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I wanted to love the N10 so bad. After the reviews came out, I was shocked to hear the reviewers say that the N10 screen is dim and a bit washed out. The screen on my GNexus is so fantastic and the Galaxy SIII has a even more beautiful screen.
How come Samsung couldn't come up with a brighter screen for the N10?? I am waiting to pick a display model and see for myself before I decide but this is a deal breaker for me. After you own a Prime/Infinity you can't go back to a dim screen.
Why put so much faith into a random review, even if it's from a reputable source?
People's opinions will differ so instead of listening to a review, just wait until you can test the device and check it out then.
KidCarter93 said:
Why put so much faith into a random review, even if it's from a reputable source?
People's opinions will differ so instead of listening to a review, just wait until you can test the device and check it out then.
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Unfortunately the anandtech benchmark wasn't good. 740 for contrast ratio is pretty low. That's more than just an opinion
Techie2012 said:
Unfortunately the anandtech benchmark wasn't good. 740 for contrast ratio is pretty low. That's more than just an opinion
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Benchmarks generally prove nothing at all. When deciding to get a phone, experience should always be more important then specs and scores.
If you're going to base all of your choices on what reviews, specs and benchmark scores say, you'll never end up getting a new phone.
KidCarter93 said:
Benchmarks generally prove nothing at all. When deciding to get a phone, experience should always be more important then specs and scores.
If you're going to base all of your choices on what reviews, specs and benchmark scores say, you'll never end up getting a new phone.
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+1
See it & play with it for yourself. Benchmarks aren't always updated & optimized. Reviewers aren't always unbiased. Try it doing the stuff that you would do with it to see if it will suit your needs...just like when shopping for TVs - take a video you know well to watch when comparing screens.
KidCarter93 said:
Benchmarks generally prove nothing at all. When deciding to get a phone, experience should always be more important then specs and scores.
If you're going to base all of your choices on what reviews, specs and benchmark scores say, you'll never end up getting a new phone.
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Click to collapse
Yes and I am planning to pick up a device in person at a store and see it for myself. But after several reviewers saying the same thing I'll have low expectations.
Most reviews call it the best screen out there or at least up with the iPad (screens made by Samsung), but still, no one's tested a final version yet, the way the HW performs it looks like performance is somewhat held back (battery optimization issue?), and that could mean screen brightness is held back. At the end of this month we'll have proper out-of-box tests and user reviews, so don't jump off the ship just yet.
It's possible that the reviewers have seen the anandtech stuff and so there's that power of suggestion going on there. Also, don't forget these reviewers are accustomed to the iPad absolutely destroying any other tablet they review in every way, so they are REALLY going to scrutinise this one more than any other device and go looking for any and every flaw they can. You can't blame them, really.
Of course, there is just the possibility that Samsung made a crappy display - but they are one of the leading HDTV manufacturers. All of the Sammy TVs I've seen are amazing on every front (surprisingly, even design, which seems a lot better than LG, Toshiba etc).
Speaking of which, why have Sammy not yet thought to borrow some of the design language from their TVs for their devices? They look brilliant, a lot better than a giant Note or Nexus would.
Google had the option to use Samsung's RGBW display that is both brighter and has higher contrast but they opted instead for a traditional RGB display. I'm curious to know the reasoning behind that.
Some interesting reading -
Samsung showcased two 10" 2560x1600 panels at the FPD expo last year, one with the PLS-LCD technology..., and the other with an RGBW matrix arrangement, which is essentially a PenTile version for LCD screens.
...it actually seems that Google wanted the RGB stripe type, as two reports quote its reps calling the Nexus 10 screen "True RGB Real Stripe PLS".
...the specs for the stripe matrix Samsung display quoted at the FPD expo were 300 nits vs 400 nits of brightness, since the PenTile arrangement is RGBW, with one clear (white) pixel that lets more backlight through... Besides this lower brightness, the RGB type was quoted to have 500:1 contrast, compared to 900:1 for the PenTile version.
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zinfinion said:
Google had the option to use Samsung's RGBW display that is both brighter and has higher contrast but they opted instead for a traditional RGB display. I'm curious to know the reasoning behind that.
Some interesting reading -
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Everyone's been left with a bad taste after PenTile showed how amazingly crap it can look on Sammy's 300+ PPI devices (unless the noise at low brightness is actually just OLED and not PenTile, in which case oopsie daisie).
