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LeEco Le Max 2 6GB/64GB vs. Recent Flagship Phones - Some Guy's Review

PURPOSE
So 1st and foremost, the plan here is to give you my experience with the LeEco Le Max 2 6GB version compared to some other recent flagship phones I have tried. Granted, I have only used the Max 2 for about 1/2 a week now and can say I have yet to fully break it in to find everything that may or may not be right / wrong with it. However, this will be a unbiased look and comparison. I'm neither a fanboy or sheep. No brand affiliation. Not a programmer either, just a pro-sumer Senior Member of XDA willing to get trolled, flamed, etc. for sharing a look at these 3 phones. Hopefully, I can give "the everyday guy / gal look" without getting bogged down in stats, variables or benchmarks. Here goes...
MY BACKGROUND
No one special. Just a guy that likes the latest tech... phones being at the top of the list. I am a nerd. No doubt about that. I think anyone that knows about XDA probably is to some extent. No brand loyalty. Recently, I have had the privilege to try out the following phones:
1. LeEco Le Max 2 6GB
2. HTC 10
3. Huawei P9 4GB
4. LG G5
5. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
6. Huawei Mate 8
7. Huawei Nexus 6P
8. LG Nexus 5X
9. Samsung Note 5
10. Apple iPhone 6s+
And probably some more, but these are the most recent. Does that make me qualified to make a review... Maybe. It does make me an idiot that likes new phones, though. I am always looking for something that meets my needs but also is a good phone. Currently with TMobile but have been with ATT, Verizon & Sprint at some point 20 years of using cell phones.
MY NEEDS
I drive about 40 miles everyday to work (yes, my work week is currently 7 days a week with a few occasional days off). So, with this in mind and where I drive. I need the minimum requirements:
1. Can Stream Music
2. Bluetooth is fully compatible with my 2016 vehicle
3. An equalizer of some sort since I have only switch out my new cars speakers for better ones and don't plan on changing or adding a better sound system.
4. Decent pictures when needed
5. Works with my Huawei Watch
6. Relatively not laggy - will sometimes do some ROM-ing or some customization but since I tend to get rid of the phones quickly I try not to void warranties or make it too non-stock
THE COMPARISON
I am looking at my experience with the Max 2 and the other flagships under/around these requirements and some normal stuff like battery, screen, snappiness, heat, speakers, etc. Here goes:
SOUND OVERALL
Lets start out by saying that I'm not a person that needs a phone that has good external speakers... I really have no use for them and as long as they are loud enough for notifications then I'm cool. Also, I am not a cross-training adventure workout junkie that requires 3.5mm in order to do everything with my phone... I state this now so that I clear the air with the Max 2 being one of the first phones not to have a 3.5mm jack and require a CDLA to 3.5mm adapter or CDLA USB Type C Headphones... I think the Max 2 may even come with the adapter and since I so don't give a brown matter from my butt about it, I haven't even taken it out of its packaging. Personally, the only time I use headphones is skiing and I have bluetooth wireless headphones built into my helmet... and like someone in the 21st century I realize I can have wireless headphones. :good: Now, my main sound experience with the Max 2 is bluetooth to my 2016 HR-V. It connects with zero issues, phone and bluetooth audio both work great. As a bonus, the built-in Dolby ATMOS makes my otherwise tinny speakers without equalization sound great. It also doesn't detract from the volume output like other similar apps... It allows me to blast bassy metal to offend anyone I want, which is a great double bonus situation for me. Nothing like driving by a church blasting GHOST and having the lyrics Hail Satan play loud, clear and rockin' hahaha. Seriously though, in recent memory, this is the only phone from 2016 flagships I haven't had to use a workaround app that drastically decreases the volume. Now I will say that the Dolby ATMOS setting works a little wonky and easily resets itself if you enter into the sound settings or back out of sound setting after enabling... once you know about this though, it is easy to workaround just by hitting home button instead. For the external speaker people, the Max 2 is super loud and the speakers do sound crisp... I think it is stereo speakers as well, if you care about those things... bass-wise, the speakers are not the best but not bad also... definitely as good as of not better than the HTC 10 or LG G5.
WINNER: NO DOUBT SO FAR IN 2016 - LeEco Max 2
BATTERY
From my experience so far, I have had decent battery life out of the Max 2. 3100 mAh does seem a tad small for this larger phalet... but I'm yet to say that its a problem for me. Of recent phones, LG G5 has the worse battery life with the HTC 10 being next in line, then S7 rounded out at the top with the P9... The P9 has a Kirin processor so lets toss it out. Out of the Snapdragons I will say that with my usage so far the Max 2 matches the S7 with battery life from my usage. Max 2 has fast charge as well which helps keep it on par with the other 820's. Just yesterday, I used the Max 2 all-day no recharging with 2 heavy usage periods for a total of 3 hours plus of screen on time playing Clash Royale. The rest of the day was standard usage of checking emails, looking at some news items, etc. It lasted the whole day from 8:30am until 1am in the morning with 15% left. This was on wifi the whole time as well. I feel this adequately meets my needs to last a whole day without recharge (which rarely happens since I always recharge when in my car) with moderate usage all day long.
WINNER: It's close to call but since its the larger phone and still performs well even though no wireless charging - LeEco Max 2
HEAT
I have yet to see a real heat spike with the Max 2. I have heard reports of heat but maybe this is with the 4GB version. Since the lack of need to flush RAM or actively manage memory more critically with the greater space, this may play a factor. Not a super nerdy tech guru on this so someone that understands this more may have to chime in. I have also yet to place it in a what I like to call, a pocket burning situation like at a concert were I'm using the camera a lot, there's high tower saturation causing the radio to work more, etc. I can say the phone barely heated up trying to download a 1.5GB update on LTE... so I guess that says something right? The only other phone that runs this cool is the P9 with it Kirin processor... all the 820's run a little hot when taxed so I would not be surprised if the Max 2 was the same if push to limits. I can say that I have gotten overheat warnings on the S7 when setting up the phone and downloading copious amounts of data.... and my first G5 overheated that it caused an internal malfunction causing me to have to replace the phone under warranty. The HTC 10 seemed to be the coolest out of the other 820's I have tried.
WINNER: Still is the P9 however out of the 820's - LeEco Max 2
SNAPPINESS
I have explained in some of my other reviews, I like to talk about performance in terms of snappiness with normal day to day usage with the phone rather than throw up meaningless to most people AnTuTu stats or whatever. I am going on out on a limp here and saying that the Max 2 dominates of course due to 6GB of RAM... it's like pitting a turbocharged version of a car vs. its not turbocharge version... more under the hood most of the time leads to better performance. No loading issues, no lag from app to app. What I can say is that EUI is a fairly nice GUI take on Android, better than EMUI, but not as nice as the new HTC 10 Sense / Stock like interface. I however did my standard change of porting over the sense launcher to the Max 2 which I just love... as far as getting use to how things work, there is a lot of configuration that can be done with notifications, much like Huawei's EMUI interface that might make it off putting to some... I lucked out and the aliexpress merchant I bought the Max 2 from pre-loaded the Google App Store when I got the phone. I since did 2 updates (one I downloaded and force flashed myself, the other was through LeEco's update system directly) and the app store continues to work fine.... There are redundant apps for email, calendar, message, etc. to google versions... however most of these are built well enough that you might not want or need the google versions. Notifications seem to work OK although some do not like that it does not litter the top of your screen with icons for every single notification.... rather it just typically puts an icon with "..." and a circle at the top... takes a little to get use to, but with a notification LED as well, I think this bypasses this small issue for some. :laugh: Also, people are starting to create ROMs for it and it is easily rootable albeit in Chinese at first, so you can definitely get more out of it with some tweaking.... haven't heard if they released Kernels yet. But it is only a matter of time given it popularity in China.
WINNER: Maybe just because of the 6GB but still... LeEco Le Max 2
DISPLAY
This to me is one of the areas much like sound where if it is not screwing up the way I use the phone then I care less about stuff like resolution. If someone can truly tell a load of difference between QHD, SuperHD, 1080p, etc. etc. good for you. Here what I can say. The Max 2 screen is great! Plus, its the largest compared to the other Flagships I have tried... forgot how nice it is to use a larger phone... It does not suffer from which ultimately made me get rid of the HTC 10 from the screen polarization being applied wrong causing you not to be able to use it outdoors with sunglasses on.... I know right... major f-up IMO that HTC 10 did... I couldn't see it in my car with sunglasses on, too annoying for me. Thankfully, don't have to worry about this with the Max 2 even with a tempered glass screen protector. Since it is somewhat screen related, I can say that the fingerprint sensor is something to be desired. Its slow, sometimes taking 3 tries for it to read properly... I have tried multiple times to reprogram and it does not help. Definitely the G5 and P9 beat it hands down when talking about rear facing fingerprint sensors... Even touchwiz laggy S7 sensor beats it. Hopefully, updates help with this. Like capacitive buttons it has, in the configuration I like with back button on left... apps button also reveals the control center feature on the Max 2... similar to Apples swipe up control center... not placing these toggles in the notification panel is a fresh take on using these toggles and I like it... Color balance seems good on the phone as well if you care about those things... No Always-On feature for the Max 2 either but not a huge deal with a configurable notification LED.
WINNER: The S7 still has the best "looking screen"; G5 has the best always-on screen - Max 2 is ok but not the best in this class of phones.... Does get bonus points for the control center feature and correctly orientated IMO capacitive buttons
PHONE DESIGN
The Max 2 is a good looking phone especially with a premium metal chassis... I do have to say that I had to get the "Gold" version of the phone since it was the only one available at this point in the 6GB Version... I use "gold" here loosely as like other can report... gold is actually rose gold... not that rose gold is bad, but a pinkish phone for a guy is not cool... No matter, I got a Matte black hard case today the covers the back and pretty much takes care of the covering most of the pinkish gold exterior.... I believe there will be other colors out there soon but I could not wait any longer... Camera and button placement is nice. Phone feels great in hand. Although bigger than the other 2016 Flagships, its not gargantuan either... doesn't feel like putting a tablet up to your ear like other phalets can feel like. Pretty thin too and not overly heavy. The biggest design issue is of course no SD Card add-on memory since the SIM tray only accommodates dual SIMs. At 64GB, this isn't an issue for me as I don't save a lot to my phone and jam pack it with needless stuff. The fingerprint sensor is in a good natural position albeit if it only worked on the first try... Its not like Megan Fox / Candice Swanepoel good looking phone rather more like Melissa Benoist / Kate Upton good looking. You ain't going to wake up after a long night of drinking and go "my god... what did I do..." but you are also not getting the top of the heap in design characteristics either. It's nice looking but not someone you'd use your "hall pass" on over your wife, if you get my point..." Notification LED work great and should be noted as not being blinding at night like others can be.... looking at you HTC 10... I like no 3.5mm jack since I don't use it anyway... less holes to get dirt into... in this case, having less holes to stick stuff into wins out!!! :silly:
WINNER: Still S7 for overall design, wireless charging, etc. - Your not bad Max 2, but pinkish gold is makes my balls instantly shrink!!!
CAMERA
Another big deal for some but not really a huge concern for me is the camera on smartphones... Personally and I have gone over the reasons time and time again, I went to school for photography and have used some really great cameras, film and digital. So when you start looking at smartphone cameras, even in 2016, it is still hard to compare to the output of an actual camera. With that said, there is no real gimmick with the Max 2... looks to be an alright camera that I will post examples later of. Doesn't have "superpixels", low light lens, dual lens, etc, etc. etc. It will take pictures decently and in most cases that's all you need it to do. I can say that it does have one of my major pet peeves when it comes to the camera app in video mode... no focus lock.... honestly who uses always on auto focus in video mode.... looks like a bad wedding video... when you are recording something that you are a fixed distance away, like a concert lets say, you don't need for it to re-focus... it annoying. So, I am going to cut this section short and just say, the Max 2 has a camera, its nothing special and if you are ok with a no gimmick no frills nexus like camera than its absolutely fine for what its supposed to do.... :highfive:
WINNER: S7 for low-light, G5 for wide angled, P9 for dynamic range; HTC 10 for camera app & Max 2 for no frills OK no gimmicks camera
CONCLUSION
For my daily usage case, the Max 2 is great! When you consider that it outperforms in most cases phones that are $200 - $400 more than what it costs... It tends to soften the negatives. I think for me the greatest of which is the current functionality of the fingerprint sensor... I hate struggling to get it to read than having to still punch in a pin when it fails. Besides this, all the othe negatives are minor. Camera - its really ok just nothing special. Color - if you can wait, you can get a more manly color unless you want to go with the 4GB version (you can get different colors now). EUI - definitely not as big of a learning curve as EMUI but it does take a little bit of commitment to get use to all the customization you can do. Looks like LeEco plans to release updates frequently since there has been at least one since it released in May... Yeah, it doesn't have a headphone jack... grow up and get with the 21st century... hahaha. To get a 6GB phone, under $500, 64GB internal is not too shabby. Would it be stellar with a SD Card add-on, yep it sure would but I can make do without having the SD Card in most cases unless I really started ROM-ing and backing up TWRPs with it.... I think if you are looking for a good, well performing phone at a good price with some decent specs and killer sound, this does the trick, most definitely. Could it be better, you betcha... but I can say that for any of the 2016 Flagship phones. Lastly and as always, this is just Some Guy's Opinion... :good:

