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[Q] anyone have ZGPAX S6?!

Please i want to buy this one, but i can't find any reviews on it at all..
I hope anyone can help me to make right decision..
Thanks in advance
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

From what I can find it's an MT6577. The MT6577 is a two year old chip that if you look at the S5, EC-309 and other threads, is known for issues when it comes to smartwatches. MediaTek also has a habit of packaging half finished firmware with security holes and BT issues.
Money vs overall device, you would be better off looking at a MT6572 or MT6582 based standalone smartwatch. And if all the MediaTek based smartwatch devs can get together then I expect a number of issues to go away.

Ok thank you loki for this deep knowledge information...
So can you recommend me a standalone one with this price range has better specs or at least with more recent chip?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

the zgpax s5 has a thread and it seems to be a good watch. I dont think that the company producing this watch would make the s6 worse than the s5, if anything it should be better than the s5. I plan on buying this in a few weeks.

m34n1ng said:
the zgpax s5 has a thread and it seems to be a good watch. I dont think that the company producing this watch would make the s6 worse than the s5, if anything it should be better than the s5. I plan on buying this in a few weeks.
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Click to collapse
I am not sure how good the S6 is, but I was very interested. My only issue with all current Android 3G phone watches is that they seem to have the same specifications, which based on an earlier response, is a dated technology, and I wonder if it really is worth $130+ USD, when you can get smartphone with much better specs for less money.
What intrigues me with the s6 is that it seems to have the look I will be expecting from the rumored Samsung Galaxy Solo due out later this year.
I for one am opting for a Kickstarter phone watch (the XS-4) that seems to be a quantum leap in technology (MTK6592 octo-core processor, Android 4.4, waterproof and LTE among other neat specs.). Granted it sells for over $250 USD and it a Kickstarter campaign.
I gave up on the XS-4 and I have bought myself the CL-W211, which is another branding of the Zgpax S6. I will review it once I get it in a few weeks.

probstc said:
I am not sure how good the S6 is, but I was very interested. My only issue with all current Android 3G phone watches is that they seem to have the same specifications, which based on an earlier response, is a dated technology, and I wonder if it really is worth $130+ USD, when you can get smartphone with much better specs for less money.
What intrigues me with the s6 is that it seems to have the look I will be expecting from the rumored Samsung Galaxy Solo due out later this year.
I for one am opting for a Kickstarter phone watch (the XS-4) that seems to be a quantum leap in technology (MTK6592 octo-core processor, Android 4.4, waterproof and LTE among other neat specs.). Granted it sells for over $250 USD and it a Kickstarter campaign.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing to look for when buying a android watch phone, is that you don't necessarily look for the newest / fastest but rather to acknowledge there WILL be compromises between price, battery life, performance due to the size of the watch.
things you want:
1. battery life
2. waterproof/resistance
3. at least dual core
4. at least 512mb ram
5. at least Android 4.0
things you DONT want
1. LTE or even 3g
2. octo-core
3. short battery life
4. single-touch capacitive display
The xs-4 failed aboved also its kickstarter... if you ever get it it'll be 2 years from now and it'll still be old tech and bad battery life.
s5/6 is an okay product however its battery life is problmatic..
like the other guy said, much better to look for a mtk6572 device which should cost ~$200 online.

beggerking said:
The thing to look for when buying a android watch phone, is that you don't necessarily look for the newest / fastest but rather to acknowledge there WILL be compromises between price, battery life, performance due to the size of the watch.
things you want:
1. battery life
2. waterproof/resistance
3. at least dual core
4. at least 512mb ram
5. at least Android 4.0
things you DONT want
1. LTE or even 3g
2. octo-core
3. short battery life
4. single-touch capacitive display
The xs-4 failed aboved also its kickstarter... if you ever get it it'll be 2 years from now and it'll still be old tech and bad battery life.
s5/6 is an okay product however its battery life is problmatic..
like the other guy said, much better to look for a mtk6572 device which should cost ~$200 online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice, and BTW, because it was "too good to be true" and failed other Crowd Funding efforts, I have abandoned the pledge for the XS-4. With just over 44 pledges and two days left on Kickstarter, I think that there is too much risk with this product. I also have memories from my previous pledge for the Neptune Pine, which has turned into a fiasco - Fortunately I took there offer for a full refund when they failed to meet their first delivery dates.
In the meantime, I did order the CL-W211 (exactly the same watch as the Zgpax S6), and when I receive it, I will add a review.

