the v20 and nexus 6p), and can charge the battery super fast, but the price tag and lack of innovation is a deal breaker.
So, please, let me know if you agree or disagree. I have been trying to be unbiased and love this phone. Am I being unreasonable, or is it really just a device that got close to the finish line and just gave up?
I think it all depends on what your needs are. We know it doesn't have the best camera. It's very competitive, but not the best. Performance can be fixed with updates. I suspect that LG rushed the ROM to be the first to have Nougat, which was one of their selling points for this phone. Battery life depends on your usage. LG's Quantum displays are horribly inefficient, so the screen is your primary battery drain, but my understanding is that idle drain is very good. Then you have fast charging and one of the few phones that you can instantly go to 100% on by swapping batteries.
For me, this is the only phone that checks all of my requirements: Functional always-on-display, IR blaster, 5.7"+ screen, good camera, removable battery and SD card. So, I'm buying the complete package, not because it's the best at everything. Every single phone has shortcomings. You need to decide which ones you can live with and buy your next device based on that criteria.
I'm with you, I thought the camera was quite a disappointment when shooting in auto mode. I liked the phone a lot (coming from a Nexus 6p) and if the camera had been good it would have been a no-brainer for me, because as greyhulk says it checks most, if not all, the boxes. But I need a camera that shoots good pics in auto mode. Sent it back.
Also disappointed with the camera. Especially after coming from the Note 7..
Settings/Developer Options/ Tick on "Force GPU Rendering" should make your beast smoother/snappier. So any kind of lag should disappear!
If root available try L Speed/Entropy/fstrim apps found on Play Store!
LG V20 & LG G5 are snappy beasts and are well optimised with the Snapdragon 820 and is better than Samsung!
Battery is my main disappointment. Even with minimal use I have only made it an entire day once. Something keeps eating battery while the phone is idle and I have yet to track it down. I suspect it is an app that needs a Nougat update. Same usage and set of apps on the S7 Edge and Note 7 would usually leave me near 50% at the end of the day.
Have to say I disagree.
The Hi-Fi is plenty loud enough and noticeably changes on the go. I have noticed though, it depends on the headphones that you are using. I have used 4 different sets. And each pair gave different results.
The camera is great. Video is turning out to be exactly as expected. As for the camera, it doesn't grab the shot in the first try every time and its nothing a tap of the screen and refocus hasn't been able to fix. But than again I haven't had a camera phone that has been able to take the shot first time every time.
Battery, that's a user to user base question. The other day I was able to get 32 hours out of my battery. But than on the other hand with very heavy use I only got 6.5 hours.
Weird I get about the same battery life as I did with my note 7. When at work I use the phone about the same amount every day 12 hr shifts and I am between. 50 to 70 percent
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
I think your disappointment stems from using so many current generation phones, lets face it most years the hardware upgrades (specifically processors) match each other.
The HTC 10 runs the same hardware as the LG v20, so you've experienced it already. S7 has the same processor as well (assuming its the Qualcomm version) so it's not a big difference compared to someone coming from last generation phones.
Like for me I am coming from a v10 which had an outdated processor out the gate (others were using 810 while the v10 had the 808 due to overheating issues with the 810). The phone is literally over twice as fast as the v10 so I would certainly see a difference compared to you coming from the same generation of processors.
I don't own the phone yet but I will say it's a disappointment to see the camera being a letdown in reviews when you consider that the camera was the big feature of the v10.
Battery doesn't sound all that great either but it's got to be better than the v10. I am sure this will be remedied by 3rd party extended batteries that we will hopefully see. My v10 battery sucked until I upgraded to a 9000 mAh Zerolemon battery pack.
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Ali Mirza said:
Settings/Developer Options/ Tick on "Force GPU Rendering" should make your beast smoother/snappier. So any kind of lag should disappear!
If root available try L Speed/Entropy/fstrim apps found on Play Store!
LG V20 & LG G5 are snappy beasts and are well optimised with the Snapdragon 820 and is better than Samsung!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello! What specifically does the "Force GPU Rendering" option?
I think you will settle with the Porsche Design Mate 9. Just a feeling lol
Why's there no option for ambivalence or just predictable? Just look at the stats and you pretty much know what you're getting. I'm happy with this phone after the $200 off and assuming I get the ~$150 headphone offer. I would be unhappy for full list price without those promos. For the price w/promos there just isn't anything comparable.
The display is the worst part of this phone for me. AMOLED just beats LCD anyway you slice it, this phone looks badly washed out and the auto brightness does weird things. Also the viewing angles are wonky, I was used to being able to use my phone at extreme angles but now I find myself lifting the phone up more. If this phone had AMOLED it would be a solid 9.9/10 for me, of course I knew I wouldn't like the screen when I bought it I just couldn't find a solid AMOLED phone. I don't particularly like the fingerprint reader position, have to pick it up off a table to use it and I've found my finger accidentally turns the screen on sometimes when I put it in my pocket. The second screen is nice for changing tracks or seeing what track is playing (or seeing the time at night without going blind), but it sucks for notifications. I miss my notification LED and my Qi charging.
Other than that this phone is pretty solid. I'm getting almost identical battery life that my Note 7 got, namely about 2 days. The standby battery life is phenomenal, I usually lose 1-2% overnight even with the second screen on. I love the removable battery so I don't have to worry about the battery dying before I'm ready to get rid of the phone. I'm no audiophile, so to me this phone is the best audio experience I've ever had with a phone hands down. Even streaming at just 192kbps this phone really makes my Shure SE215's sing. The camera is noticeably worse than the Note 7 at low light but it's still the 2nd best camera on a phone I've seen. Close up pictures have lots of nice detail and that's the kind of pictures I usually take. It focuses quickly and locks focus down better than the Note 7 did. For the kinds of the pictures I take in fact this camera is better, unlike my Samsungs this phone's auto white balance mode works correctly. The whole phone feels quick and snappy, comparable to the Note. I'm getting slightly better signal than I've ever gotten, in fact the wifi is much stronger than either of my Note 7's were.