Also, PenTile must have some downsides, otherwise people wouldn't keep saying they would never buy a PenTile device. 100 nits is not all that. The TF700's 600 nits or it doesn't matter.
via Tapatalk
I just received my Google Nexus 10 yesterday. After reading all the great reviews about the video quality I must admit I was shocked how poor it was. Don't get me wrong, it isn't awful by any stretch. The detail is certainly there and there is so much detail it might actually be detriment to the product because I can pick up compression artifacts and pixelization I didn't even know was there on some of my videos. However, this really leads in to what I think the source of the problem is on this device, that is, the black level. The first video I took a look at was Ice Age since it came with the N10. If black level is off on animations they can look washed out and it certainly did in this case. My projector on a 100" screen could actually reflect a better image in my opinion. Moving over to other videos like a 1080p MKV of Battleship displayed some improvement, but the poor black levels were still there. Oh, and I should mention this was with using MX Player.
So, are others seeing something similar? Again, I'm not trying to really downplay the image entirely because the detail is certainly there, but again, I'm disappointed by the black level. Is there possibly a way to adjust it that I'm not aware of? All I can seemingly find is Brightness and that doesn't do enough. Perhaps a gamma control would help? Any guidance from others is appreciated.
U get ice age free with N10?
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Premium HD app
verusevo said:
U get ice age free with N10?
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Yes.
2 posts? Troll?
Techie2012 said:
2 posts? Troll?
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Thanks for the welcome. Did people say the same about you when you had 2 posts? Trust me, your accusation is utterly ridiculous. This is simply my first Android device and this was my initial impression. I hoped that there might be some kind of workaround or fix so I simply did a Google search for a Nexus 10 forum and wound up here. As I allued to in my initial post there are plenty of things I like about the device and black level might not be a deal killer, but if there was a way to resolve it, why not pursue it?
Techie2012 said:
2 posts? Troll?
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Only 245 posts and a member since February of this year? You must clearly have very little to contribute anywhere since you don't have at least a 1k post count or year+ membership (sarcasm btw; post count and join dates means absolutely nothing in determining a person's status lol)
I believe a few others have mentioned black levels not being optimal on the N10. I myself don't really see it as a problem, but then again I rarely watch videos. I believe Contrast itself might be a better option to modify over Brightness, but I'm pretty sure Contrast isn't adjustable currently.
Possibly when Kernel development matures enough, we may be able to modify screen settings, but I don't think we're there quite yet. Maybe some video players might have an option for adjustments?
Those frequenting here have varying social skills. Be tolerant.
Suggest posting some pics of screen's black level, alongside another device used as a baseline. A thousand words and all that.
Also suggest searching Play store for "display settings" and try out the various widget/apps available.
That's seriously put me off buying this tablet now.
A poor black level can ruin video quality. I know this because my laptops black level is shocking bad, picture below.
Now I might either get a Note 10.1 or wait for something with a high res screen and a good black level.
Haha you guys are funny.
Anyway back to the original question, this device has a LCD screen, and like most LCD TVs, the black is not as black as you'd like or you would see on a PlasmaTV or Amoled screen.
If black levels are highly important to you, i'm sorry to say you bought the wrong device.
Ok, so I took a previous poster's advice and got a hold of an iPad3 with Retina Display and compared it against the N10. The difference was not as significant as I thought it might be. Ultimately, I didn't think either producing razor sharp images with inky blacks and that is because they don't my own HDTV's (LED) in my home along with my home theater projector crush both devices. Why? Well, first, I wasn't aware that the contrast ratio was so poor on all the tablet devices. Most of my other products have something like a 50,000:1 contrast ratio whereas the tablets are around 1000:1, a very big difference. Also, I'm accustomed to watching BluRays on those displays. BluRay quality just doesn't seem to exist on these tablets right now. So was I expecting too much from the N10? Yes.
Spending some time with both devices side-by-side allowed me to sort of critique both on my own terms and decide which one I like best. I'm probably an atypical user so my opinions here are my own and I don't expect others to find the same items valuable.
1. Display - the iPad wins here, but not by as much as I might have thought. Whites are more warm and not as bright on the N10 when compared to the iPad. Blacks are also better on the iPad, but I expected it to be a dramatic difference. It wasn't. I've included some images to this post that will help you see the difference a bit more. There are some images where the difference looks very pronounced, but that is the digital camera really exposing the faults of the N10 and making them appear more significant. I wouldn't say that is the case in reality. Also, something you'll notice from the images is the light leak. It is there on the N10, but not on the iPad. Too bad Samsung couldn't have done a better job here. It would have made it appear as a more quality product.
2. Form Factor - I find the form factor of the iPad better than the N10. I like to use portrait mode more often than most I think and the iPad gives you more space to work from horizontally when doing so. This makes web browsing much easier and I actually feel more cramped using the N10 to browse via landscape. I would MUCH prefer the N10 to have the iPad's shape.
3. Weight - I would have never thought 50 grams or whatever it is would make a difference, but to me it does and the N10 is a clear winner here. After handling both devices for some time I simply enjoyed holding the N10 more. The lightness made for a more enjoyable experience.