Review of the Zgpax S6
needo said:
Please i want to buy this one, but i can't find any reviews on it at all..
I hope anyone can help me to make right decision..
Thanks in advance
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is a review of the ZGPAX S6:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_-1Nfp3gCo

19mm thick
probstc said:
Here is a review of the ZGPAX S6:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_-1Nfp3gCo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For $129, i can live with the low screen resolution and the 2MP cam, but it's19mm thick, shame, far too thick for me.
Other then that, i would have purchased it, cuz all seems good for the price. :good:

needo said:
Please i want to buy this one, but i can't find any reviews on it at all..
I hope anyone can help me to make right decision..
Thanks in advance
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just received my ZGPAX S6 today (labelled CL-W211), and here are my first impressions:
Pros:
- Bloatware free, full Android 4.04
- Screen is bright, easy to read and responsive
- Device has decent performance for such modest specifications
- So far all the features tested have work. I still have to test the GPS.
- Speaker quality is excellent
Cons:
- Battery life is terrible, especially if you use many of the phones features at once
- WiFi reception is very weak
- Build quality is not the best and makes you wonder about durability
- Chinese instructions and power plug were useless and a bit of a joke considering where the device was being shipped to
I think this watch phone has potential, and will serve me well as a proof of concept until more sophisticated models are released.

The zgpax s5 or sy have both not 2 finger multitouch?
Sometimes in videos it looks like it has.

Updated review on the ZGPAX S6
After having my S6 for the past 8 months, I am sad to report that my original concerns about quality build were justified, as the camera is no longer functional, and the original batter no longer holds a charge (I had to buy a spare one). What is most infuriating is the fact that ZGPAX has released an updated S6, using the MTK6572 processor, and therefore able to run Android 4.4, whereas the original S6 is limited to Android 4.04.
I even think the whole concept of a smartphone on a watch was flawed, as the ZGPAX failed in usability: It is difficult to have a device that when not used can last a reasonable amount of time, but the moment you do anything on it, the battery drains almost instantaneously. Also, while I love compact devices, a 1.54 inch screen is too small even for those with the best eyesight. Having a smart watch paired with a smartphone is still a decent option, but forget an all-in-one solution!
I have moved on (technologically), but to me this was the last straw in buying cheap Chinese tech, especially when the manufacturer abandons the product. For those who read this and are considering buying the ZGPAX S6, you have been warned.

Thanks for this post. But one has to really point out that for the price for such a watch and the fact that it is a "no name" brand. ie unbranded really. One would expect around 8 months to 12 months usage. It is not bad that your lasted for 8 months. It can now serve as a AP-tettering point connected to a small powerbank since it is still functional even with a very weak or non-functional battery. If you buy a branded product at 2.5 times the price, then expect that to last 2 years or around that. I expect most would switch after a year. It is no different from a phone where yearly switching seems to be the norm for many and a phone is clearly 3 to 4 times to price of the watch. My S8 is going on 7 months and I will replace it or add another in 6 months or so when the Android Wear software really comes of ago with funtionality and battery life. I really need a GPS-track on watch to last a full 12 hours on one charge. For now the Garmin Vivoactive looks like the closest match, but I will hold off for the next iteration. The screen is lower resolution as I expect 320X320 at the very least.

Is The Zenfone2 Still Worth Buying Now?

So new phones have come out like the ZUK Z1 and OnePlus2 etc
The Zenfone2 competes quite well with these, especially on price - however is it still worth buying considering how small the battery is and the draining issues?
Otherwise the Zenfone2 actually has some advantages over the newer releases like having MicroSD and NFC and FM Radio and even has a 128Gb model!

I got the 128 gb edition and my love for it, only grows daily. Battery life is good and its not exactly that bad, at 3000 mAh. I can get a day out of it easily and even if i drop below that? The Asus are among the fastest charging phones around. and even 20 mins on a charger will give 7-8 hours.

1 Day battery life (- 70-80%) on heavy usage, 2 days on medium / light usage. Everything as expected and better than my Galaxy Note before.

I am very happy with it. Worth buying, more than other brands, if you get it outside Europe.

Personally if i have to buy a phobe again i wouldnt buy the zenfone 2 again i wpuld wait for the nexus 5x

I couldn't stand the stock ROM but now that I've flashed something else I'm happy with it. Asus did include some nice extras in the stock ROM but there was bloat installed and the software gave me issues. Now that I have something else flashed I'm quite happy with my phone. It would be nice to get a pure Android experience without ask the the flashing, but for the price the phone if still quite good.