I like the look of the phone and it feels great in my hands, which although not as great as the all glass Note 7, it feels like I could drop it and have nothing to worry about. I don't find the UI intrusive or laggy, eventually I'll swap over to nova prime once I'm tired of stock. For me it ticks all the right boxes of keeping old features rather than heading the apple direction and removing everything. Removable battery, SD card, IR Blaster, headphone jack, USB C, etc For that reason alone I think it's worth supporting LG
I agree
Main reasons I am keeping it are the $200 off, switched to T-mobile from VZW, and they are paying off the ETF so saving that money and the headphones makes the phone ideally almost free to me. For the full retail, I would return it in a heartbeat. People have hit it on the head that it really might be the fact the the Snapdragon 820 and the 4 GB ram is now getting long in the tooth. The camera can produce some nice pictures in manual mode, so I try to jump to that right away, but just a bit of a hassle to be on the ball to take a simple pic. With moderate light and close up, it does perform well. I can't really control lighting at all times and try and get my daughter up close and still when a picture moment comes though, the s7 handled it much better. I am going to try some different headphones to see if it is just the main pair I use that is letting me down. For the money / hardware, I think the Axon is the better bang for the buck with the AMOLED screen and the all carrier support. The speakers on that are ridiculous and the DAC was solid. This phone over all falls somewhere in the 7.5-8 /10 for me. Between the V20 and the HTC 10 I'll be good til the next wave of Flagships hit. I just have the feeling that LG pushed it out in a hurry to capitalize on the Note 7 flop and they could've polished it up a lot more. I can see them making the camera more responsive in low light and possibly addressing the battery life / hifi-dac customization / volume in the updates. It does a lot right but overall I was expecting and hoping for more from LG when they have had the perfect shot to grab the market. So far I am seeing the responses that seem line up with my expectation. Thanks everyone for taking the time to read and respond!
bishmaster5000 said:
Why's there no option for ambivalence or just predictable? Just look at the stats and you pretty much know what you're getting. I'm happy with this phone after the $200 off and assuming I get the ~$150 headphone offer. I would be unhappy for full list price without those promos. For the price w/promos there just isn't anything comparable.
The display is the worst part of this phone for me. AMOLED just beats LCD anyway you slice it, this phone looks badly washed out and the auto brightness does weird things. Also the viewing angles are wonky, I was used to being able to use my phone at extreme angles but now I find myself lifting the phone up more. If this phone had AMOLED it would be a solid 9.9/10 for me, of course I knew I wouldn't like the screen when I bought it I just couldn't find a solid AMOLED phone. I don't particularly like the fingerprint reader position, have to pick it up off a table to use it and I've found my finger accidentally turns the screen on sometimes when I put it in my pocket. The second screen is nice for changing tracks or seeing what track is playing (or seeing the time at night without going blind), but it sucks for notifications. I miss my notification LED and my Qi charging.
Other than that this phone is pretty solid. I'm getting almost identical battery life that my Note 7 got, namely about 2 days. The standby battery life is phenomenal, I usually lose 1-2% overnight even with the second screen on. I love the removable battery so I don't have to worry about the battery dying before I'm ready to get rid of the phone. I'm no audiophile, so to me this phone is the best audio experience I've ever had with a phone hands down. Even streaming at just 192kbps this phone really makes my Shure SE215's sing. The camera is noticeably worse than the Note 7 at low light but it's still the 2nd best camera on a phone I've seen. Close up pictures have lots of nice detail and that's the kind of pictures I usually take. It focuses quickly and locks focus down better than the Note 7 did. For the kinds of the pictures I take in fact this camera is better, unlike my Samsungs this phone's auto white balance mode works correctly. The whole phone feels quick and snappy, comparable to the Note. I'm getting slightly better signal than I've ever gotten, in fact the wifi is much stronger than either of my Note 7's were.
I like the look of the phone and it feels great in my hands, which although not as great as the all glass Note 7, it feels like I could drop it and have nothing to worry about. I don't find the UI intrusive or laggy, eventually I'll swap over to nova prime once I'm tired of stock. For me it ticks all the right boxes of keeping old features rather than heading the apple direction and removing everything. Removable battery, SD card, IR Blaster, headphone jack, USB C, etc For that reason alone I think it's worth supporting LG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ali Mirza said:
Settings/Developer Options/ Tick on "Force GPU Rendering" should make your beast smoother/snappier. So any kind of lag should disappear!
If root available try L Speed/Entropy/fstrim apps found on Play Store!
LG V20 & LG G5 are snappy beasts and are well optimised with the Snapdragon 820 and is better than Samsung!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please stop posting this everywhere
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
You also forgot to mention the locked bootloader
Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk
I came from the LG Nexus 5x and I loved that phone. While it's only been a few days, I am more than happy with the V20.
I get a phone through work, but upgraded on my own last year to the 5x. So when I cracked my screen a few weeks ago, I went through work this time. Options were limited on AT&T and since I'm gonna be stuck with a phone for 2 years I wanted the newest phone I could get without "compromising" what I'd wanted in a phone. I also didn't want to settle for a year old phone or switch to the iPhone (Android since 2010 and likely forever).
Anyway, I say all that to say that the V20 was never on my radar, mostly because of the size, even though I'd previously had the Note 2, 3 and briefly 4. I'd been very happy with the size and feel of the 5x, but the battery life was horrendous. Basically anything would have been an upgrade, and the V20 does more than I need in the battery department. If I can get to my bed before needing a charge, I'm a happy man, since I'd be charging around lunch on a daily basis before.
I was already used to the fingerprint sensor and love the fact it's on the back on the V20 as well. I can deal with the volume buttons swapped and the power button moving to the fingerprint sensor. It was a little odd at first but I'm used to it already.
Again, the camera and screen on the 5x was mediocre so anything would be better. And again the V20 checks both of those boxes; huge, vibrant screen, and pictures that look beautiful to my eye. If you're going from newest flagship to newest flagship an argument can be made on those points, but if you're upgrading after a year + the hardware is always going to be better, even if you find some flaws, and IMO the V20 does great in both categories.
The removable battery does have its pros. A few years ago it was a 'must-have' for me, but nowadays I'd taker water/dust proofing over it. Not a deal breaker though. The SD card slot IS however a wonderful thing. Despite the 64 GB internal, I love being able to add and not worry about space. I've had my local music library backed up to an SD card for quite a while and it's so convenient to have that at my disposal locally (no network connection needed).
The software. Not much better than PURE Android and rooting has always been a priority for me. BUT, stability ultimately is the most important thing on a phone to me now. Being able to lower DPI via adb shell is huge. Really not having TiBu or the ability to remove some carrier apps is about the worst left we can't do. And to be honest, it's easily overlooked. Is it annoying AF we can't remove everything we don't want? Absolutely. But said apps can be hidden with certain launchers, and I've come to just ignore them in the app drawer, forgetting they're even there.