4. Rubber Backing - When I saw on this on the N10 I thought it was sort of a gimmick, but I really like it. Again, it just seems to feel more comfortable holding it.
5. Heat - I have no idea why, but the back of the iPad got pretty hot while using it. The N10 had some slight warmth, but ever since I've used it it has stayed relatively cool.
6. Speakers - The N10 really crushes the iPad here. The front two speakers are awesome and can push out good volume. Going back to the iPad with its rear mono speaker almost feels silly in comparison.
7. Web Browsing - The winner here is the iPad. Pages came up more quickly, they are easier to scroll through (only slightly), and are displayed better. In portrait mode the clear winner is the iPad since you have more horizontal space to work with, something I like.
8. Off-axis viewing - Not that you ever really need this because tablets are really made for a one person audience to be looking at the device head-on, but I did notice it. For whatever reason the iPad had a better image once you move off-axis from the device. The N10 was washed out more quickly as you moved off-axis.
9. Bugs - Oh man, Jelly Bean has them. I have essentially the base image on the N10 and I've already seen the battery information incorrect (stuck), freezes, my folders just disappearing after the device becoming frozen, and some other very quirky things. The iPad in comparison was stable. The iPad just feels a bit like driving a Lexus. It doesn't really do much to excite you, but it does what it is designed to do and does it well. The N10 is probably more like a BMW X6. Is it a sports car or an SUV? No one really knows. It does some things that are really neat, but in other categories it sort of falls apart. Just my own silly analogy.
So which will I keep. Based on all the criteria above I would say it is very close and probably a tie in my mind, but I'm leaning toward the N10. I'm not sure why, but I struggle a great deal with going to a closed environment like the iPad is. It feels boring to me and I just think I might enjoy tinkering with the N10 more. If I give it more thought I might change my mind, but for the moment this is where my head is.
I hope all this might help someone. If anyone has any questions about the comparison or the images please feel free to ask.
A lot people seem to crank the brightness even when they don't need it. The N10 with the back light turned up definitely has poor black levels but it's actually pretty decent when below 40%(more comfortable to view also)
I agree. I'm totally unimpressed by the video quality of Nexus 10. Maybe I'm doing something wrong here, but my older Galaxy Tab 2 P3100 had much better video quality than this. The colors are totally messed up and the it just seems bland and boring.
Frankly, I don't think this is an iPad killer in anyway, and I'm not an apple fanboy either. I had to download apps just to get the Volume to a reasonable level eventhough it has stereo. Wow, the ipad claims much less but delivers more, Nexus 10 claims tall but falls short.
Thinking about getting back the iPad 4 if the Nexus doesn't grow on me. Sorry, Nexus. Android has failed you :crying:
JPW1 said:
Most of my other products have something like a 50,000:1 contrast ratio whereas the tablets are around 1000:1, a very big difference.
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The 50,000:1 contrast ratio is actually dynamic contrast ratio. How dark the screen is at it's lowest brightness and how bright the screen is at it's highest brightness. It's really just a marketing gimmick.
The real static contrast ratio could be anywhere between 1000-5000:1. Not a huge difference at all.
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,23137918
Looking at your screenshots I can definitely say you have the brightness set waaaayyy to high on the Nexus 10. Turn it down and the picture will be drastically better.
And for the other little problems you have to wait some time. Most of them will be gone with the first good custom roms/kernels. The device is still brand new.
I tried both the Transformers and Ice Age films streaming from google play, and I thought the video was pretty poor. Wifi signal was strong.
Video quality from all the streaming services I've used on Android have relatively poor quality. If you are attempting to benchmark the device's fidelity then I suggest making a high bit rate rip of a Blu-Ray
The high bit rate 1080p and 1440p videos I've seen look pretty great, but I agree videos from streaming services look pretty awful in terms of both blurriness and contrast.
Also, the hardware decoders like most devices do not have as high of picture quality as some software decoder. For instance, for the same video the hw decoder will look softer than the sw decoder in MX Player
Hey Everyone,
So Guys , I'm about to buy the Axon 7 A2017 the Chinese variant (Since I'm outside the US) with 4gb RAM and 128gb of storage as an upgrade of my old LG G4, that's why I'm asking you guys to answer me honestly what was your personal experience with this device ? what are the bad sides that have made you frustrated or made you regretting making this purchase ??
I've heard many downsides but I cannot really believe them since many reputable reviewers on Youtube have said the opposite ??
Some Cons I heard :
1-The sound output from Headphones are not really great same for the dual front facing speakers.(Which is a bit shocking as the main promoted feature of this smartphone was the audio capabilities ).