Good review, makes it sound really awesome. My experience is very different.
I have the 6GB version and its regularly becoming warm.
Sound is ok, but Huawei Mate 8 is a different class altogether (better).
As a mid level budget phone the Eco Max 2 is very clearly on the cost performance side.
But I think the battery softens its advantage.
The hardware specs on the Max 2 are all top class, but there is definitely muuuch room for improvement. On the paper the network is Cat 12, but tell you the truth in daily usage it doesnt differ speed to Huawei Mate 8. Same for the user experience speed.
Also its not funny if the phone reboots occasionally
LeTV has fixed some of the issues with the upcoming EUI 5.8 release, but they need to do more !!
If you are thinking about getting it and tweaking it for your local marcet you have to do little homework with Google playstore etc. Its a gadget for geeky power users, but not mainstream user, to many changes required.

EverPing said:
Good review, makes it sound really awesome. My experience is very different.
I have the 6GB version and its regularly becoming warm.
Sound is ok, but Huawei Mate 8 is a different class altogether (better).
As a mid level budget phone the Eco Max 2 is very clearly on the cost performance side.
But I think the battery softens its advantage.
The hardware specs on the Max 2 are all top class, but there is definitely muuuch room for improvement. On the paper the network is Cat 12, but tell you the truth in daily usage it doesnt differ speed to Huawei Mate 8. Same for the user experience speed.
Also its not funny if the phone reboots occasionally
LeTV has fixed some of the issues with the upcoming EUI 5.8 release, but they need to do more !!
If you are thinking about getting it and tweaking it for your local marcet you have to do little homework with Google playstore etc. Its a gadget for geeky power users, but not mainstream user, to many changes required.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny mine never rebooted once. No heat even under load. No big modifications to get google play. Mine was stock and able to OTA... Google Play just took a simple APK download and agreeing to "unknown sources." Yes, its not a consumer mainstream phone outside of China... however doing a review on XDA, pretty much means its a review for a more "geeky" crowd easily capable of simple APK downloads from shared sources mentioned at least 10 different times in 10 different posts in this forum. The Huawei Mate 8 succeeds because of Kirin... however of 820's and at this price point, its hard to beat... maybe only by OP3 once they figure out the RAM Management. The camera is better on the Mate 8 but it's not as good as the P9... Plus all in all, its just as difficult to install the Play Store on the Mate8 & P9... both phones I owned and sold, as I was able to get just as good as and somewhat better phone for $200 to $300 cheaper. In the states, all these phones max out our 4G LTE networks so seeing any major difference between the P9, Mate8 and the Max 2 in modem performance is minor. Once again, OGO

Thanks for the feedback, maybe I am just unlucky this time. The apk's I downloaded from apkmirror etc don't seem to work on my Chinese version max 2. I also tried Xiaomi installer version 2, Opengapps, LeTV Playstore zips for same.
I think in terms of price LeTV has found a sweet spot in the marcet, but overall the software quality is just not there yet. However the upcoming update will fix some of it.

Hi,
Thanks for the review. Could you tell me if it has MHL ?
Regards

I tried with my MHL-Adapter, which is working fine with LETV LE 1 (X600). Didn´t work ...

Ok, thanks for the info. MHL is so usefull when you want to see a film at the hotel...

I think it should have MHL (I might have found this hint in some descriptions) but actually it is not working (for me?)...

Having been in IT, the first thing you learn is most problems are usually user problems. Most of the issues that I have come up against are problems of my own doing. For example, some thing may not work because I deleted a necessary file in my quest to remove Chinese Le-bloat. So it has been trial and error. I installed the CM 13 yesterday, but didn't like the tinny sound the speakers were making. Went back to the dev 5.8 stock, installed Google play and a few apps and it's running like a charm. I have not experienced any overheating issues. This phone does everything that one does with a phone very well. I sure you can find an individual that does intense things on their device, but for the average user that surfs the web, watches you tube, plays a few games, sends/reads email and IM's others, this phone is hard to beat. This morning I had an antutu of 140491, which is pretty good considering I only have the 4/32 GB version. Can you say fast phone?!

Hi,
I may add a comparison to a phone that can be considered as the direct competitor to the Le 2 Max : the One+ 3.
There is one area where the Le 2 Max clearly wins : it's the display. I don't care about 2k or FHD. It's hard to tell the difference in real life anyways. But I'm talking about brightness and legibility in sunny daylight conditions. And there, there is no question : the Le 2 Max is superior to the OP3, even after OP3 released the new display drivers that improves things on the brightness side...
And the 0.2" more is a nice addition too... Really noticeable when you used the LeEco for several days and you then go back to OP3
But apart from that (which is really important I admit it), the Le 2 Max is lagging behind in almost every other aspect...
BATTERY LIFE : OP3 wins without a question...In really heavy usage (GPS + BT active +display on all the time) I get about 3h45minutes of battery life with the LeEco... and about 5h30 in the same conditions with the OP3. That's almost 50% better battery. Think the 2K display has a cost unfortunately
SNAPPINESS : the LeEco is OK. But once you compare it to the OP3, the overall feeling is clearly pointing into the OP3 direction !!! And just install a custom ROM like Tipsy, and your device seems to fly, when the Le Eco seems to walk
HEAT : under the heavy usage conditions I described before, the LeEco gets mildly hot. It's much cooler than the Nexus 5 used to be in the same conditions( where it lasted about 1h40 on battery !). But the OP3 is simply almost cool. On that side, OP3 wins...
SOUND : I admit that I don't give a **** about sound coming from the speakers. But on phone calls OP3 clearly wins. On Le 2 Max I have a "ghost sound". I seem to hear everything I am saying to the other person like he has a loudspeaker on. Doesn't happen on OP3.
CAMERA : I am not a great camera user. But both deliver pictures that are good enough for me. But I must say it's difficult to tear them apart
FINGERPRINT SCANNER : it's adictive to use on OP3 because fingerprint is recognized in a fraction of a second and is ALWAYS recognized. I cannot count the times I left my finger on the finger print scanner for seconds before it decided to consider it has to recognize a finger... and then I would say about 30% of the time it doesn't recognize my finger print on first attempt, and about 15% of the time it doesn't recognize it at all so I have to fire it up with the power key and pattern.
DEVELOPMENT : It seems LeEco has no intention at all to consider those phones as an important part of their business. Look at their website : they're ahrdly advertised. Go to their forums : there no activity. An official from LeEco shows up about once every 3 weeks. All in all, discussion and support are simply dead. All tehy keep saying is "Stay tuned, we have a lot to unveil"... but no date nor nothing ! And after 4 months of phone existence what do we have : a tweaked Stock ROM and a CM13 build that is obviously not really actively developped. After 3 weeks of existence, OP3 has tweaked stock ROM, CM13 and 3 derivatives, 3 or 4 AOSP derivatives and just recevied multi ROM... So all problems may have a fix some day... There's really little hope to have that with LeEco
Even CM13 builders doesn't publish their github source which would allow to work on other ROM's...
PERFORMANCE : not that I really care about benchmarks... as I am convinced that 3k or 4k points in Antutu will go unnoticed in real life. But on the OP3 if I run several Antutu tests in a row, I have only a really slight variation in results It goes from 142k to 136-138k on 3rd/4th pass. On x820 results vary from 140k (generally on first pass) and then sink to 110k (sometimes even less) on third/fourth pass... And that sounds really weird to me : maybe there's a throttle on the phone ?
ALL IN ALL : I'd love to keep the LeEco because of it's display. But considering all the "cons" it has, I am afraid it will soon join an ad site for used devices And that's a shame because with a little support from it's manufacturer, it would be THE device to keep
So LeEco : if you hang around here sometime, show us some love and release official device trees.