Add in the FM radio (so novel yet so great), Second Screen (which I actually could use some tips on getting the most out of) and I'm digging this phone. Is LG's UI a little clunky? Yea, but I'll live. And using something new is refreshing, honestly.
It's only been a few days but I'm happy with this device and have no regrets. The V20 may also get me back on the Phablet train, being unable to use something smaller as they feel like toys. I've not gone a full 2 years without upgrading in quite some time. This phone is going to be the test.
/ rant
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
I agree with what you say. I think my let down is from moving from flagship to flagship all into the same time frame. The coming from any device before the snapdragon 820 and a quad HD screen, this thing is a major upgrade. I agree that the fingerprint scanner is best on back... Loved it on the nexus 6p and the axon 7. I just sold my htc 10 so I'm committed to the v20. Holding out til something amazing comes this way...
bishmaster5000 said:
Why's there no option for ambivalence or just predictable? Just look at the stats and you pretty much know what you're getting. I'm happy with this phone after the $200 off and assuming I get the ~$150 headphone offer. I would be unhappy for full list price without those promos. For the price w/promos there just isn't anything comparable.
The display is the worst part of this phone for me. AMOLED just beats LCD anyway you slice it, this phone looks badly washed out and the auto brightness does weird things. Also the viewing angles are wonky, I was used to being able to use my phone at extreme angles but now I find myself lifting the phone up more. If this phone had AMOLED it would be a solid 9.9/10 for me, of course I knew I wouldn't like the screen when I bought it I just couldn't find a solid AMOLED phone. I don't particularly like the fingerprint reader position, have to pick it up off a table to use it and I've found my finger accidentally turns the screen on sometimes when I put it in my pocket. The second screen is nice for changing tracks or seeing what track is playing (or seeing the time at night without going blind), but it sucks for notifications. I miss my notification LED and my Qi charging.
Other than that this phone is pretty solid. I'm getting almost identical battery life that my Note 7 got, namely about 2 days. The standby battery life is phenomenal, I usually lose 1-2% overnight even with the second screen on. I love the removable battery so I don't have to worry about the battery dying before I'm ready to get rid of the phone. I'm no audiophile, so to me this phone is the best audio experience I've ever had with a phone hands down. Even streaming at just 192kbps this phone really makes my Shure SE215's sing. The camera is noticeably worse than the Note 7 at low light but it's still the 2nd best camera on a phone I've seen. Close up pictures have lots of nice detail and that's the kind of pictures I usually take. It focuses quickly and locks focus down better than the Note 7 did. For the kinds of the pictures I take in fact this camera is better, unlike my Samsungs this phone's auto white balance mode works correctly. The whole phone feels quick and snappy, comparable to the Note. I'm getting slightly better signal than I've ever gotten, in fact the wifi is much stronger than either of my Note 7's were.
I like the look of the phone and it feels great in my hands, which although not as great as the all glass Note 7, it feels like I could drop it and have nothing to worry about. I don't find the UI intrusive or laggy, eventually I'll swap over to nova prime once I'm tired of stock. For me it ticks all the right boxes of keeping old features rather than heading the apple direction and removing everything. Removable battery, SD card, IR Blaster, headphone jack, USB C, etc For that reason alone I think it's worth supporting LG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Top tier amoled should've been here. Probably would've improved the already great battery life another 20%ish. And notification LED would've been awesome. Yeah yeah. I know we have second screen, but I don't use it. Probably why I get 6h+SOT all the time. 8h 1m was my best and I had 3% left. I get 7h+ often. Standby time is incredible. Hasn't been consistent for me but probably lose 1% about every 5h average. Need to root and get adblocking. That will probably improve battery life even more. Hoping a custom kernel with only modification of voltage settings will help too. Tired of all these unstable kernels with features I don't use or care.about. haven't stuck with a custom kernel since...maybe note2. It has been awhile. Just roll with stock kernel since no dev wants to make a simple kernel with voltage adjustments. Not paying anymore devs on kernels until they deliver. I've paid upfront twice and font nothing in return. Scumbags.and I hope the fingerprint scanner has features. Features like being able to use as track pad or minimum that uses swipes for shortcuts like the pixel. That would be friggin' awesome. And aside from camera on auto not being consistent the phone otherwise is almost flawless. I've gotten accustomed to the camera on auto though. Multiple pictures and using focus at different spots has helped tremendously. I've been able to tweak my screen close to accurate by eyeballing it so pictures look like the scenery on screen now. Got to test video and bi def recording today at veterans day parade. Both exceeded my high expectations. Just need slmevody to find binning of chips which I made a dedicated thread for but nobody answered. I've looked everywhere. And one of first things I do when I root is customize the boot up screen. Boring. Very boring and.typical of T-Mobile. I've only had to reboot for sim or micro SD reasons though. Very very stable. Micro SD isn't up to par unless I have root. Nonetheless I've been able to work around it. Just had to take care out. And everybody keeps saying IR blaster. I think our IT is a transceiver. Supposedly it can learn but I haven't tried yet. R.I.P. remotes if it indeed can learn. LG did good. Seems rushed but this is truly a flagship phone in many ways. Swappable battery in 2016on a flagship. Say what? LG needs to step it up on the accessories. Ready to buy a 6 pack of batteries. I got in on the $51 deal for the BCK-5200 package on Amazon. Now just need a good sale on batteries.
Coming from a note 7 I have mixed feelings. It ticks a lot of the boxes but I miss waterproof, the great samsung screens and I knew about those when I bought. The camera really disappointed me though. I was expecting it to take way better pics than it does. Spoiled from the note 7 I suppose. I didn't realize before buying it that it had the IR blaster and I had really been missing that from my s5. Nice to not have to hunt for remotes anymore. Its not ideal, but for someone like me that over 5.7" screen is a requirement it really is the best second choice to my old note 7. The bootloader sucks too. I had gotten out of the habit of reroming phones since samsung pay and now that I am off samsung I thought it would be fun to start that again. But nope. I have a sprint one and it seems to be non rootable at the moment.