I highly recommend you buying this Zenfone, in my case it was the only phone for a low budget (212€) that has 4G for Latin america (something that was very important for me), its performance really competes with Snapdragon's high end chips and besides the bloatware and the not-very-bad software, Asus provide frequent updates, and moreover, they release their source. Most phones of this price lack of this personalization at this budget. The battery life measurement is very subjective, but in my case I always reach the end of the day, with almost 5hr SOT. The Oneplus and ZUK they are still much expensive (I'm using Z008).
Enviado desde mi ASUS_Z008 mediante Tapatalk

Depends on what you want it for and how long you're going to keep it. Personally I should have waited and bought something different. One thing they do have going for this phone is tons of bands. I needed a dual sim that works in the US and Europe and they had the bands. I like having 64gb plus a card though I never use that much space anyhow. I don't care about NFC to use android pay because it takes less time to pull out my cc. Don't use the FM radio because I have my music plus amazon prime. So those things are immaterial for me when looking for a phone. I liked the Zuk however both of the phones listed above have very limited bands turned on. I usually keep my phones about 2-3 years before buying a new one, since the Zenfone used subpar and outdated hardware I'll be looking for a new one next year. Money not well spent this time around.

That is always a good question about phones... As far as the Zenfone 2, I have to say yes it is still a contender in its price range. $199 for the 2g/32g model is amazing. $299 for the 4g/63g model is also impressive but at the $300 price range Motorola starts to edge in. The biggest problem with the Asus, is the bloatware. I think a pure android version would be the cat's meow.
On a personal note, I always had issues with the Bluetooth working correctly. I just gave mine to my daughter (upgraded her S4). I bought a Moto X PURE and have not looked back but then again I have $450 in my new phone so when you look at it money wise the Asus wins hands down but for $150 more I got 4k screen a better camera and the bluetooth WORKS flawlessly. So based on my experience, I would save up and spend the extra $150 for that phone.

I'm happy with my purchase and I think it's a very very solid phone. Performance is absolutely top notch on stock or any custom rom. Battery is hit or miss, but generally good on stock. It feels pretty good in the hand, and the plastic on the back is surprisingly high quality. Screen is good, though obviously not the best. It's got good colors though, especially on CM or if you crank up the saturation a bit on stock. I'd buy the phone now if you're just looking for a relatively future-proof phone. It's got specs at a great price that'll get you through the next couple of years pretty easily and the fast charging on this thing is insanely fast.
That being said, personally, I'd like to switch to something with a fingerprint scanner. I really want a fingerprint scanner. If there's a ZF3, I'm hoping it has one.

what you pay what you get. i think it is a better phone than iphonelol

While I really do like the phone, and my complaint level is very small, if you're a true Android lover, your best bet is the new Nexus 5x or 6P. Latest and greatest OS, and functionality. Plus you know the update model as soon as Google releases it.
Asus....Has been a little cloudy about whether or not we'll see 5.1 or 6.0....Yes, the argument of 5.0 works fine, but why wouldn't you want the latest and greatest features / bugfixes if the hardware is more than capable of running them?

goolac said:
On a personal note, I always had issues with the Bluetooth working correctly. I just gave mine to my daughter (upgraded her S4). I bought a Moto X PURE and have not looked back but then again I have $450 in my new phone so when you look at it money wise the Asus wins hands down but for $150 more I got 4k screen a better camera and the bluetooth WORKS flawlessly. So based on my experience, I would save up and spend the extra $150 for that phone.
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Click to collapse
Hi goolac, im planning about buying ZF2 in a near future. However, i use, most of the time, bluetooth features, since i have a bt headset that i use to listen to music and make calls. Your personal note worried me about having bad experience listening to music. Could you, please, tell me more about what kind of problem you usually had while using bluetooth?thx in advance
Enviado de meu XT1069 usando Tapatalk

Sottam said:
Hi goolac, im planning about buying ZF2 in a near future. However, i use, most of the time, bluetooth features, since i have a bt headset that i use to listen to music and make calls. Your personal note worried me about having bad experience listening to music. Could you, please, tell me more about what kind of problem you usually had while using bluetooth?thx in advance
Enviado de meu XT1069 usando Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Sure... I use BT in my car, work, home and recreational. My ZF2 (4/64 ze551) always took nearly a minute to connect to my bt headset/earpiece. My Stereo bt headset sounded ok but would stutter a lot based on movement. So far with my moto X pure, I have had no issues. I even factory reset the phone to make sure it was not just a glitch but the issues remained. 4 of the past 5 patches have has some form of tweak for bt.

I have a ZF2 (2GB model) and I pair my phone with my Pioneer car radio, BT headphones and a BT speaker without any issues. I think the poster above may have a lemon.
If it was a wide spread issue there would be tonnes of threads on here and Zentalk regarding BT problems.