Well said and your comments are spot on @NexusPenguin
Le needs to release kernel sources to their phones to survive in this industry. They absolutely do not want to go down Xiaomi's footsteps.
If they don't release device trees, most people will simply not buy their Le Max 3 or whatever they release next. Simple to earn bad-will and buey themselves to ground.

it is definitively fast but....
Dear jim262,
it is really fast. With Google Keyboard app, not debloated and after autoupdate to EUI 5.8.016S mine had a Antutu v6.2.1 of 139.159
But:
- I Need a international ROM
- why can´t the user decide wether he want´s the LeTV Software on it or not? So debloate that phone. I don´t want a fixed button on the Screen wich leeds to Chinese Websites. Unfortunately I can´t speak/read Chinese.
- The cam should have more Software ability to take pics with lower size. Actual it doesn´t allow less than 8 MP`s
jim262 said:
Having been in IT, the first thing you learn is most problems are usually user problems. Most of the issues that I have come up against are problems of my own doing. For example, some thing may not work because I deleted a necessary file in my quest to remove Chinese Le-bloat. So it has been trial and error. I installed the CM 13 yesterday, but didn't like the tinny sound the speakers were making. Went back to the dev 5.8 stock, installed Google play and a few apps and it's running like a charm. I have not experienced any overheating issues. This phone does everything that one does with a phone very well. I sure you can find an individual that does intense things on their device, but for the average user that surfs the web, watches you tube, plays a few games, sends/reads email and IM's others, this phone is hard to beat. This morning I had an antutu of 140491, which is pretty good considering I only have the 4/32 GB version. Can you say fast phone?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

LeTvNewby said:
Dear jim262,
it is really fast. With Google Keyboard app, not debloated and after autoupdate to EUI 5.8.016S mine had a Antutu v6.2.1 of 139.159
But:
- I Need a international ROM
- why can´t the user decide wether he want´s the LeTV Software on it or not? So debloate that phone. I don´t want a fixed button on the Screen wich leeds to Chinese Websites. Unfortunately I can´t speak/read Chinese.
- The cam should have more Software ability to take pics with lower size. Actual it doesn´t allow less than 8 MP`s
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of the roms are international roms with the ability to select language when you start.

Yeah, the phone is not a Galaxy S7 killer but I don't think we ever had such a device ~$250 on the market. Oneplus One might have been the only thing that came close but now their devices cost ~400€.
It doesn't have any real weaknesses, only a few things like the camera and software are mid-to-high end.
Clearly we'll see a drop in smartphone prices in the coming years, users won't pay 700€ anymore if you can get the latest for less. And these cheap manufacturers will catch up to Samsung and co. eventually.