---------- Post added at 05:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:13 AM ----------
I do think a little bit of my dissapointment in the camera is not genuine. I am mainly comparing shots taken with this phones camera viewed on this phones screen to shots taken by the note 7 on the note 7's screen. The same photo would of course pop more on the amoled screen even if it was the same camera so thats part of the disappointment. But even still I think the note 7 took way better pics.
I love the phone other than no root, the camera I'm not really disappointed because I'm no photographer, the IR blaster is a must thank you LG, Samsung what are you thinking. The removable battery isn't a big deal since the battery does pretty good. If it was water proof that would top it off.
Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk
Hi folks. I've been on a T-mobile Note 4 for a long time now, and love it- no problems yet and an 8000 maH battery keeping me quite happy.
Thinking forward to buying a new phone soon. Lots of new stuff coming out soon, but the V20 still looks attractive to me (being able to get a 10,000 maH zerolemon battery is a BIG factor). IR blaster and SD card availability is big to me too.
Couple of questions:
1) Thinking about what's coming out, and having lived with the V20, would you wait for what's coming out this spring, or even sit back until the "V30"?
2) I love taking pictures with the Note 4, and they turn out well. Low light, well, not so much. Flowers on a sunny day are great. Are you happy with the main and selfie cameras, or do you find yourself wanting "just a bit more" (for the average user... I'm not a full time amateur photographer).
Your comments would be much appreciated. I just retired, so I have more time to play with things these days- so I'm sure I'll be using the next beast I buy extensively especially for reading, nice photos, and the ir remote (oh, I got a great e-z chair for tv time ).
Thanks much!
Steven.RN
I like my V20 but unfortunately I do not "love" it like I did with my OG Motorola Nexus 6.
The stock battery is utter crap and I am on my 2nd LG battery after having to recall the 1st one. The 2nd one greatly improved but not by much. Rooting this phone has saved me from returning it. If it wasn't for Root I would of returned the phone.
1. Other than the G6 or the S8 coming out - what other phones are coming out (T-Mobile Wise)? Nothing right now seems to give me that "wow" factor like the Pure Android experience from the Nexus 6 did (yes, as you can tell, I loved that phone) The Pixel phones are a complete joke to me...horrible design....
2. The camera is okay for an average user. I do find myself liking the fact I have two lenses to choose from. Wide angle and normal angle. Very helpful in the Security field that I am in. But be warned the pictures are not amazing like Samsung devices.
If I were you, kinda wish I was right now. I would wait for the Note 8!
But other than that the 2nd Screen is incredibly helpful, to me. The removable battery and SD card is a great addition. The IR Blaster is cool but I do not use it at all. I have enough "Universal" remotes. LG's UI is pretty neat I like it a lot better than Samsungs ugly TouchWiz UI.
To each their own, I suppose.
I think the phone is awesome, the smart phone market has peaked advancements aren't going to be as neat as they used to be.
The snapdragon 820 is about 3 times faster than the 805 in your note 4 (assuming you've got the snapdragon variant).
The camera is snappier than the note 4 and takes pretty good photos (better than the note 4).
If you like the stylus though I'd wait it out 6 months for the note 8.
It's a worthy upgrade and it'll probably be a phone that would carry you through two years if not longer.
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Absolutely the best phone I've ever had.
Very well built, great reception, zero lag, large screen....and I have to disagree about the battery. I've had nothing but FANTASTIC life, and this is with two different batteries, one just for backup just in case. Fast charging works great...volume is perfect, removable battery, rootable and TWRP-able...honestly, I wouldn't even think about "upgrading" from this phone right now. Samsung who?
I came from the note 4 also. This phone is much faster (no Lag). I didn't think there was any lag with my note until I got this phone. With that said, I am rooted with a custom rom and that did speed things up a little. My note was also rooted with a very nice custom rom.
When the note 7 came out, the were a lot of people on XDA saying they wished there was a flat screen version, i.e. not the curved screen. You can bet the note 8 will have a curved screen which makes finding quality screen protection tough. The v20 does have slight curving at the top and bottom, but people here have found tempered glass solutions that work.
You can also bet the note 8 won't have a removable back, so replacing the back plate with a bigger battery and cover won't be an option.
The camera takes very good pictures and if you understand the options in manual, you can really optimize it. Is it as good as the note 8 will be? No.
Sammy screens are also the best looking. The V20 screen while it has the specs, just doesn't look as good as a sammy. If you use a kernel with kcal support, you can get close.
Good luck.
I also came from a Note 4.
I personally never used the stylus for anything except taking screen grabs. I fount it easier than remembering the button combo for a screenshot.
My gps stopped working due to a known defect in the note 4. I broke the display trying to take it apart to fix it.
I love my V20 so much more than my note 3 or 4 or 7 even.
I won't buy note 8 as like all Samsungs -
1. The sound will most likely be horrible.
2. You probably will never be able to root it.
3. As nice as the amoled looks - everyone I've owned as well as my wifes, bil's, sisters all suffer bad screen burn in.
4. If they force that curved edge screen again. I hated that on the Note 7.
I'm done with Sammy. LG V20 is the best I've ever had so far
I also came from the Note 4. I got the s7 edge which i gave to my wife. The buttons(or lack of) take a little getting used to, but the ability to root determined my buying the V20 and I think it is on par with my note feature wise(minus stylus\plus FM radio) just faster and maybe a bit lighter. If Note 8 is rootable, i might jump but i doubt it. I could keep this phone for awhile.
Love it
But dont love the front cam is really bad
And rear cam
My old nexus 6p was better
But performance is great and second screen is great
Battary is ****
Charge is 3 times at day
Hi dac is fantastic
Screen is good but not great
---------- Post added at 01:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:21 AM ----------
For me
Camera
At day light 10/10
At night 9/10
Indoors craaap 2/10
Another perk with LG is that the amount of garbage software that it comes with is minimal when compared to Samsung. I know the note 3 and note 4 were filled with Samsung garbage apps.
The other consideration is there is no know so warranty shouldn't be a issue since there is no knox switch that gets flipped when you root it, you can (in most cases) reverse the rooting without any problems.
Of course I turned in my v10 rooted and they didn't even care (T-Mobile) so I am not sure if this is a real issue with warranty or not.
I say go for it, its going to beat the note 4 in just about everything. The only perk for the note 4 is the amoled display which saves quite a bit of battery. Of course you can always get aftermarket battery packs to off set it with the LG v20.