In the $200 price range, the only thing that comes close is the 2GB Moto G 3rd gen, but I agree that Zenfone's weakness is the bloatware.
One can dream a clean stock Android M build, don't we?

i have no issues with Bluetooth. works just perfect with everything i tried. i bought my device from alibaba "ebest shop". i paid only 235$ for 64gb version and it is brand new... great phone so far..

goolac said:
Sure... I use BT in my car, work, home and recreational. My ZF2 (4/64 ze551) always took nearly a minute to connect to my bt headset/earpiece. My Stereo bt headset sounded ok but would stutter a lot based on movement. So far with my moto X pure, I have had no issues. I even factory reset the phone to make sure it was not just a glitch but the issues remained. 4 of the past 5 patches have has some form of tweak for bt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx for the explanation! Im moving from a moto G second gen because of it is too limited and since 5.0 update it become worse. If i play some music on spotify and open any app it starts to slutter or even worse kill the player process due to lack of RAM. My fear is having bad experiences with ZF2... only one more question, which model of Moto X do you have?

lowridin_guy said:
I have a ZF2 (2GB model) and I pair my phone with my Pioneer car radio, BT headphones and a BT speaker without any issues. I think the poster above may have a lemon.
If it was a wide spread issue there would be tonnes of threads on here and Zentalk regarding BT problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope its true since in my country the only worthy buying these days is the ze2. And i dont want to be frustrated while using bluetooth feature.
About being a wide spread issue, i think differently. I had a LG L7 II. This device had a poor bt sink quality. It came configured from factory to set audio through bt quality to medium and nobody on xda had commented about that. That's why i came here before buying, in order to know the possible problems i may face when i buy ZE2.

i dont have battery issues. i suppose people with super heavy use would use up the battery in 10 hours or so. But for the average user, the battery will last 24 hours or more with no trouble. Charge it once a day and there is no issue at all. Plus the fast charger does the job in like 30 minutes. Such a non issue that all the $700 iphone dicks like to mention.
the zenfone 2 is fantastic. no doubt i would buy it again....as a matter of fact, i did for a xmas gift

Rydeen HUs

Hi all.
I've been really excited about the idea of installing a fully Android HU in my Jeep and have been doing quite a bit of research. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with Rydeen radios. In contrast to other Android HUs, this is an American company (although I don't know where production may be), and their products look really solid. Can anyone comment on their radios?
Thanks.

small screen
crappy specs (dual core, low res screen)
i wouldn't waste my time. some chinese android HUs are well supported by their sellers, such as carjoying. They can also be purchased on amazon with prime, so you still have purchase protection. I'd rather do that then buy one of these just b/c it's an american company.

Hisma said:
small screen
crappy specs (dual core, low res screen)
i wouldn't waste my time. some chinese android HUs are well supported by their sellers, such as carjoying. They can also be purchased on amazon with prime, so you still have purchase protection. I'd rather do that then buy one of these just b/c it's an american company.
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Click to collapse
Hmmm... Well, if the quality and support are there, there's nothing wrong with those Chinese brands, I guess. How is the quality of things like buttons and knobs on the Chinese radios? Any brand in particular that's recommended?
Thanks for the feedback.

The Rydeen HU DVA6 is made in China but it is actually a pretty nice unit.
The screen is a WVGA (800 x 480) 6.2" capacitive touchscreen display which is not bad for a car HU. I have one an like the hardware but would be much happier if we could get it on XDADev as a supported device so people could improve the software. The Cortex A9 DualCore 1GHz ARM Processor is slow but with some optimization, it could really do quite a bit. It would be nice if mikereidis would do a android auto build for it.

Advice whether to still buy the Axon 7 in 2018

I have been looking to buy a new mobile phone since my LG G3 bit the dust a few months ago. The one that piqued my interest is the Axon 7 due to the audio hardware (dual DAC and stereo front speakers) which is the one thing I use my mobile for above everything else. I have been looking at the LG G6 with its quad DAC also but the cost difference is hard to ignore especially if the Axon can give me what I am looking for.
I realise that ZTE have discontinued the manufacturing of the Axon 7 but they are still available from some vendors and rumours have arisen about its successor appearing soon. ZTE is allegedly also releasing Oreo to the 7 in April.
So due to an eventual show of the 8, do you think I would be better waiting through January for the Axon 8 or just pulling the trigger on an Axon 7 right now?
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

What's your budget? If you're willing to go higher than $400, I'd say get one of the OnePlus phones. Released this year. They have an exceptional dev community (not that ours is bad but theirs is just incredible), and the phones are remarkably solid, especially given the price.
If you're on a budget, then yeah, get the Axon 7 or one of the older OP devices (OP3/3T). You wouldn't have the amazing audio you get with the Axon, but the phones are really, really good.
The Axon 7 is still getting dev support, which is great, but I don't think we'll get to see Android P on our device. Many devs are already losing interest and some people in the community are driving the ones that are left away.
Another option to consider is a used LG V20, which had amazing audio as well.