mahst68 said:
PURPOSE
So 1st and foremost, the plan here is to give you my experience with the LeEco Le Max 2 6GB version compared to some other recent flagship phones I have tried. Granted, I have only used the Max 2 for about 1/2 a week now and can say I have yet to fully break it in to find everything that may or may not be right / wrong with it. However, this will be a unbiased look and comparison. I'm neither a fanboy or sheep. No brand affiliation. Not a programmer either, just a pro-sumer Senior Member of XDA willing to get trolled, flamed, etc. for sharing a look at these 3 phones. Hopefully, I can give "the everyday guy / gal look" without getting bogged down in stats, variables or benchmarks. Here goes...
MY BACKGROUND
No one special. Just a guy that likes the latest tech... phones being at the top of the list. I am a nerd. No doubt about that. I think anyone that knows about XDA probably is to some extent. No brand loyalty. Recently, I have had the privilege to try out the following phones:
1. LeEco Le Max 2 6GB
2. HTC 10
3. Huawei P9 4GB
4. LG G5
5. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
6. Huawei Mate 8
7. Huawei Nexus 6P
8. LG Nexus 5X
9. Samsung Note 5
10. Apple iPhone 6s+
And probably some more, but these are the most recent. Does that make me qualified to make a review... Maybe. It does make me an idiot that likes new phones, though. I am always looking for something that meets my needs but also is a good phone. Currently with TMobile but have been with ATT, Verizon & Sprint at some point 20 years of using cell phones.
MY NEEDS
I drive about 40 miles everyday to work (yes, my work week is currently 7 days a week with a few occasional days off). So, with this in mind and where I drive. I need the minimum requirements:
1. Can Stream Music
2. Bluetooth is fully compatible with my 2016 vehicle
3. An equalizer of some sort since I have only switch out my new cars speakers for better ones and don't plan on changing or adding a better sound system.
4. Decent pictures when needed
5. Works with my Huawei Watch
6. Relatively not laggy - will sometimes do some ROM-ing or some customization but since I tend to get rid of the phones quickly I try not to void warranties or make it too non-stock
THE COMPARISON
I am looking at my experience with the Max 2 and the other flagships under/around these requirements and some normal stuff like battery, screen, snappiness, heat, speakers, etc. Here goes:
SOUND OVERALL
Lets start out by saying that I'm not a person that needs a phone that has good external speakers... I really have no use for them and as long as they are loud enough for notifications then I'm cool. Also, I am not a cross-training adventure workout junkie that requires 3.5mm in order to do everything with my phone... I state this now so that I clear the air with the Max 2 being one of the first phones not to have a 3.5mm jack and require a CDLA to 3.5mm adapter or CDLA USB Type C Headphones... I think the Max 2 may even come with the adapter and since I so don't give a brown matter from my butt about it, I haven't even taken it out of its packaging. Personally, the only time I use headphones is skiing and I have bluetooth wireless headphones built into my helmet... and like someone in the 21st century I realize I can have wireless headphones. :good: Now, my main sound experience with the Max 2 is bluetooth to my 2016 HR-V. It connects with zero issues, phone and bluetooth audio both work great. As a bonus, the built-in Dolby ATMOS makes my otherwise tinny speakers without equalization sound great. It also doesn't detract from the volume output like other similar apps... It allows me to blast bassy metal to offend anyone I want, which is a great double bonus situation for me. Nothing like driving by a church blasting GHOST and having the lyrics Hail Satan play loud, clear and rockin' hahaha. Seriously though, in recent memory, this is the only phone from 2016 flagships I haven't had to use a workaround app that drastically decreases the volume. Now I will say that the Dolby ATMOS setting works a little wonky and easily resets itself if you enter into the sound settings or back out of sound setting after enabling... once you know about this though, it is easy to workaround just by hitting home button instead. For the external speaker people, the Max 2 is super loud and the speakers do sound crisp... I think it is stereo speakers as well, if you care about those things... bass-wise, the speakers are not the best but not bad also... definitely as good as of not better than the HTC 10 or LG G5.
WINNER: NO DOUBT SO FAR IN 2016 - LeEco Max 2
BATTERY
From my experience so far, I have had decent battery life out of the Max 2. 3100 mAh does seem a tad small for this larger phalet... but I'm yet to say that its a problem for me. Of recent phones, LG G5 has the worse battery life with the HTC 10 being next in line, then S7 rounded out at the top with the P9... The P9 has a Kirin processor so lets toss it out. Out of the Snapdragons I will say that with my usage so far the Max 2 matches the S7 with battery life from my usage. Max 2 has fast charge as well which helps keep it on par with the other 820's. Just yesterday, I used the Max 2 all-day no recharging with 2 heavy usage periods for a total of 3 hours plus of screen on time playing Clash Royale. The rest of the day was standard usage of checking emails, looking at some news items, etc. It lasted the whole day from 8:30am until 1am in the morning with 15% left. This was on wifi the whole time as well. I feel this adequately meets my needs to last a whole day without recharge (which rarely happens since I always recharge when in my car) with moderate usage all day long.
WINNER: It's close to call but since its the larger phone and still performs well even though no wireless charging - LeEco Max 2
HEAT
I have yet to see a real heat spike with the Max 2. I have heard reports of heat but maybe this is with the 4GB version. Since the lack of need to flush RAM or actively manage memory more critically with the greater space, this may play a factor. Not a super nerdy tech guru on this so someone that understands this more may have to chime in. I have also yet to place it in a what I like to call, a pocket burning situation like at a concert were I'm using the camera a lot, there's high tower saturation causing the radio to work more, etc. I can say the phone barely heated up trying to download a 1.5GB update on LTE... so I guess that says something right? The only other phone that runs this cool is the P9 with it Kirin processor... all the 820's run a little hot when taxed so I would not be surprised if the Max 2 was the same if push to limits. I can say that I have gotten overheat warnings on the S7 when setting up the phone and downloading copious amounts of data.... and my first G5 overheated that it caused an internal malfunction causing me to have to replace the phone under warranty. The HTC 10 seemed to be the coolest out of the other 820's I have tried.
WINNER: Still is the P9 however out of the 820's - LeEco Max 2
SNAPPINESS
I have explained in some of my other reviews, I like to talk about performance in terms of snappiness with normal day to day usage with the phone rather than throw up meaningless to most people AnTuTu stats or whatever. I am going on out on a limp here and saying that the Max 2 dominates of course due to 6GB of RAM... it's like pitting a turbocharged version of a car vs. its not turbocharge version... more under the hood most of the time leads to better performance. No loading issues, no lag from app to app. What I can say is that EUI is a fairly nice GUI take on Android, better than EMUI, but not as nice as the new HTC 10 Sense / Stock like interface. I however did my standard change of porting over the sense launcher to the Max 2 which I just love... as far as getting use to how things work, there is a lot of configuration that can be done with notifications, much like Huawei's EMUI interface that might make it off putting to some... I lucked out and the aliexpress merchant I bought the Max 2 from pre-loaded the Google App Store when I got the phone. I since did 2 updates (one I downloaded and force flashed myself, the other was through LeEco's update system directly) and the app store continues to work fine.... There are redundant apps for email, calendar, message, etc. to google versions... however most of these are built well enough that you might not want or need the google versions. Notifications seem to work OK although some do not like that it does not litter the top of your screen with icons for every single notification.... rather it just typically puts an icon with "..." and a circle at the top... takes a little to get use to, but with a notification LED as well, I think this bypasses this small issue for some. :laugh: Also, people are starting to create ROMs for it and it is easily rootable albeit in Chinese at first, so you can definitely get more out of it with some tweaking.... haven't heard if they released Kernels yet. But it is only a matter of time given it popularity in China.
WINNER: Maybe just because of the 6GB but still... LeEco Le Max 2
DISPLAY
This to me is one of the areas much like sound where if it is not screwing up the way I use the phone then I care less about stuff like resolution. If someone can truly tell a load of difference between QHD, SuperHD, 1080p, etc. etc. good for you. Here what I can say. The Max 2 screen is great! Plus, its the largest compared to the other Flagships I have tried... forgot how nice it is to use a larger phone... It does not suffer from which ultimately made me get rid of the HTC 10 from the screen polarization being applied wrong causing you not to be able to use it outdoors with sunglasses on.... I know right... major f-up IMO that HTC 10 did... I couldn't see it in my car with sunglasses on, too annoying for me. Thankfully, don't have to worry about this with the Max 2 even with a tempered glass screen protector. Since it is somewhat screen related, I can say that the fingerprint sensor is something to be desired. Its slow, sometimes taking 3 tries for it to read properly... I have tried multiple times to reprogram and it does not help. Definitely the G5 and P9 beat it hands down when talking about rear facing fingerprint sensors... Even touchwiz laggy S7 sensor beats it. Hopefully, updates help with this. Like capacitive buttons it has, in the configuration I like with back button on left... apps button also reveals the control center feature on the Max 2... similar to Apples swipe up control center... not placing these toggles in the notification panel is a fresh take on using these toggles and I like it... Color balance seems good on the phone as well if you care about those things... No Always-On feature for the Max 2 either but not a huge deal with a configurable notification LED.
WINNER: The S7 still has the best "looking screen"; G5 has the best always-on screen - Max 2 is ok but not the best in this class of phones.... Does get bonus points for the control center feature and correctly orientated IMO capacitive buttons
PHONE DESIGN
The Max 2 is a good looking phone especially with a premium metal chassis... I do have to say that I had to get the "Gold" version of the phone since it was the only one available at this point in the 6GB Version... I use "gold" here loosely as like other can report... gold is actually rose gold... not that rose gold is bad, but a pinkish phone for a guy is not cool... No matter, I got a Matte black hard case today the covers the back and pretty much takes care of the covering most of the pinkish gold exterior.... I believe there will be other colors out there soon but I could not wait any longer... Camera and button placement is nice. Phone feels great in hand. Although bigger than the other 2016 Flagships, its not gargantuan either... doesn't feel like putting a tablet up to your ear like other phalets can feel like. Pretty thin too and not overly heavy. The biggest design issue is of course no SD Card add-on memory since the SIM tray only accommodates dual SIMs. At 64GB, this isn't an issue for me as I don't save a lot to my phone and jam pack it with needless stuff. The fingerprint sensor is in a good natural position albeit if it only worked on the first try... Its not like Megan Fox / Candice Swanepoel good looking phone rather more like Melissa Benoist / Kate Upton good looking. You ain't going to wake up after a long night of drinking and go "my god... what did I do..." but you are also not getting the top of the heap in design characteristics either. It's nice looking but not someone you'd use your "hall pass" on over your wife, if you get my point..." Notification LED work great and should be noted as not being blinding at night like others can be.... looking at you HTC 10... I like no 3.5mm jack since I don't use it anyway... less holes to get dirt into... in this case, having less holes to stick stuff into wins out!!! :silly:
WINNER: Still S7 for overall design, wireless charging, etc. - Your not bad Max 2, but pinkish gold is makes my balls instantly shrink!!!
CAMERA
Another big deal for some but not really a huge concern for me is the camera on smartphones... Personally and I have gone over the reasons time and time again, I went to school for photography and have used some really great cameras, film and digital. So when you start looking at smartphone cameras, even in 2016, it is still hard to compare to the output of an actual camera. With that said, there is no real gimmick with the Max 2... looks to be an alright camera that I will post examples later of. Doesn't have "superpixels", low light lens, dual lens, etc, etc. etc. It will take pictures decently and in most cases that's all you need it to do. I can say that it does have one of my major pet peeves when it comes to the camera app in video mode... no focus lock.... honestly who uses always on auto focus in video mode.... looks like a bad wedding video... when you are recording something that you are a fixed distance away, like a concert lets say, you don't need for it to re-focus... it annoying. So, I am going to cut this section short and just say, the Max 2 has a camera, its nothing special and if you are ok with a no gimmick no frills nexus like camera than its absolutely fine for what its supposed to do.... :highfive:
WINNER: S7 for low-light, G5 for wide angled, P9 for dynamic range; HTC 10 for camera app & Max 2 for no frills OK no gimmicks camera
CONCLUSION
For my daily usage case, the Max 2 is great! When you consider that it outperforms in most cases phones that are $200 - $400 more than what it costs... It tends to soften the negatives. I think for me the greatest of which is the current functionality of the fingerprint sensor... I hate struggling to get it to read than having to still punch in a pin when it fails. Besides this, all the othe negatives are minor. Camera - its really ok just nothing special. Color - if you can wait, you can get a more manly color unless you want to go with the 4GB version (you can get different colors now). EUI - definitely not as big of a learning curve as EMUI but it does take a little bit of commitment to get use to all the customization you can do. Looks like LeEco plans to release updates frequently since there has been at least one since it released in May... Yeah, it doesn't have a headphone jack... grow up and get with the 21st century... hahaha. To get a 6GB phone, under $500, 64GB internal is not too shabby. Would it be stellar with a SD Card add-on, yep it sure would but I can make do without having the SD Card in most cases unless I really started ROM-ing and backing up TWRPs with it.... I think if you are looking for a good, well performing phone at a good price with some decent specs and killer sound, this does the trick, most definitely. Could it be better, you betcha... but I can say that for any of the 2016 Flagship phones. Lastly and as always, this is just Some Guy's Opinion... :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot this is thorough.. Impressive stuff

I really like my Le Max2. It's not perfect, but no phone is. It is certainly a fast and powerful phone. No lag and handles everything I throw at it with ease. Antutu scores of over 140K are crazy in a $230 device!! I am enjoying its audio output and have been mostly very impressed with the photos I have taken so far. The fingerprint scanner is very fast and reliable for me. I quite like eui as it is fairly light and has some very useful features, especially for power management (I have generally been getting 5 to 7 hours SOT). This is my first 2K display phone, and the clarity is fantastic. The black levels are good, and the colours are vibrant. Probably my main criticism of the phone is the viewing angles and max brightness level of the display. Colour shifting is pronounced when viewing at any angle much off straight, and the max brightness is just OK - I would like to be able to crank it up a fair bit more at times.

kanagawaben said:
I really like my Le Max2. It's not perfect, but no phone is. It is certainly a fast and powerful phone. No lag and handles everything I throw at it with ease. Antutu scores of over 140K are crazy in a $230 device!! I am enjoying its audio output and have been mostly very impressed with the photos I have taken so far. The fingerprint scanner is very fast and reliable for me. I quite like eui as it is fairly light and has some very useful features, especially for power management (I have generally been getting 5 to 7 hours SOT). This is my first 2K display phone, and the clarity is fantastic. The black levels are good, and the colours are vibrant. Probably my main criticism of the phone is the viewing angles and max brightness level of the display. Colour shifting is pronounced when viewing at any angle much off straight, and the max brightness is just OK - I would like to be able to crank it up a fair bit more at times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anything special you did to improve fingerprint response
Mine does work but it becomes unresponsive if not used for a while but after first unlock the consecutive ones are fast
Which rom are you on?
Did you never had any fingerprint problem?