The v20 battery life is much improved over the v10, I typically have about 30 percent battery by the end of the day (this is with spotify and Bluetooth running during the work day).
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
I really do like it a lot, although it had to grow on me a little bit. In term of pictures, I think it takes rather nice pictures (at least for me). The wide angle lens is pretty cool too. My note 5 broke so this is why I have this phone. The second screen is really useful and I like that it doesn't have a notification light. The screen is nice and big for reading also. I don't use the IR blaster at all so i can't really tell you what its like.
I hope this helps!
The v20 is OK but my note 7 was far superior. Better camera, screen, battery life, only thing the v20 had over the note 7 was the DAC. Personally I would wait until newer phones comes out. I'm looking FWD to the note 8.
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
As someone who have had a wide variety of samsungs and LG .... I believe i will be keeping this phone for at least 4 years easily. There are just not way too many cons and there are way to many pros. The battery can sometime be a pain but that's just like any other phone since nothing last forever. But hey, the dozen mode!!! OUTSTANDING! my V20 consumes 1% of battery in 8 hours with screen off and 2nd screen on. so, it might not last more than 5:30-50's+ hours with screen on, full brightness, wifi on, gps on, and a video in 1440p. But,,,, as far as dozen mode goes.... It is outstanding! And if the promotion stills on, you can get the phone for 600+ instead of the 800+ by exchanging any 4g crap phone ($19 dollars at walmart should do lol). Im happy with the phone (sometimes pictures if zoomed in can look like waterpaint style but it doesnt happen that often (At least to me)). And as far as waiting for the V30 or note 8 ... Well, that is truly up to you. However, if you are hoping for root , there is just not guarantee given the fact that they are truly patching up every door from nougat 7.0 and up. So... you could wait for the V30 or note 8 but if you wish for root or developments.... i dont recommend to buy them before someone finds the way to root it.
I was one of the ones that was coming from an S6 edge instead of something newer, so obviously it's a bigger upgrade for me than it was for most others. I am pretty happy with the camera. I miss having the double-tap home button from the Samsung for the camera launch, but that's about it. I took it with me to Colorado and took some quite lovely pictures in the sunshine. Most people will concede that the low light performance leaves some to be desired, but I usually don't take any in conditions that are that bad, where that I would complain afterwards. I kind of figure that in sub-optimal conditions, I'll have sub-optimal results.
My battery seems to be quite fine, BUT, I'm also rooted and running a debloated ROM (the US996 stock deodexed, on my 995 Verizon model). The battery under whatever kernel it's running, is quite fine, and it is removable for people needing more length. I wish it had wireless charging, but that's just how it is. But for example, 8 hours on standby, and I was still at well over 75% today at work. And I can usually get through a good 3 hours of straight video playback at least. But the way people use their phones varies so much, it's hard to say. I do get better life rooted than when it was stock.
It also is plenty snappy, and I've had no issues, no overheating, no weird battery drain, no lag, or the like. I would say that coming from what you have now, it might be a step up but you might feel it won't be a big enough one yet. But the LG G6 being rumored out might be worth holding out, assuming you aren't looking to root. That might get tricky as Nougat (mentioned above) starts getting locked down. I have faith in the community - after all, it didn't take long for the V20 to get opened up, though there are some that worry that it'll continue to get harder as exploits get patched.
For what it's worth, I love mine. I miss a couple weird tricks from other phones, but on the whole, I am very satisfied with my decision.
CharlzO_2000 said:
I was one of the ones that was coming from an S6 edge instead of something newer, so obviously it's a bigger upgrade for me than it was for most others. I am pretty happy with the camera. I miss having the double-tap home button from the Samsung for the camera launch, but that's about it. I took it with me to Colorado and took some quite lovely pictures in the sunshine. Most people will concede that the low light performance leaves some to be desired, but I usually don't take any in conditions that are that bad, where that I would complain afterwards. I kind of figure that in sub-optimal conditions, I'll have sub-optimal results.
My battery seems to be quite fine, BUT, I'm also rooted and running a debloated ROM (the US996 stock deodexed, on my 995 Verizon model). The battery under whatever kernel it's running, is quite fine, and it is removable for people needing more length. I wish it had wireless charging, but that's just how it is. But for example, 8 hours on standby, and I was still at well over 75% today at work. And I can usually get through a good 3 hours of straight video playback at least. But the way people use their phones varies so much, it's hard to say. I do get better life rooted than when it was stock.
It also is plenty snappy, and I've had no issues, no overheating, no weird battery drain, no lag, or the like. I would say that coming from what you have now, it might be a step up but you might feel it won't be a big enough one yet. But the LG G6 being rumored out might be worth holding out, assuming you aren't looking to root. That might get tricky as Nougat (mentioned above) starts getting locked down. I have faith in the community - after all, it didn't take long for the V20 to get opened up, though there are some that worry that it'll continue to get harder as exploits get patched.
For what it's worth, I love mine. I miss a couple weird tricks from other phones, but on the whole, I am very satisfied with my decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Random FYI... Double press down volume when screen is off opens camera. (options in settings to open and immediately take pic or just open)
I figure you already know and just miss the convenience of the home button location but... Just in case...
planetbeen said:
Random FYI... Double press down volume when screen is off opens camera. (options in settings to open and immediately take pic or just open)
I figure you already know and just miss the convenience of the home button location but... Just in case...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, there is that one. But it's also a little more awkward that way. It's just as easy to double-tap the screen and swipe into the camera app. The home key on the Samsung was perfect, because I could bring the phone to landscape orientation, double tap, and bam, ready to go. It's rare that I need to get a picture THAT fast that I need to, but it was really convenient.
I love almost everything about it, but If this thing had a brighter or amoled screen I would never get another phone.
slayerh4x said:
I love almost everything about it, but If this thing had a brighter or amoled screen I would never get another phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do not bring AMOLED INTO IPS!!! Every single phone i had with AMOLED screen (10 to be precise), all of them developed burn in image. LOL I will never buy another phone with AMOLED screen. Unless..... They A) fix the issue with the burn in image, and B) they manage to make it last at its full potential for at least 5 years and then after 5 years the pixels can start dying. Not to mention that many of the AMOLED screens from nowadays have removed soooooooo many important features in a phone such as removable battery and sd card slots. That alone makes me move within an instant to LG G or V series (AKA Large Giraffe as some people call it LOL)
jinkerz9430 said:
Do not bring AMOLED INTO IPS!!! Every single phone i had with AMOLED screen (10 to be precise), all of them developed burn in image. LOL I will never buy another phone with AMOLED screen. Unless..... They A) fix the issue with the burn in image, and B) they manage to make it last at its full potential for at least 5 years and then after 5 years the pixels can start dying. Not to mention that many of the AMOLED screens from nowadays have removed soooooooo many important features in a phone such as removable battery and sd card slots. That alone makes me move within an instant to LG G or V series (AKA Large Giraffe as some people call it LOL)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahaha Yeah it would have to be a revised version of that hardware. I just find that the screen is way too dim outside. I even used that adaptive display mod which does help, but washes out the colors.