I am a poweruser so I tend to root my devices almost straightaway usually with magisk so I can use V4A.
I was tempted by the OnePlus 5T and it probably wouldn't be out of my budget, it looks like a really solid phone but with the reports of poor sound quality, lack of DAC and no SD card slot it just didn't fit the bill for me.
I did check out the LG v30 and the specs are an absolute beast on that but alas...so is the price being new on the market lol. The Samsung S8...ERM no...I vouched after they started the bit locking fiasco on the S4 I would never buy another Samsung.
The LG G6 is good for audio but even LG have started regionalizing features now.
These are partly the reason I decided mid to low tear was enough for me as they are easily obtainable from China sim free without ties to contracts and they have a habit of producing good value devices which compete with stupid money flagships.
I am trying to avoid going down the root of second hand devices as I am a big believer in you usually buy someone else's problems especially with manufacturer obsolescence being on the tongues of every techy these days. Its bad enough with the non replaceable batteries in devices!
Bang for buck the Axon 7 is still very desirable...its just the audio I can't ignore and for the price. Bit of a shame that the dev community is losing interest in the axon 7 though, seems a really solid device.
@Gases hope you don't think I am a whining my friend, just me obsessing about my next device lol
So do you think its worth waiting for the Axon 7's successor?
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

My view from a value consious type is that the A7 is great hardware for the money and importantly, it still runs fast. Getting O may help keep a little development on it but stock is good anyway. I personally wouldn't buy an LG phone, too many successive devices with serious problems like bootloop which never seems to be fixed. LG don't want their phones to last long.
If you're not the sort of person who must have the latest, then for the price the Axon 7 is still a compelling buy.
If you only choose a phone from the list of Daydream certified devices you ensure a well rounded performance and decent sensors etc. It really comes down to how much you want to spend and nothing much can touch the A7 for value versus it's real world performance. Forget benchmarks and all that junk, it's all numbers and running an Axon keeps reliable performance unlike say, a Samsung which will get the stutters sooner or later. I'm keen to see the O update being closer to stock Android on my Axon, but even on B09N it is still smooth and responsive leaving no reason to even consider buying anything else.
All that being posted, I would like to see the next flagship Axon but like all brands, ZTE will try to grow their price tag as public perception improves. Just look at Huawei as an example. Got too expensive and now put themselves beyond my price level. Wouldn't consider Samsung, HTC and all the others keeping prices double what they should be.

beastobadness said:
I am a poweruser so I tend to root my devices almost straightaway usually with magisk so I can use V4A.
I was tempted by the OnePlus 5T and it probably wouldn't be out of my budget, it looks like a really solid phone but with the reports of poor sound quality, lack of DAC and no SD card slot it just didn't fit the bill for me.
I did check out the LG v30 and the specs are an absolute beast on that but alas...so is the price being new on the market lol. The Samsung S8...ERM no...I vouched after they started the bit locking fiasco on the S4 I would never buy another Samsung.
The LG G6 is good for audio but even LG have started regionalizing features now.
These are partly the reason I decided mid to low tear was enough for me as they are easily obtainable from China sim free without ties to contracts and they have a habit of producing good value devices which compete with stupid money flagships.
I am trying to avoid going down the root of second hand devices as I am a big believer in you usually buy someone else's problems especially with manufacturer obsolescence being on the tongues of every techy these days. Its bad enough with the non replaceable batteries in devices!
Bang for buck the Axon 7 is still very desirable...its just the audio I can't ignore and for the price. Bit of a shame that the dev community is losing interest in the axon 7 though, seems a really solid device.
@Gases hope you don't think I am a whining my friend, just me obsessing about my next device lol
So do you think its worth waiting for the Axon 7's successor?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you say that you use your phone for music, what do you really mean? Hi-res, or just FLACs? With V4A or stock?
The AK4490EN is capable of like 768 kHz/32 bit, but ZTE limited to a hideous 96 kHz/16 bit...
Still it sounds much, MUCH better than a standard Snapdragon DAC. Even on custom ROMs. And even more so on custom ROMs with V4A, if you're using MP3s.
I think you have to completely avoid midrange devices. The best choice is to get a high-end CPU even if it's one generation old. The SD6xx series are a world apart in terms of performance.
Also, why do you say that the dev community is losing interest? We lost 1 or 2 devs this year. It was always rather weak, but we're a cozy community and seemingly managed to push enough to get ZTE to get a working Camera2 API and some other stuff (time will tell).