[email protected] said:
Anything special you did to improve fingerprint response
Mine does work but it becomes unresponsive if not used for a while but after first unlock the consecutive ones are fast
Which rom are you on?
Did you never had any fingerprint problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am currently using the Parasite debloated version of S19. I have also used Cuoco92, stock Chinese 17S and 19S, and Indian 16S. Haven't had the slightest problem with fingerprint on any of them. I always register two with the same finger (my right index) and the other with my left index. I'd say it is 99% accurate - it really only misses if I put my finger in at a very weird angle or move it too much. Fast too, not instant but pretty near it - less than a count of one.

kanagawaben said:
I am currently using the Parasite debloated version of S19. I have also used Cuoco92, stock Chinese 17S and 19S, and Indian 16S. Haven't had the slightest problem with fingerprint on any of them. I always register two with the same finger (my right index) and the other with my left index.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you never have problems like the fingerprint doesn't recognize the first touch?
Or after all night standby the fingerprint takes a few seconds to unlock?
Do you think my fingerprint problem is hardware?
I bought it like 2 weeks ago I can return?
But it's a really good phone for the price
Only things that annoy me is fingerprint and lack of custom rom support both of which letv is to blame

[email protected] said:
So you never have problems like the fingerprint doesn't recognize the first touch?
Or after all night standby the fingerprint takes a few seconds to unlock?
Do you think my fingerprint problem is hardware?
I bought it like 2 weeks ago I can return?
But it's a really good phone for the price
Only things that annoy me is fingerprint and lack of custom rom support both of which letv is to blame
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly never. Scanner has been rock solid for me. What ROM are you on?

[ISSUES] Should I buy a Oneplus 6T?

Hi guys I must replace my Samsung S8 (Exynos).
In Italy the S9+ and the 6T have the same street price, so i’m trying to see both pro and cons
S9+
Pro
Wireless Charge
3.5mm jack
Better camera
Better HW support ( physical store )
Maybe better Value
Awesome Display
Cons
1yrs old phone
Big phone
Not sure about optimisation and bug fixing from Samsung
6T
Pro
New phone with Pie
Hope for a better software support and bug fixing
Cons
No 3.5mm jack
No wireless charge
I don’t know about hw assistance
Not so bright display
Less security (Knox)
I’m not a modder fan anymore and I always had Samsung devices, but i hate that for example with the s8 i must switch to 3G before put it in airplane mode unless I have big battery drain and this bug has never been solved by Samsung from Oreo. I don’t want to go with a stupid bugged device again.
So what issues related to OP6T are you experiencing? At the same price you will go for S9+ or OP6T? ( or save 100 bucks for a Mi8 or a S9?)
Thanks

Not sure what I can say about issues because I haven't found anything. But, I tell you my wife has an S9 and compared to this phone it has terrible battery life. My 6T lasts me a healthy and solid 2 days (right now starting day 3 with 40% left) but hers lasts like... 10 hours? Its on a charger alot.

EspElement said:
Not sure what I can say about issues because I haven't found anything. But, I tell you my wife has an S9 and compared to this phone it has terrible battery life. My 6T lasts me a healthy and solid 2 days (right now starting day 3 with 40% left) but hers lasts like... 10 hours? Its on a charger alot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes probably the S9 has an horrible optimisation, so that is why i’m On the 6T for the battery life and maybe on a S9+ instead of the S9.
For the screen is the 6T brightness so bad? Obviously compared to the S9? In the summer my S8 becomes so bright and readable never had issues.

Nikka93 said:
Hi guys I must replace my Samsung S8 (Exynos).
In Italy the S9+ and the 6T have the same street price, so i’m trying to see both pro and cons
S9+
Pro
Wireless Charge
3.5mm jack
Better camera
Better HW support ( physical store )
Maybe better Value
Awesome Display
Cons
1yrs old phone
Big phone
Not sure about optimisation and bug fixing from Samsung
6T
Pro
New phone with Pie
Hope for a better software support and bug fixing
Cons
No 3.5mm jack
No wireless charge
I don’t know about hw assistance
Not so bright display
Less security (Knox)
I’m not a modder fan anymore and I always had Samsung devices, but i hate that for example with the s8 i must switch to 3G before put it in airplane mode unless I have big battery drain and this bug has never been solved by Samsung from Oreo. I don’t want to go with a stupid bugged device again.
So what issues related to OP6T are you experiencing? At the same price you will go for S9+ or OP6T? ( or save 100 bucks for a Mi8 or a S9?)
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ciao! I'm on the same situation as you, can't decide between OP6T and S9+. I think I'll go with OP6T for the better software/software support and the better battery. As far as I know, support under warranty has hugely improved since the time of the OnePus One but if you want to be 100% safe you can buy it from MediaWorld here in Italy! I'll probably miss the headphone jack present on the S9+ but still I wouldn't buy a one year old phone just for that, also considering the low term software support Samsung gives.

I just got this phone on Friday and an LOVING it! It hold a charge seemingly forever, and the display is gorgeous. It's very smooth and snappy.

WhiteWashed said:
Ciao! I'm on the same situation as you, can't decide between OP6T and S9+. I think I'll go with OP6T for the better software/software support and the better battery. As far as I know, support under warranty has hugely improved since the time of the OnePus One but if you want to be 100% safe you can buy it from MediaWorld here in Italy! I'll probably miss the headphone jack present on the S9+ but still I wouldn't buy a one year old phone just for that, also considering the low term software support Samsung gives.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I have been in a MW store but the phone was not available, I would like to try it especially because I don’t like big phones. In that scenario the Mi8 made me love it.
sabrdawg said:
I just got this phone on Friday and an LOVING it! It hold a charge seemingly forever, and the display is gorgeous. It's very smooth and snappy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, are you able to compare the brightness under the sun with other phones?
Have you encountered any issue that is this forum threads like the deep sleep that kills the notification?

Coming from a Galaxy S9+
I have a Galaxy S9+ for work and a OP6t for personal use. I prefer the OP6t. No, the display is not quite as bright. However the colors and size are amazing and just as good as the Galaxy. The battery life is significantly better. I have to keep the Galaxy S9+ near a charger so it is topped off before I head out if the house. The OP last so long and charged so fast that I don't worry about it. Also the near stock os flies compared to Samsung's... Its not even close. I've been using wireless headphones for a while so that wasnt a big deal to me. I think it's only a matter of time before all manufacturers get rid of the headphone jack so I figured I'd take the plunge. The only things I miss at all on the OP are wireless charging and Samsung pay, but the OP experience is so much better that is worth it.

sostendorf said:
I have a Galaxy S9+ for work and a OP6t for personal use. I prefer the OP6t. No, the display is not quite as bright. However the colors and size are amazing and just as good as the Galaxy. The battery life is significantly better. I have to keep the Galaxy S9+ near a charger so it is topped off before I head out if the house. The OP last so long and charged so fast that I don't worry about it. Also the near stock os flies compared to Samsung's... Its not even close. I've been using wireless headphones for a while so that wasnt a big deal to me. I think it's only a matter of time before all manufacturers get rid of the headphone jack so I figured I'd take the plunge. The only things I miss at all on the OP are wireless charging and Samsung pay, but the OP experience is so much better that is worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As you have both phones, would you say the Oneplus 6t is far behind the S9 regarding camera and picture quality?

sostendorf said:
I have a Galaxy S9+ for work and a OP6t for personal use. I prefer the OP6t. No, the display is not quite as bright. However the colors and size are amazing and just as good as the Galaxy. The battery life is significantly better. I have to keep the Galaxy S9+ near a charger so it is topped off before I head out if the house. The OP last so long and charged so fast that I don't worry about it. Also the near stock os flies compared to Samsung's... Its not even close. I've been using wireless headphones for a while so that wasnt a big deal to me. I think it's only a matter of time before all manufacturers get rid of the headphone jack so I figured I'd take the plunge. The only things I miss at all on the OP are wireless charging and Samsung pay, but the OP experience is so much better that is worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As you have both could you test the screen quality about the dark scenes as Erica Griffin did https://youtu.be/YVk8bc-TV3Y (min 27.40)
Thanks

groenland83 said:
As you have both phones, would you say the Oneplus 6t is far behind the S9 regarding camera and picture quality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me qualify this with that fact that I am not big picture taker so I likely haven't experienced a significant number of scenarios. With that said, is it behind, yes...is it FAR behind, no. It still takes really good pictures with the rear camera, at least for point and shoot. I haven't used the front facing camera, so I can't say for sure. Everything I've read (and doubtless you have too) says the front facing camera is crap. If it matters, it also doesn't have all of the AI/AR stuff that the Samsung camera does. I played with that on the Galaxy for about an hour and never used it again, but it may be important for some people.

I just sold my S9+ and got the 6T and I can't imagine going back. Camera isn't quite as good, but it's fine for my uses. Screen isn't quite as good, but with 20/20 vision I can't tell much of a difference. Definitely doesn't get as bright, but haven't had any issues with the max brightness. The 6T is tons faster and doesn't seem to big down like the S9+ does and the battery life is miles better. Can't imagine going back
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk

Nikka93 said:
As you have both could you test the screen quality about the dark scenes as Erica Griffin did https://youtu.be/YVk8bc-TV3Y (min 27.40)
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you meant the grayscale test she showed? I couldn't find the graphic she used, but here is a different one. Both of these were at 100% brightness. The S9+ may have done a tiny bit better, but its really close.
Galaxy S9+
OP6t

sostendorf said:
I assume you meant the grayscale test she showed? I couldn't find the graphic she used, but here is a different one. Both of these were at 100% brightness. The S9+ may have done a tiny bit better, but its really close.
Galaxy S9+
OP6t
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man but from a screenshot is useless, it is shown as the same
I’ve seen from the Oneplus 6 review always from Erica that this shadow clipping effect is more affecting the S9 than the OP6.
But S8 was better than S9 on that so I hope that 6T doesn’t perform worse than 6
The image test is available in some display tester apps

Nikka93 said:
Thanks man but from a screenshot is useless, it is shown as the same
I’ve seen from the Oneplus 6 review always from Erica that this shadow clipping effect is more affecting the S9 than the OP6.
But S8 was better than S9 on that so I hope that 6T doesn’t perform worse than 6
The image test is available in some display tester apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, I wasn't exactly sure how to reproduce that test.