I literally just went from a note 4 to v20 and its amazing. The phone is so much more intuitive . tap screen to wake .fingerprint scanner unlocks phone faster than I can swipe. So much more. All around it just works better. I feel like all Samsung phones are the same. Bc I've had only Sammy past 8 years. I love this v20
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk
I've had my Galaxy Note 4 for four years now, and it's time for an upgrade. The only two phones I've been eyeing are the Pixel 3 XL and the Oneplus 6T. There are some other good phones out there, but the others I've looked at are unrootable. I love the camera on my GN4, and was wondering if anyone here has previously owned a GN4 and can give me a picture/video comparison with the Oneplus 6T? I've seen the reviews between the Oneplus 6T and Pixel 3, and the Pixel 3 wins easily. Sad thing about the Pixel 3 is that it's so expensive and has smaller battery, but I do love the camera results! I just have no frame of reference to compare my aging phone with the newer ones.
Thanks!
MrSickle said:
I've had my Galaxy Note 4 for four years now, and it's time for an upgrade. The only two phones I've been eyeing are the Pixel 3 XL and the Oneplus 6T. There are some other good phones out there, but the others I've looked at are unrootable. I love the camera on my GN4, and was wondering if anyone here has previously owned a GN4 and can give me a picture/video comparison with the Oneplus 6T? I've seen the reviews between the Oneplus 6T and Pixel 3, and the Pixel 3 wins easily. Sad thing about the Pixel 3 is that it's so expensive and has smaller battery, but I do love the camera results! I just have no frame of reference to compare my aging phone with the newer ones.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly,if you're pleased w/all things in general with the Note 4,you're giving up a lot of features not found on newer devices.
I definitely recommend keeping the Note 4 before switching to another phone (unless you have a trade-in allowance).
If you're not going to miss an SD Card Slot/3.5 mm audio jack/I-R Blaster/LED Notifications/No Notch, then,you have the gains of more RAM & a newer phone w/better battery life/overall performance.
The OP6T is a nice phone,but,honestly,I think an OP5 or OP5T is a better choice,the former if you prefer the navigation similar to that of the Note4.
(might wanna Google search a camera comparison of the Note 4 to either/both)
Full disclosure:
This advice is coming from a serial phone switcher in recovery/remission ........................ :laugh:
KOLIOSIS said:
Honestly,if you're pleased w/all things in general with the Note 4,you're giving up a lot of features not found on newer devices.
I definitely recommend keeping the Note 4 before switching to another phone (unless you have a trade-in allowance).
If you're not going to miss an SD Card Slot/3.5 mm audio jack/I-R Blaster/LED Notifications/No Notch, then,you have the gains of more RAM & a newer phone w/better battery life/overall performance.
The OP6T is a nice phone,but,honestly,I think an OP5 or OP5T is a better choice,the former if you prefer the navigation similar to that of the Note4.
(might wanna Google search a camera comparison of the Note 4 to either/both)
Full disclosure:
This advice is coming from a serial phone switcher in recovery/remission ........................ :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not even a comparison... get it
Logix said:
not even a comparison... get it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do have an OP6T, perhaps you wanted to quote the OP?
Comparing phones is subjective at best,just hitting on the features he'd be leaving behind in "upgrading" to either phone.
To some,those features are antiquated,others no so much.
Given the OP has held on to the phone for as long as he has gives me reason to believe the latter....
Too bad the prevailing trend seems to be getting less for more $$$, it's definitely a trade-off.
I've definitely compared what I would be giving up to what I would be gaining. My Sprint GN4 has been unlocked to work with domestic GSM (I have Cricket wireless now) and I have no LTE, and probably missing a few of the used frequencies (although I have never really checked). I love the screen and the camera on the GN4, but I'm stuck on Marshmallow and no security updates. I've tried Lineage OS both Nougat and Oreo, and both have so many bugs, it's not worth the headache. Not to mention it's getting harder to find batteries for it. Most I find now are "new" but end up being used. The GN4 never really did have that great of battery life, so that's one of the things that makes me want to switch to something else. Not that I'm a heavy user, but when you start using the video and taking lots of pics on the GN4, the battery tends to drain quickly. And I was hoping I would get Android Auto to work without having to plug and unplug it several times for it to connect (It's done it on Marshmallow and Lineage OS). It's almost as if it's not loading the applications fast enough for the handshake with the head unit.
I would miss my SD Card slot, that's why I was looking at the 256GB Oneplus 6T model.
KOLIOSIS said:
Honestly,if you're pleased w/all things in general with the Note 4,you're giving up a lot of features not found on newer devices.
I definitely recommend keeping the Note 4 before switching to another phone (unless you have a trade-in allowance).
If you're not going to miss an SD Card Slot/3.5 mm audio jack/I-R Blaster/LED Notifications/No Notch, then,you have the gains of more RAM & a newer phone w/better battery life/overall performance.
The OP6T is a nice phone,but,honestly,I think an OP5 or OP5T is a better choice,the former if you prefer the navigation similar to that of the Note4.
(might wanna Google search a camera comparison of the Note 4 to either/both)
Full disclosure:
This advice is coming from a serial phone switcher in recovery/remission ........................ :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MrSickle said:
I've definitely compared what I would be giving up to what I would be gaining. My Sprint GN4 has been unlocked to work with domestic GSM (I have Cricket wireless now) and I have no LTE, and probably missing a few of the used frequencies (although I have never really checked).
I would miss my SD Card slot, that's why I was looking at the 256GB Oneplus 6T model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're definitely in the right place for root/ROMs,OnePlus phones get a good variety of development.
One other feature I failed to address (the elephant in the room, LOL) :
Is the S-Pen something you're using a lot of on the Note4?