RobboW said:
My view from a value consious type is that the A7 is great hardware for the money and importantly, it still runs fast. Getting O may help keep a little development on it but stock is good anyway. I personally wouldn't buy an LG phone, too many successive devices with serious problems like bootloop which never seems to be fixed. LG don't want their phones to last long.
If you're not the sort of person who must have the latest, then for the price the Axon 7 is still a compelling buy.
If you only choose a phone from the list of Daydream certified devices you ensure a well rounded performance and decent sensors etc. It really comes down to how much you want to spend and nothing much can touch the A7 for value versus it's real world performance. Forget benchmarks and all that junk, it's all numbers and running an Axon keeps reliable performance unlike say, a Samsung which will get the stutters sooner or later. I'm keen to see the O update being closer to stock Android on my Axon, but even on B09N it is still smooth and responsive leaving no reason to even consider buying anything else.
All that being posted, I would like to see the next flagship Axon but like all brands, ZTE will try to grow their price tag as public perception improves. Just look at Huawei as an example. Got too expensive and now put themselves beyond my price level. Wouldn't consider Samsung, HTC and all the others keeping prices double what they should be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree on the LG thing, the G3 was a solid item on the outside but its internals were a different story...like I said manufactured obsolescence! Baking the motherboard on mine was its final death cry lol
Choose an username... said:
When you say that you use your phone for music, what do you really mean? Hi-res, or just FLACs? With V4A or stock?
The AK4490EN is capable of like 768 kHz/32 bit, but ZTE limited to a hideous 96 kHz/16 bit...
Still it sounds much, MUCH better than a standard Snapdragon DAC. Even on custom ROMs. And even more so on custom ROMs with V4A, if you're using MP3s.
I think you have to completely avoid midrange devices. The best choice is to get a high-end CPU even if it's one generation old. The SD6xx series are a world apart in terms of performance.
Also, why do you say that the dev community is losing interest? We lost 1 or 2 devs this year. It was always rather weak, but we're a cozy community and seemingly managed to push enough to get ZTE to get a working Camera2 API and some other stuff (time will tell).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I should have made myself clear when I said mid to low tear phone, I was talking about price not internal specs. Totally agree the SD 820/821 chips might not be the latest and greatest but they are far from obsolete and still perform great... would be nice to have say an 835 but I am not in it for the numbers anyway.
As for my audio format, its a bit of a mix...minimum 320 Kbps to lossless, it really depends on where I got the files from. The max impedance on my best cans are 40 ohms so no studio level stuff.
As for the dev community losing interest...no offence intended, was only expressing my feelings on what I was told by Gases. Cosy is a good thing, its a powerful tool, means there is a passion for the product and if ZTE are listening...even better.
BTW happy new year!
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

beastobadness said:
Totally agree on the LG thing, the G3 was a solid item on the outside but its internals were a different story...like I said manufactured obsolescence! Baking the motherboard on mine was its final death cry lol
Sorry I should have made myself clear when I said mid to low tear phone, I was talking about price not internal specs. Totally agree the SD 820/821 chips might not be the latest and greatest but they are far from obsolete and still perform great... would be nice to have say an 835 but I am not in it for the numbers anyway.
As for my audio format, its a bit of a mix...minimum 320 Kbps to lossless, it really depends on where I got the files from. The max impedance on my best cans are 40 ohms so no studio level stuff.
As for the dev community losing interest...no offence intended, was only expressing my feelings on what I was told by Gases. Cosy is a good thing, its a powerful tool, means there is a passion for the product and if ZTE are listening...even better.
BTW happy new year!
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Click to collapse
You'll be OK with the Axon 7's DAC -its soundstage is clearly better and it has a lower noise level. The community is nowhere near dying out since most devs maintain only a few devices. And the SD820 still works good.
I don't believe the Axon 9 (I think they'll skip 8, like 2019) will be released before at least May or June. They said absolutely nothing aside from 'there will be a successor to the axon 7'.
Happy new year

I would say yes, I bought mine in Nov last year and it was delivered in Dec. I am loving it every minute with zero issues that I am unhappy with. I bought it to replace a buggy Zenfone 3 (midrange) and I am totally pleased with it.
Cost is a major factor as I had already spent a load of money on the ZF3; it cost the same as a current midrange device (Xiaomi A1) and yet performance is twice of current midrange devices (double benchmark and QHD screen). Yes, it is nearly a 2 years old flagship, but the question is do I need that much firepower from a current flagship? My answer is not really, yours maybe different.
I do not root my phones, had a really bad experience when I hard bricked a device due to faulty instructions and then I got laugh at by the "community". So I only update my devices officially.
I also do not update my devices to the "last" update as I had bad experiences where a device became crap with the final update (likely due to it not able to handle the load?). So I update them once out of the box, and that it. My Axon 7 was updated from B11 to B09 when I got it and it is likely to stay on B09 until the day it dies, unless the feedback on future updates are very positive here. Again, you may use yours differently.