6t. All-around better experience

Hi!
I have Huawei P20 Pro, and it is a good phone but I want to try out another phone. And I think about to change my P20 pro to OP 6 or 6t but just untill near October because I want to buy a Pixel 4, 4XL, OP 7t or galaxy note 10.
Firstly the camera is important feature for me, and I know p20 pro has a better camera than the 6 or 6t but those phones has ported gcam so how good is that gcam?
And battery, speakers and the software is important to me as well, OP always has a good battery life so it's ok, speakers is weaker than the speakers on the P20 pro. But the software is a key part of OP Oxygen OS is great and I like it, and it's way better than the Emui which is a **** for me I hate basicly everything in Emui
What do you think, is it worth to change my phone for this couple of months or I should wait for the Pixel 4 or OP 7t?

If the camera or speakers are most important to you, then wait. The op6t is ok on both counts but coming from the pixel camera and speakers, you'll be disappointed. The Google camera app doesn't significantly improve the camera imo.

Actually the camera is important but the software is the second most important thing the speakers just good to have a good one.
And what about the screen?
It's amoled on the OP, and the P20 pro. And both of them has fhd+ resolution.
But which phone has better color reproducion or the viewing angle?

I personally love the screen on the op6t. The resolution/pixel density isn't as high but I'm of the opinion that it doesn't matter over a certain point. Something about the color saturation and white balance is pleasing imo.

If you got the money buy Note 9 or wait for... 10.

Switching away from MI A1. Which phone to go for next?

Hi,
I think it is kinda my fault, but this is the second time my screen broke from just 6 inch drop. And last service centre kinda screwed up the back panel so now camera gets dirty from inside.
Now, I am thinking instead of fixing the screen and back panel again, it is better to move to new device. Obviously Android one is a priority but not a big deal. I want to just find a phone with super fast charging and decent cpu for less than 20k INR. Couldn't give a crap about camera or selfies to be honest. So, I am focusing on oppo r17 pro and vivo v15 for now. Although I heard about mi's 100w charging. Is there any phone with that tech coming out in next few weeks? I guess I can hold off on the purchase till next month easy.
Anyway point is, I am looking for suggestions on a better phone to switch to. Something that doesn't bother with cameras and focuses on raw power or battery instead.

I'm looking at the Mi9 at this point. My Mi A1 is on the verge of unusable now. Battery still drains 30 to 40% overnight since android Pie and now my on-/off-button has decided to open my camera most of the time or just do nothing the remainder of the time. My GPS seems to always think that I'm driving on top of buildings or just doesn't find a signal. Apps like Google Maps have become so laggy that I can't even type text in the search bar.
Android Pie really ruined this device for me.

I would go for Pocophone f1.

I'd suggest the Mi 9t, or wait for the Mi Max 4.

My A1 is still perfectly fine, but I keep an eye open for a possible replacement. Android One and easy bootloader unlocking is a must for me, so this rules out almost all manufacturers. Nokia looks promising, but their stupid policy with bootloader unlocking prohibits any custom development. Pixel 3a is just a bit too expensive and doesn't have a SD card slot. I guess I'll just wait for Mi A3.. If I wouldn't care about root and related stuff, I would surely pick something from Nokia line.

Jt380p said:
I'd suggest the Mi 9t, or wait for the Mi Max 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why the Mi 9t? I feel like it's not as good as the Mi 9. What makes you move in that direction?

The issue is that price of phones are getting higher and higher everywhere... I first thought I would not buy Xiaomi anymore, but now when my A1 dies I'm thinking Mi A2 or hopefully A3 by then, if it's not too expensive (or A2/3 lite).
Android One is a must for me, I don't want any MIUI sh*t on my phone

denisval said:
Why the Mi 9t? I feel like it's not as good as the Mi 9. What makes you move in that direction?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because he stated under 20k?? (400aud)

denisval said:
I'm looking at the Mi9 at this point. My Mi A1 is on the verge of unusable now. Battery still drains 30 to 40% overnight since android Pie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mine drain 1-3% maxim overnight.
i think will be better if you found the source of consume and optimize your phone.

denisval said:
I'm looking at the Mi9 at this point. My Mi A1 is on the verge of unusable now. Battery still drains 30 to 40% overnight since android Pie and now my on-/off-button has decided to open my camera most of the time or just do nothing the remainder of the time. My GPS seems to always think that I'm driving on top of buildings or just doesn't find a signal. Apps like Google Maps have become so laggy that I can't even type text in the search bar.
Android Pie really ruined this device for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm looking at the Mi 9T right now. It's so damn hot. My Mi A1 is usable but not suitable for my developer stuff. Battery is OK, surprisingly no issues there. My power button is also nearly unusable, double or triple clicks 80% of the time, I feel your pain. My GPS also doesn't work like at all. It takes so much time to lock, it just constantly shows that I'm in my house, when I'm for example driving on a trip, 200+ KM away from my home city. In these moments it doesn't even know it doesn't work and sometimes it takes so long to lock location (I'm talking 10+ minutes) that I just end up asking someone else to give me their phone to check where am I. The device isn't laggy overall but the eMMC write speed has degraded 2-3 times and sometimes I get a significant stutter (unusable point) for something like 1-2 minutes until it fixes itself and continues working as usual.
Overall pretty great as a 1.5 year old budget phone, my past experiences have been worse. I'm looking into the Mi 9T.

_mysiak_ said:
My A1 is still perfectly fine, but I keep an eye open for a possible replacement. Android One and easy bootloader unlocking is a must for me, so this rules out almost all manufacturers. Nokia looks promising, but their stupid policy with bootloader unlocking prohibits any custom development. Pixel 3a is just a bit too expensive and doesn't have a SD card slot. I guess I'll just wait for Mi A3.. If I wouldn't care about root and related stuff, I would surely pick something from Nokia line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't agree more.
I'm waiting for Mi A3/A3Lite but I'm afraid I'm going to lose some of the features that made me "fell in love" with MI A1:
-Optical zoom
-SD card
-FM radio
-3,5 mm jack
-easy unlock method
-selling price <220$ (200€)
If Xiaomi will make a 2019 mid-range smartphone with these features (and possibly add some useful stuff like OIS or wide-angle camera) I'm going to buy it at day one.
But I don't think it's gonna happen

ZenFone 6 looks great. Fairly stock and amazing top specs

alsheron said:
ZenFone 6 looks great. Fairly stock and amazing top specs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
500€ here in Italy. I won't spend over 250€ for a phone.

For €250 you can either buy used phone or something from Xiaomi, Meizu and similar companies that sell cheap phones. If you like to put Custom ROM, look for a phone with good dev support.
I don't know, maybe RN7 Pro if you can get it...Or wait for Mi A3, it should be awesome phone and price is speculated to be around 280 USD which is around 250 Euros.

_mysiak_ said:
My A1 is still perfectly fine, but I keep an eye open for a possible replacement. Android One and easy bootloader unlocking is a must for me, so this rules out almost all manufacturers. Nokia looks promising, but their stupid policy with bootloader unlocking prohibits any custom development. Pixel 3a is just a bit too expensive and doesn't have a SD card slot. I guess I'll just wait for Mi A3.. If I wouldn't care about root and related stuff, I would surely pick something from Nokia line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personal Advice: Don't get a Nokia phone. I thought the new Nokia keep their phones overpriced because you're paying for quality and support. Not the case. I recommended Nokia phones to a few relatives, all got problems. Ranging from not charging from time to time, to much bigger stuff like not receiving notifications from messaging at all, even resetting the device and disabling battery optimization.
Many may disagree with me but Nokia phones, even ones part of Android One, are in fact NOT stock Android. It looks like Stock Android but it doesn't *feel* that way. There are soo many changes under-the-hood, the phone works worse than it should with "stock" Android. The software, as pure as it is, has sooo many glitches and I just don't know why. Updates fix and break things constantly. How can you mess up stock Android?! How does that even happen?!
At least in my opinion, Nokia phones from HMD Global bring tons of headaches and aren't reliable at all. Add the ultra high prices for what you get and it becomes the brand to avoid in all cases. Better just get another Android One. The best Android One phone right now IMO is the Motorola One Vision. Performance is little on the weaker side but is still 2x better than Snapdragon 625 and not much worse than a Pixel 3a. Otherwise the phone has an SD card slot, really solid cameras (again, subjective but photos seem excellent to my eye), good battery life, super attractive design with that hole punch, 21:9 screen and the ergonomic body and all that comes for a price right around 300 Euro (even less in some markets).

Thanks for the advice and warning. I will check Motorola in more details, just hope that it isn't as big as other Motorolas which I was considering before (at least I remember them being large ). Mi A1 is probably the biggest form factor which I accept. In fact I would prefer smaller phone, but such aren't really being produced anymore (or they're so crippled in HW that it doesn't make sense to buy them).

_mysiak_ said:
Thanks for the advice and warning. I will check Motorola in more details, just hope that it isn't as big as other Motorolas which I was considering before (at least I remember them being large ). Mi A1 is probably the biggest form factor which I accept. In fact I would prefer smaller phone, but such aren't really being produced anymore (or they're so crippled in HW that it doesn't make sense to buy them).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mi9 SE is a very good phone and it's not so big, but it lacks 3.5mm Jack and SD card. And it's not Android One.