If not, then this is the place to be.
Guessing you're aware of the current state of things with the newer US Notes & the pros & cons of importing either version (Snapdragon or Exynos).
If nothing else, most T-Mobile US stores have working demos of the OP6T to test drive, see if it's for you. ?
Sent from my SM-N960U using XDA Labs
I was in your same situation. I had GN4 for 4 years and now i bought the OP6t. Honestly i didn't use the camera of smartphone so much and i cant tell you the difference right now but i will do a comparison tomorrow and post the results here
But regarding all other things, the OP6t is the winner. Better display, great battery life, fingerprint sensor is fast enough (never used on note 4 because it was unconfortable for me), there is also the face unlock and it is very fast; you will not see the lockscreen most of times.
The phone is very very fast and well optimized, no lag and didn't heat neither after an heavy usage.
Feel free to ask anything for the comparision
P.s. sorry for my bad english
The pixel 3 if you care about taking pics, rest of the hardware and value go for the 6t.
I think in the 4 years I've had the Note 4, I may have used the S-Pen maybe 10 times. It can be handy sometimes, but not really a show stopper for me.
I had looked at the International versions of the Samsung devices (GN9, GS9+) and sadly, I would be missing some frequency bands on those devices too
KOLIOSIS said:
You're definitely in the right place for root/ROMs,OnePlus phones get a good variety of development.
One other feature I failed to address (the elephant in the room, LOL) :
Is the S-Pen something you're using a lot of on the Note4?
If not, then this is the place to be.
Guessing you're aware of the current state of things with the newer US Notes & the pros & cons of importing either version (Snapdragon or Exynos).
If nothing else, most T-Mobile US stores have working demos of the OP6T to test drive, see if it's for you.
Sent from my SM-N960U using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A good camera is important for me. Although I'm not a professional photographer, it has been one of my hobbies for a while. I've managed to capture some really good shots with my Note 4, hence my particular interest in the OP6T as a cheaper alternative to the Pixel 3 XL. I managed to get a look at a Pixel 3 XL in person today and the notch was like a slap in the face. Although, I do know it can be masked out. I don't have any T-mobile stores around that I know of, so I can't check out the OP6T in person. I'm starting to feel like Sheldon on "The Big Bang Theory" where he tries to decide between an Xbox One and PS4
Zekol said:
I was in your same situation. I had GN4 for 4 years and now i bought the OP6t. Honestly i didn't use the camera of smartphone so much and i cant tell you the difference right now but i will do a comparison tomorrow and post the results here
But regarding all other things, the OP6t is the winner. Better display, great battery life, fingerprint sensor is fast enough (never used on note 4 because it was unconfortable for me), there is also the face unlock and it is very fast; you will not see the lockscreen most of times.
The phone is very very fast and well optimized, no lag and didn't heat neither after an heavy usage.
Feel free to ask anything for the comparision
P.s. sorry for my bad english
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are some pics of both
Note 4:
https://ibb.co/hvEMh0
https://ibb.co/emM4kL
https://ibb.co/dLD0QL
https://ibb.co/byczKf
https://ibb.co/bVjqQL
https://ibb.co/iqz75L
https://ibb.co/iwidC0
https://ibb.co/mQ4ks0
https://ibb.co/fO69Kf
https://ibb.co/hXzbX0
https://ibb.co/hOZRX0
https://ibb.co/hVbUkL
https://ibb.co/gSGjKf
https://ibb.co/jFNukL
https://ibb.co/j0R4kL
https://ibb.co/cOgn5L
https://ibb.co/nnffQL
https://ibb.co/kOBtef
https://ibb.co/nhpzkL
https://ibb.co/cMU4Kf
https://ibb.co/hOmvQL
https://ibb.co/fMnwX0
https://ibb.co/f1kfQL
OnePlus 6T:
https://ibb.co/mtgJef
https://ibb.co/gGPzkL
https://ibb.co/h2Qdef
https://ibb.co/cO5N5L
https://ibb.co/jwhukL
https://ibb.co/jGSGzf
https://ibb.co/jZNGzf
https://ibb.co/bOLmzf
https://ibb.co/ffPJC0
https://ibb.co/dUjqQL
https://ibb.co/cmG9Kf
https://ibb.co/nyTZkL
https://ibb.co/iKBgX0
https://ibb.co/dT44Kf
https://ibb.co/ipo3C0
https://ibb.co/jZmjKf
https://ibb.co/kKD3C0
https://ibb.co/dYDs5L
https://ibb.co/nwkBzf
https://ibb.co/cbn25L
https://ibb.co/i9nAQL
https://ibb.co/js4PkL
https://ibb.co/dXL8C0
As i said, i didn't use the camera of smartphone so much so probably these shots sucks :silly:
I used the auto mode on both as Note 4 doesn't have the pro mode and also i don't know how to use it on OnePlus 6T.
Well, there is also a port of the google camera for OP6t, I have to try it too, maybe i could take some better shots with it.
Hope this evening i can take some shots with low light and even try the night mode, i will update here if i can
Zekol, I can't thank you enough for those pics! Those were exactly the type of comparisons I needed! The camera's are very close in quality, except the OP6T tends to over sharpen the images just a bit, which may be able to be changed in the app or by use of another camera app. If you do happen to take some night shots, just take a few, no need to work yourself to death
Zekol said:
There are some pics of both
Note 4:
https://ibb.co/hvEMh0
https://ibb.co/emM4kL
https://ibb.co/dLD0QL
https://ibb.co/byczKf
https://ibb.co/bVjqQL
https://ibb.co/iqz75L
https://ibb.co/iwidC0
https://ibb.co/mQ4ks0
https://ibb.co/fO69Kf
https://ibb.co/hXzbX0
https://ibb.co/hOZRX0
https://ibb.co/hVbUkL
https://ibb.co/gSGjKf
https://ibb.co/jFNukL
https://ibb.co/j0R4kL
https://ibb.co/cOgn5L
https://ibb.co/nnffQL
https://ibb.co/kOBtef
https://ibb.co/nhpzkL
https://ibb.co/cMU4Kf
https://ibb.co/hOmvQL
https://ibb.co/fMnwX0
https://ibb.co/f1kfQL
OnePlus 6T:
https://ibb.co/mtgJef
https://ibb.co/gGPzkL
https://ibb.co/h2Qdef
https://ibb.co/cO5N5L
https://ibb.co/jwhukL
https://ibb.co/jGSGzf
https://ibb.co/jZNGzf
https://ibb.co/bOLmzf
https://ibb.co/ffPJC0
https://ibb.co/dUjqQL
https://ibb.co/cmG9Kf
https://ibb.co/nyTZkL
https://ibb.co/iKBgX0
https://ibb.co/dT44Kf
https://ibb.co/ipo3C0
https://ibb.co/jZmjKf
https://ibb.co/kKD3C0
https://ibb.co/dYDs5L
https://ibb.co/nwkBzf
https://ibb.co/cbn25L
https://ibb.co/i9nAQL
https://ibb.co/js4PkL
https://ibb.co/dXL8C0
As i said, i didn't use the camera of smartphone so much so probably these shots sucks :silly:
I used the auto mode on both as Note 4 doesn't have the pro mode and also i don't know how to use it on OnePlus 6T.