If you disregard all the numbers and technicalities and just want a good sounding phone to play your MP3 library off, you can't go wrong with the Axon 7.
I mostly use bluetooth but do plug in still.
I did this afternoon in the car. Feeding music to the car hifi by wire sounds awesome, for sure it's better than bluetooth and louder too. I just use MP3 and can still clearly hear a difference.
You don't need to be swallowing up 50Mb a song with hi res FLAC files to justify owning the phone.

I've got my Axon7 last month to replace dying Meizu MX4Pro. Few thoughts on the buy.
A7 is fantastic mid-range phone, I've managed to get it quite cheap in almost new condition (~€230).
Performance wise it is brilliant, no hiccups or anything (bear in mind I was coming from Android 5.0 2014 phone )
Now, the sound. I have mixed feelings on this. I'll tell you why.
The speakers are great, but when I say sound quality I mean the headphone out. I didn't have much time to compare it to MX4Pro and my DAP (Cayin N3 - same DAC chip as A7) but I still feel that A7 is lacking a bit. Defo less power than my old phone (or the DAP), I need to crank up the volume to get the detail and dynamics level I want. I'll be trying it with my old C&C amp to see if it will improve.
Don't get me wrong, sound quality is very good, I think it is just the power. But again, my only reference is DAP which has lot more power and one of the most musical phones that was manufactured to date (MX4 Pro has ESS9018 DAC and OPA1612 as an amp).
To sum up - lovely phone with good sound, sound is definitely better than 99% phones out there. If you can get it cheap(-ish) and don't mind 2 year old hardware go for it.

Well it is done...Axon 7 EU version is on it's way! Oooo new shiny's lol and the wait begins
And I put a sneaky order in for the BOBOVR Z5 daydream headset just to test the water with VR and daydream.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

docentore said:
I've got my Axon7 last month to replace dying Meizu MX4Pro. Few thoughts on the buy.
A7 is fantastic mid-range phone, I've managed to get it quite cheap in almost new condition (~€230).
Performance wise it is brilliant, no hiccups or anything (bear in mind I was coming from Android 5.0 2014 phone )
Now, the sound. I have mixed feelings on this. I'll tell you why.
The speakers are great, but when I say sound quality I mean the headphone out. I didn't have much time to compare it to MX4Pro and my DAP (Cayin N3 - same DAC chip as A7) but I still feel that A7 is lacking a bit. Defo less power than my old phone (or the DAP), I need to crank up the volume to get the detail and dynamics level I want. I'll be trying it with my old C&C amp to see if it will improve.
Don't get me wrong, sound quality is very good, I think it is just the power. But again, my only reference is DAP which has lot more power and one of the most musical phones that was manufactured to date (MX4 Pro has ESS9018 DAC and OPA1612 as an amp).
To sum up - lovely phone with good sound, sound is definitely better than 99% phones out there. If you can get it cheap(-ish) and don't mind 2 year old hardware go for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What version of the A7 did you get? Is it on Nougat OS? If it's A2017G on Marshmallow it should improve on stock Nougat.

beastobadness said:
Well it is done...Axon 7 EU version is on it's way! Oooo new shiny's lol and the wait begins
And I put a sneaky order in for the BOBOVR Z5 daydream headset just to test the water with VR and daydream.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got mine yesterday in the post from gearbest as a reluctant replacement for my Nexus 6 .
Reluctant, as I wanted to 'upgrade' so had to be amoled, stereo speakers, qhd etc to at least match the beast of a Nexus 6.
Just been using today and smaller screen size takes a bit of getting used to, but sound via speakers is on par with Nexus 6 I'd say not yet tried plug in headphones. Screen is much better and the build quality too.
Very pleased so far.
This weekend may see me attempt boot loader unlock, TWRP, Magisk and Lineage install; although I must say the ZTE implementation isn't half bad, and thats on Marshmellow.
May I ask where you found it for sale? Seems most places out of stock now, and felt quite lucky to snap one up.