_mysiak_ said:
Thanks for the advice and warning. I will check Motorola in more details, just hope that it isn't as big as other Motorolas which I was considering before (at least I remember them being large ). Mi A1 is probably the biggest form factor which I accept. In fact I would prefer smaller phone, but such aren't really being produced anymore (or they're so crippled in HW that it doesn't make sense to buy them).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have checked the One Vision in person and compared to my Mi A1 it's even smaller. It's the same height but it's narrower.

Vision one looked fine, until I found this post
https://forum.xda-developers.com/one-vision/help/restart-unlock-t3933674
I know that many phones have bugs, especially soon after their release, but bootloop just because of using fingerprint unlock or changing the default USB mode is a show stopper for me.
I will check the development progress from time to time, hopefully there will be TWRP and Magisk available soon and fixes to stock ROM. Luckily I am in no hurry to move from A1 at the moment, so I'll wait for A3 as well.

_mysiak_ said:
Vision one looked fine, until I found this post
https://forum.xda-developers.com/one-vision/help/restart-unlock-t3933674
I know that many phones have bugs, especially soon after their release, but bootloop just because of using fingerprint unlock or changing the default USB mode is a show stopper for me.
I will check the development progress from time to time, hopefully there will be TWRP and Magisk available soon and fixes to stock ROM. Luckily I am in no hurry to move from A1 at the moment, so I'll wait for A3 as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Come on! It's just one minor bug, don't act like A1 didn't have like million of these. It will surely be fixed in the next update. The One Vision is a great phone and I personally think Mi A series don't have anything to impress me anymore. In fact my next phone is NOT going to be an Android One. I'm more of a Xiaomi fanboy, so I'll go with the Mi 9T. I love MIUI, as weird as it sounds. But for people who need stock, I still recommend the One Vision.

Why I already sent my Note 20 Ultra back!

Well I am honestly shocked by this. I sort of expected the S20 Ultra not to meet my standards but not the Note 20 Ultra! Decided to stick with my Note 10+ for a bit until maybe Z Fold 2 or Note 20 Ultra drops in price or for another who knows how long.
Anyways thought I would share with you guys why I decided to stick with Note 10+ over the Note 20 Ultra.
First off the Note 20 Ultra is nowhere near a bad phone, much of an improvement over the S20 Ultra which I thought was junk. The main highlights of the device just didn't seem worth $1300+ to me.
Screen overall is literally just a hair bigger and actually a hair less vibrant and saturated then the Note 10.
Screen refresh rate still not sure why this is such a huge deal. Can you tell a difference? Yes slightly depending on what you are doing. Sort of like 4k on a tablet or small laptop really just not worth it imo
Cameras, oh yes the cameras. Glad to see the autofocus issue was fixed from the S20 Ultra and photos are great no matter what camera but the main sensor unless you are using the 108 mp for extreme detail and then you lose HDR look very similar to the Note 10. Only huge difference is the zoom lens on the Ultra and it is a big one. 5x zoom looks great and even 10x in most cases looks very good and usable. This is the only thing that made me actually want to keep the 20
Everything else is pretty much the same again as Note 10+ nothing else worth mentioning really
Few photos of the differences in whites and camera bumps and the pretty much same screens

shagy38 said:
I M also thinking Bout returning the note 20 ultra Nd sticking with my note 10 plus. The battery life isn't the great on the note 20
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still love my note 10 even after sending the ultra back. No regrets besides Samsung still hasn't issued me credit! Says they didn't receive phone smh

ok boomer

If i had the 512gb note 10 plus instead of 256 I may not have got the note 20 ultra either (did get 512gb on it) since i just basically needed the extra storage.
Note 10 plus is such a great device honestly and the 20 may have some advantages but its by no means a huge upgrade. More like a baby step upgrade lol.

You're also forgetting the 80% less latency time with the pen. So for me, that with huge camera improvements and 120hz refresh was a no brainer for me trading in my S10+. I notice the 120hz. It's a pretty big difference compared to 60hz Samsung panels.
Its not just the refresh rate increased but the touch response rate was increased a lot too. Samsung's touch response in on their 60hz displays just always seemed laggy to me.
On a side note the haptics are the best I have ever felt in a Samsung phone. On par with some of the best. I also love matte/frosted back phones too. Feels so good in the hand.
You are right about the vivid color saturation. I noticed that being a less too. I actually wrote an entire thread about it here. Now that I have the phone manually adjusting it 1 notch cooler in display settings and keeping manual brightness around 85-90% has resolved that for me.
So do you plan to wait for the Note 30? Or likely to get something else before that?

I understand why he's returning it. So far, I'm underwhelmed this year. And I've had a note every single year they made one.

oneandroidnut said:
Screen overall is literally just a hair bigger and actually a hair less vibrant and saturated then the Note 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree with your overall assessment, Samsung should have offered more colors in 512GB as that would have encouraged some Aura Glow users to bite for the upgrade. Can't believe no eSIM support(yet) either on the US model

AndroidPurity said:
You're also forgetting the 80% less latency time with the pen. So for me, that with huge camera improvements and 120hz refresh was a no brainer for me trading in my S10+. I notice the 120hz. It's a pretty big difference compared to 60hz Samsung panels.
Its not just the refresh rate increased but the touch response rate was increased a lot too. Samsung's touch response in on their 60hz displays just always seemed laggy to me.
On a side note the haptics are the best I have ever felt in a Samsung phone. On par with some of the best. I also love matte/frosted back phones too. Feels so good in the hand.
You are right about the vivid color saturation. I noticed that being a less too. I actually wrote an entire thread about it here. Now that I have the phone manually adjusting it 1 notch cooler in display settings and keeping manual brightness around 85-90% has resolved that for me.
So do you plan to wait for the Note 30? Or likely to get something else before that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Touch response should be the same as last year right? It was an improvement over s10 but note 10 I think.
I've never had a laggy flagship but I also disable a lot of stuff and have an unlocked unbranded one so that might help as well
I will give you haptics they felt very good, not that the other devices Samsung makes are bad it felt like an upgrade for sure. $1300 one though no lol
Screen color is weird not sure what's going on there and maybe I will get a fold 2 or keep waiting who knows
dottat said:
I understand why he's returning it. So far, I'm underwhelmed this year. And I've had a note every single year they made one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup note used to have so much innovation and now it's just a bigger s phone with a pen lol
VICosPhi said:
Agree with your overall assessment, Samsung should have offered more colors in 512GB as that would have encouraged some Aura Glow users to bite for the upgrade. Can't believe no eSIM support(yet) either on the US model
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I don't understand why the regular model went down from 256gb to 128gb. That makes no sense to me either and why can't I get a red one like India or wherever. They need to have more options in storage and colors.
Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk

I'm super concerned about this battery bit right off the bad. Getting worse results than my 1 year note 10+ that hadn't been factory reset in a long time. It appears the cpu never sleeps cores and 5g chews through a lot at the same time. So if I want the same battery life as my 10+ I have to shut off 5g and lock resolution to 60hz middle setting. After that, it might as well be a note 10 with a battery mod.

oneandroidnut said:
Touch response should be the same as last year right? It was an improvement over s10 but note 10 I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope its 240hz. Direct quote from GSM Arena review....
"This one comes with 240Hz touch sampling too for speedier detection of touch input."
https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note20_ultra_5g-review-2149p3.php
I believe all 60hz display Samsung phones were 120hz touch sampling before. Either way they were less than 240hz before.
But yeah the color profile is really the only issue I have with his phone. Although its not bad enough for me to return it. Especially since I love everything else so far.
If I keep it at 90% manual brightness, on vivid, with the color temp scale 1 notch cooler its improved. But its still not quite as good color profile as the One Plus 8 Pro I also have. Still good enough for now while I hope they put out a software update to tweak the color calibration of the vivid display mode.

AndroidPurity said:
Nope its 240hz. Direct quote from GSM Arena review....
"This one comes with 240Hz touch sampling too for speedier detection of touch input."
https://m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note20_ultra_5g-review-2149p3.php
I believe all 60hz display Samsung phones were 120hz touch sampling before. Either way they were less than 240hz before.
But yeah the color profile is really the only issue I have with his phone. Although its not bad enough for me to return it. Especially since I love everything else so far.
If I keep it at 90% manual brightness, on vivid, with the color temp scale 1 notch cooler its improved. But its still not quite as good color profile as the One Plus 8 Pro I also have. Still good enough for now while I hope they put out a software update to tweak the color calibration of the vivid display mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah so it looks like s20 and note 10 are 120hz so pretty decent so incremental improvement there each year. How's your battery life been? I can't say much as the couple days I used it didn't seem great but that doesn't mean anything. My note 10 is on its 14 hour and still at 44% battery left!! Don't think the note 20 would be able to top that
Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk

oneandroidnut said:
Yeah so it looks like s20 and note 10 are 120hz so pretty decent so incremental improvement there each year. How's your battery life been? I can't say much as the couple days I used it didn't seem great but that doesn't mean anything. My note 10 is on its 14 hour and still at 44% battery left!! Don't think the note 20 would be able to top that
Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't say for sure yet. But it seems good. Well into the good category for me. Certainly not excellent, but good.
Keeping it 90% brightness, haptics on, FHD @ 120hz adaptive, light theme, and my first full day today I got about 6.25 hours of SOT over course of about 16 hours.
I didn't take a screen shot, but plan to do more accurate monitoring over next couple days since I been so busy setting it up and exploring settings.

I got 7 hours of screen on time. That's pretty impressive! I was upset with battery life but today was awesome.
120 Hz
Mix of wifi and mobile data
Lots of pictures
Couple hours of YouTube
Auto brightness
Always on display on always show
Light theme on system, some apps dark themed
Normal day, honestly - so 7 hours was excellent!