Well, there is also a port of the google camera for OP6t, I have to try it too, maybe i could take some better shots with it.
Hope this evening i can take some shots with low light and even try the night mode, i will update here if i can
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Friend, you are driving a Model A, it's cool to look back on but this is a modern Corvette, AKA, a performance value able to whoop phones costing twice as much even if it is missing a few Gucci features. I type that having sent the Pixel 3 XL back and buying this phone instead.
The Note 4 was a little before Samsung really started getting good with their cameras, I'm not saying it was bad, I had one and in the day it was great but they got quite a bit more serious a couple iterations later and it shows; their stuff is top notch now. The 6T on the other hand is not top notch now, it's a second tier camera and you can really see this at night where the 6T camera is a fair bit more noise. In the day it's not bad at all though outside of pushing too much contrast outdoors in HDR; the picture will almost invariably turn out with a bright sunny sky looking darker than the reality. Overall though I doubt you will find the camera a downgrade. Portrait mode is actually useful for more than portraits, for example it can make a picture of something like a statue at a museum pop out of the background and it's a nice effect for such photos.
Performance wise this phone is going to be a whole new world of slick, no rom can make up for vastly more computing power elsewhere and you're going to feel it every time you pick up the phone and manipulate the GUI. You're also going to appreciate the little things that OnePlus has injected into the mostly stockish experience. You'll find that OnePlus tends to be an enjoyable ownership experience stock, they are the type of phone that grows on you. Dont want stock you can run dead reliable stockish roms, alternatively, greatly altered AOSP runs which may or may not be , ahem, dead reliable. But that's all part of the fun.
One thing you're going to notice is that the aspect ratio is comparatively sucktacular. The tall thin thing is great for girls but I would much rather have the older aspect ratios. It's annoying as hell when you're surfing the internet in landscape and the website header scrolls down as you scroll down because it can block as much as half the screen and with these thinner aspect ratios that doesn't leave much wihch sometimes making surfing a pain. I'd totally jump on a browser which blocked that behavior, also a phone that went back to the older aspect ratio but I'm digressing. You may not be pleased with the change, all I'm saying.
Minutia... Duel sim is an interesting capability allowing you to ditch a separate work phone, buy data from one carrier, voice and text from another, etc. I think more people would take advantage of it if they gave it a try. You'll be shedding your unholy attachment to chargers and day by day the anxiety you feel when getting too far from a power source is going to go diminish. How much you miss the S-pen will depend on how much you used it. You indicate that was seldom so it shouldln't be a problem. While you may be stepping away from many features I think like most you probably only used a small percentage of Samsung bloat and you're not actually giving up something you never used anyways. The feature thing is not so big as some make out.
All in all I think you're being silly. I don't mean that in a bad way, I mean you've clearly become much attached to what is an ancient device in cell phone terms and your attachment is clouding your judgement. New phones are substantially better in almost every way, I would be surprised if you aren't very impressed with whatever new device you decide to buy.
MrSickle said:
I've definitely compared what I would be giving up to what I would be gaining. My Sprint GN4 has been unlocked to work with domestic GSM (I have Cricket wireless now) and I have no LTE, and probably missing a few of the used frequencies (although I have never really checked). I love the screen and the camera on the GN4, but I'm stuck on Marshmallow and no security updates. I've tried Lineage OS both Nougat and Oreo, and both have so many bugs, it's not worth the headache. Not to mention it's getting harder to find batteries for it. Most I find now are "new" but end up being used. The GN4 never really did have that great of battery life, so that's one of the things that makes me want to switch to something else. Not that I'm a heavy user, but when you start using the video and taking lots of pics on the GN4, the battery tends to drain quickly. And I was hoping I would get Android Auto to work without having to plug and unplug it several times for it to connect (It's done it on Marshmallow and Lineage OS). It's almost as if it's not loading the applications fast enough for the handshake with the head unit.
I would miss my SD Card slot, that's why I was looking at the 256GB Oneplus 6T model.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I loved my Note5 but having passed on the $500 trade in on the T-Mo Note 9 promo (still too expensive), I figured the $300 back on it for the 6T was too good to pass up. But I had many of the same concerns as you - I absolutely loved the screen on the Note5 and the picture taking quality, along with things like the headphone jack and wireless charging. But I bit the bullet because no more security updates for the Note5, no band 71, and I did notice that *maybe* Google apps were running a bit slower than they used to (figured maybe they were starting to be optimized for newer processors). But the phone was still buttery smooth otherwise.
I'm glad I did it though. It just seems so much faster, and that's saying something because I felt my Note5 was generally pretty fast.
The battery life is freaking phenomenal. That's the only reason I haven't missed the wireless charging. The screen is as good as my Note5, but the auto-brightness is not as "perfect" as it was on the Note. I read there is a tweak coming for that, but it hasn't hit the T-Mo version yet.
@krabman has it so so right with the aspect ratio. Sucktacular is a perfect way of stating it. It makes one-handed use very difficult because of how tall it is. But you get used to that part of it. Landscape is definitely less effective.
As for the pictures, I think it's kind of hit or miss. The low light is definitely better, and bright daylight is great, but I'm not convinced photos in moderate lighting is as good. I would still bite on the phone though. The prices they're getting for Samsung flagships these days are ridiculous. If you have other questions, let me know. Cheers.
Hi, I have the same dilemma and read the post, did you upgrade to op6t and have a better experience with it?