8eaker said:
Got mine yesterday in the post from gearbest as a reluctant replacement for my Nexus 6 .
Reluctant, as I wanted to 'upgrade' so had to be amoled, stereo speakers, qhd etc to at least match the beast of a Nexus 6.
Just been using today and smaller screen size takes a bit of getting used to, but sound via speakers is on par with Nexus 6 I'd say not yet tried plug in headphones. Screen is much better and the build quality too.
Very pleased so far.
This weekend may see me attempt boot loader unlock, TWRP, Magisk and Lineage install; although I must say the ZTE implementation isn't half bad, and thats on Marshmellow.
May I ask where you found it for sale? Seems most places out of stock now, and felt quite lucky to snap one up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fasttech had it listed...missed all the holiday discounts though and I think the fact that every other company have sold out has driven the price up on FT slightly but I am not really bothered...I am now hoping it slips past the folks at customs discreetly lol.
I need this to get here asap as my 5 yr old S4 is on its last legs...I think it must have caught something off my deceased LG G3 haha!
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

I've had mine 2 weeks, and absolutely love it. It replaced a Sony Xperia Z4 (with the 810 which allowed the phone to double as a hot plate, foot warmer or small space heater.) The sound is everything I expected from the Sony and never got. The screen is beautiful. Battery life is amazing. The Z4 had a max of 3 hours life, and this Axon 7 has seen me through 10 hour days listening to bluetooth most of the day, with 35% batttery left. I found mine on Amazon for $317, the box was scuffed up, but everything inside was pristine and untouched. I'm rooted with WRP, Substratum and Xposed. I have not felt the need to leave stock 7.1.1 as of yet.

Stock Nougat is quite good. I find that here a lot of people are way too trigger happy on the flash custom ROM scene. I only do it if the phone needs it. Custom ROMs usually have issues.
ZTE will release an official and reasonably light Oreo for it this year too.
I think after that, good custom ROMs will follow as they released O sources to a well known dev. I personally wouldn't be bothered with any current Nougat customs seeing as O is coming.

I will probably upgrade and run the axon 7 stock for a few months same as I did with my G3.
ZTE have certainly extended the axon 7's presence in the market though bringing Oreo to it, all the major brands would have EOL'ed support to a device by now especially with it starting on Marshmallow.
Has anyone had the need to swap the battery out yet?
I know there are a couple of good teardown vids on YT and it doesn't look too bad.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

RobboW said:
What version of the A7 did you get? Is it on Nougat OS? If it's A2017G on Marshmallow it should improve on stock Nougat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its A2017G on Nougat, it starts to grow on me. I've sold my DAP already because I like the sound so much.
RobboW said:
Stock Nougat is quite good. I find that here a lot of people are way too trigger happy on the flash custom ROM scene. I only do it if the phone needs it. Custom ROMs usually have issues.
ZTE will release an official and reasonably light Oreo for it this year too.
I think after that, good custom ROMs will follow as they released O sources to a well known dev. I personally wouldn't be bothered with any current Nougat customs seeing as O is coming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With my previous (pre MX4Pro) Android phones I was first to flash custom ROMs. But with A7 I'm happy so far with stock Nougat. Miss the root for few things, but I have too much stuff on the phone and too little time to bother with unlocking bootloader and rooting it as I understand I will loose all present data.
Now, when the Oreo comes, that might change

The best Android 8.0 head unit?

What is the best android 8.0 head unit?
My Xtron PX5 is going back due to a faulty wifi chip, so thought I'd check to see if there's anything better out there.

I only have experience with the Joying (Sofia 2gb) model and I like it. I'm considering upgrading to their new one. It isn't perfect... but it's good enough. Sometimes it crashes, there is bad English in the menus, and for some reason the password protect some settings which is very annoying... I wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't comfortable figuring it out. That being said, it's really been a great upgrade for my vehicle!

Wonder what's wrong with the faulty Wifi chip? I've had nothing but superb Wifi performance so far on my Xtrons.

faults like this happen all the time.
Dont suck xtrons **** just yet, only recently have their products become better. Because their 5.1 and 6.0 units where crap.

Pumpkin is an option.

Jedimindtriks said:
faults like this happen all the time.
Dont suck xtrons **** just yet, only recently have their products become better. Because their 5.1 and 6.0 units where crap.
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Click to collapse
Let's be honest, Xtrons, Eonon, Pumpkin, Joying, they're all pretty much of a muchness. They're all junk in some form of another. Just some junk is better than other junk. I had a good Erisin unit for many years, but then I've also had one or two bad ones.