Ok good that seems pretty good then!!

heres mine from 95% to 1%

Yes the color profile is awful. I need to trade in my note 8 which looks much more sharp and vivid.
So after speaking to Samsung and their sub repair shop. I have heard the following.
The display may have different tint because of the new gorilla glass, also there's a built in blue light filter to protect user eyes beside the one that u can toggle and last most of these emoled displays developing ghosting effect after long period of usage at hight brightness. Something that Samsung probably considering as it will be costly to start changing them for people who complains.
I have replaced twice on edge 7 and s8 phones.

cool story bro. I'm keeping my new phone.

Got my N20U 3 days ago, coming from a Mate 10 Pro. What a disappointment the Exynos version of this phone is.
Doing basic tasks like writing this very comment while a YouTube video is playing in the background heats the device up so much that I want to put it down again. The performance is fine if you set your screen to 120Hz, but that also drains your battery faster than anything else (and heats it up even more, yay!). 3h of SOT is a ****ing joke. Sure the S-Pen is responsive, the screen is nice, the device is snappy and rarely has any problems with things you throw at it, One UI is One UI, but is it worth the money? Absolutely not. Especially not if you have a Note 10+ or similar.
Don't even get me started on the camera. Capturing something at 4x zoom looks like a Van Gogh painting.
Second and last time I'm trying Samsung. Stay away from Exynos if you can.

I am between 2 and 3 hours of screen-on time and battery is at 70%. This is getting better by the day! Snapdragon here, but it was not nearly this good initially. Got over 7 hours of screen on time yesterday and today is looking to beat that!

My battery life has been pretty solid. I had the s20 ultra and the battery life on that was a hair better I think. In between these two phones I had the OnePlus 8 pro and the battery life on that was atrocious for some reason. So it has been a breath of fresh air to get great battery life again, lol.

My only gripe is no esim/nano dual sim. That was the main reason why I switched from Note 10+ after being told those features were present in the US model.

Moving from Pixel to 8P. What will I miss from the Pix platform ?

Hopefully this is the right thread to ask this question. Please move it, if I messed up!
===
My question is for former Pixel owners who jumped ships to OP. I am thinking to move from Pixel 3 to 8P but I am wondering what prominent features will I be missing? I understand that gcam mod is alive and well on OP platform, but what about tight integration with G assistant? Phone call screens, text spam protection? Is there anything else that someone could shed some light? How happy / unhappy you are with the switch?
Pixel is growing old on me. The high price for the specs are ridics; Google is having serious personality issues, hard to see the direction of where they are going with the phone. I think I am ready to move to a new phone.
thanks for helping me to make an informed decision.

I didn't miss anything and gained much more current higher spec's for my usage!

galaxys said:
I didn't miss anything and gained much more current higher spec's for my usage!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats a solid statement; thank you. Do you use screencall feature? Is it working straight up on OP or do you need to mess with modules / magdisk ? How is your gcam mod ( or you don't even use it ? )

Bought Pro8 at launch, I unlocked the bootloader and rooted with Magisk but I don't need twrp. Played with some modules which there are many.... Stock OOS is excellent, on A11 and I'm more than happy with the 1+ camera & use stock phone setup. Really I've never looked back and will get the Pro 9 next year....

galaxys said:
Bought Pro8 at launch, I unlocked the bootloader and rooted with Magisk but I don't need twrp. Played with some modules which there are many.... Stock OOS is excellent, on A11 and I'm more than happy with the 1+ camera & use stock phone setup. Really I've never looked back and will get the Pro 9 next year....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For some reason I used to get 10-20 spam calls a day, but with the screencall feature / automatic spam call rejection I get 0. My biggest fear is that I may be hurdling toward that situation, if I jump ships. Other than this, I feel I can live with everything else. 8P looks amazing. Thanks for the feedback!

Tell your what you won't miss, that awful battery life
10 hours SOT on most days here.
Really good phone, I can't fault it.
As others have said root is a breeze and the community is pretty active so there's that too.
You might miss the camera for point and shoot but you can take some phenomenal pics on the 8 Pro.

I just moved to OnePlus 8 Pro recently from Pixel3XL. This phone is a treat to use daily and everything works nice and stable. Couple of misses so far:
1. Losing widevine L1 after unlocking bootloader
2. No RCS on Google Fi on OP8Pro as of now (>7 months after release).
3. ROM update with root is a bit (only slightly) more of a pain than on Pixel where I had an automated script based update coded using ADB.
For Camera, I use both the stock and GCAM port. GCAM port gives more detail in shots just like on P3XL. I am happy with the camera performance so far.
Biggest hits so far:
1. What a treat that display with 120Hz refresh! Wow!
2. Just smooth, no hiccups performance! I think 12GB RAM helps here quite a bit. 4GB of P3XL just wasn't enough
3. Battery life!

I moved from Pixel 3 XL to a Samsung Galaxy S10 for a few months, then jumped to the 8 Pro as quickly as I could (that S10 was the worst phone ever!).
I miss the Camera. The camera quality was definitely better. A lot of times i would take pictures, and i'd crop out smaller areas because they were what i was really going for, and even though that meant zooming in on an image, the fine details of the pixel images were so much better than any other phone that it looked like a picture from any other phone, its something thats terribly overlooked by almost everyone!
Battery life is better.
I do miss having a finger print reader on the back, i just like it better...
I miss the AOD, i think its better than what we have now on the OP, but its good enough. I still miss the one on the pixel though.
I think what i miss the most though is the front firing speakers! Anything else is trash, but "trash" seems to be common nowadays....
When it comes to things like phone call screening, i believe there's a way to get that on the OP, but i dont really care much for it. I've started using (and did so soon after getting the 3 XL) the app called "Should I Answer?". I set it up to reject all calls from numbers that arent in my phone. I get 20+ calls every single day, and even when i used the call screening, it just resulted in more work for me as they tried to get me on the phone. My new method allows people to leave a message. If its important, they will, and i'll call them back.

@PMad are your saying that the pixels battery is better than ? The 8 pro?
I agree on the camera though

> I miss the Camera. The camera quality was definitely better.
Compare GCAM on OnePlus 8 Pro with GCAM on P3XL. The photos get slightly more detailed on my OnePlus 8 Pro compared to my P3XL. In all aspects, they are identicle, with OP8Pro slightly better. Not sure if P5 would have given better results. But P5 is very disappointing for me.
Grab gcam for OP8Pro : https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/f/changelog1486/ version Arnova8G2, 2020-11-15)
I am very satisfied with the camera performance. Its not the best right now but neither is the Pixel.

Is NOW PLAYING functionality or any similar app available for OnePlus 8?

dladz said:
@PMad are your saying that the pixels battery is better than ? The 8 pro?
I agree on the camera though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the battery is better on the OP8Pro, but the optimization is better on the Pixel. On my Pixel's, all of them, i'd go all day and have roughly 25 to 40% battery left. I was getting slightly more then that with my OP8P until i upgraded to Android 11, now i have to charge up around 7 or 8pm because im at < 20%. Not sure what happened, i'll go into the battery options to see what used most of it, and there's only like... 10 things using at most 2% battery, so its a bit misleading, still not sure whats doing it.

PMad said:
I think the battery is better on the OP8Pro, but the optimization is better on the Pixel. On my Pixel's, all of them, i'd go all day and have roughly 25 to 40% battery left. I was getting slightly more then that with my OP8P until i upgraded to Android 11, now i have to charge up around 7 or 8pm because im at < 20%. Not sure what happened, i'll go into the battery options to see what used most of it, and there's only like... 10 things using at most 2% battery, so its a bit misleading, still not sure whats doing it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you wipe after the 11 upgrade?
Always best to have a fresh start between bases.
I average about 2 days and about 8-10 hours SOT
Obviously comes with a fair bit of tweaking but yea that's my average..
Currently actually running pixel experience on 11 and battery has been lessened, idle is superb but any kind of work I give the phone burns more battery than what OOS did.
Maybe it'll improve with updates and or a different kernel.

dladz said:
Did you wipe after the 11 upgrade?
Always best to have a fresh start between bases.
I average about 2 days and about 8-10 hours SOT
Obviously comes with a fair bit of tweaking but yea that's my average..
Currently actually running pixel experience on 11 and battery has been lessened, idle is superb but any kind of work I give the phone burns more battery than what OOS did.
Maybe it'll improve with updates and or a different kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope! There's a chance that's contributing to the issue, but i have a few other things i think are causing it. I'm too lazy to dig into it though haha, i dont mind charging it in the evening.

devsk said:
I just moved to OnePlus 8 Pro recently from Pixel3XL. This phone is a treat to use daily and everything works nice and stable. Couple of misses so far:
1. Losing widevine L1 after unlocking bootloader
2. No RCS on Google Fi on OP8Pro as of now (>7 months after release).
3. ROM update with root is a bit (only slightly) more of a pain than on Pixel where I had an automated script based update coded using ADB.
For Camera, I use both the stock and GCAM port. GCAM port gives more detail in shots just like on P3XL. I am happy with the camera performance so far.
Biggest hits so far:
1. What a treat that display with 120Hz refresh! Wow!
2. Just smooth, no hiccups performance! I think 12GB RAM helps here quite a bit. 4GB of P3XL just wasn't enough
3. Battery life!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Automated script based update?

I came from the Pixel 2 XL only thing i miss is the call screen where you could have your assistant answer the phone. And its really not that big of a deal

OnePlus 8 Pro proud owner.
Let's say that you take 9 Pro in march 2021.
You will have the latest and the best hardware on the market. Maybe we will get Zeiss lens for camera.
Phone is well build and looks good.
Oxygen is awesome OS! Also, except Google OnePlus is the first to get software upgrades.
Battery is decent. But that depends on the user...
Warp charging 30w/6A, there is no need to explain... And it will go to 65w or more.
Now, from 8 Pro we got 30w wireless charging. That is Great! And it will go to 45w or more.