2-The Screen is not clearly visible at direct sunlight
3-The Camera is awful , in other words a piece of crap (I dont really care about Photography or low light stills , but I also hate a smartphone that cannot take some sharp stills at daylight ,such as portait of myself for social media)
4-The capacitive buttons are not back lit , but I think I could get used to them.
5-The UI is buggy and bloated , the phone doesn't have any support from devs and the Company didn't fix many issues and bugs.
6-The fingerprint is not that fast or accurate (I've heard from a review that it works 60-70% of time)
7-Multi tasking and app launching is not good either comparing to smartphones that have the same cpu/gpu like Oneplus 3 , LG G5 ,..
8-Gaming experience is worse , as the 1440p leads to fps drops.
9-Notification are not received , bad sync
10-bad signal reception , bad GPS reception , Wi-fi range ??
Yes I know this is so long because after reading many opinions and seeing many reviews that's what came out !!
I still hear that all this can be fixed by an update but till now (after 6 months of releasing) nothing to be confirmed.
I'm a casual user , I don't root my phones , or install custom roms I can bear the Stock Rom if it's doing well , no bugs or lags.
Guys Please be honest , I know that almost every opinion will be biased , I don't want to buy a whortless smartphone because I also consider buying Oneplus 3 since my brother got it and it's an amazing smartphone blazing fast , takes some good images at good light , charging really so quick , everything is good with it except the battery drain when playing heavy games , the standby drain , and some heat issues.
The reasons that pushes me to consider buying Axon 7 over OP3 is it's great 1440p screen VR ready and the front facing speakers even if the Oneplus 3 have a good display despite it's FHD only and also a decent loudspeakers .
Yeahhh this thing is damnn long, but You know I don't wanna spend 400$ for useless features !!
Best Regards , Youssef
1- Not true, the sound is great with both speakers and headphones, although you may have problems with some apps and compatibility.
2- I use the phone a lot outside and never had any problems reading the screen
3- the camera is awful in low light, but its a really good camera in good light. REALLY good.
4- Yes, this is a con, but you get use to it.
5- False and true. The ui is not bloated and it works really good. I actually like it more than pure stock. But regarding bugs and dev support, its really, really bad.
6- It could be faster.... and yes, you get a couple of misreads, but its not as bad as you make it sound.
7- Really don't know what are you referring to. Apps launch fast and multitasking work great (when the phone doesn't kill you app, though)
8- I don't do gaming on my phone, can't comment.
9- This is a mayor problem that should have been fix a long time ago. This is pretty much a killer point.
10- Except for some minor GPS issue indoors, my WIFI and phone receptions have been really great.
As I said in other threads, get the OnePlus 3T. Save yourself some headaches.
This phone is great in paper, and the hardware is excellent, but its pretty much dead. You are going to be really disappointed if you want to change ROMs or get community support.
yamils said:
1- Not true, the sound is great with both speakers and headphones, although you may have problems with some apps and compatibility.
2- I use the phone a lot outside and never had any problems reading the screen
3- the camera is awful in low light, but its a really good camera in good light. REALLY good.
4- Yes, this is a con, but you get use to it.
5- False and true. The ui is not bloated and it works really good. I actually like it more than pure stock. But regarding bugs and dev support, its really, really bad.
6- It could be faster.... and yes, you get a couple of misreads, but its not as bad as you make it sound.
7- Really don't know what are you referring to. Apps launch fast and multitasking work great (when the phone doesn't kill you app, though)
8- I don't do gaming on my phone, can't comment.
9- This is a mayor problem that should have been fix a long time ago. This is pretty much a killer point.
10- Except for some minor GPS issue indoors, my WIFI and phone receptions have been really great.
As I said in other threads, get the OnePlus 3T. Save yourself some headaches.
This phone is great in paper, and the hardware is excellent, but its pretty much dead. You are going to be really disappointed if you want to change ROMs or get community support.
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Click to collapse
I really appreciate your answer it's really helping , as I don't really care about updates or custom roms I think it's bearable since you said it's not bloated . I mean overall this smartphone is great !! But I'm afraid that what you said is only applicable for A2017U (US variant) and not the chinese variant A2017 becuz as I stated before I'm not from The US , so I need to import the device from China.
The only one I agree with is the unlit capacitive buttons. This phone is pretty solid otherwise.
Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk
I have EU variant A2017G
1- Havent heard anything better yet on mobile phones (havent tried LG V10 or V20, which I believe should have better headphone output)
2- No problems
3- Photos depend on situations actually, daylight are quite good. Software needs to be fixed, manual mode is not that much manual
4- Got used.
5- I use Nova on top of MiFavor and it's almost like anything else.
6- It's fast, reads fingerprint in any direction also, sure sometimes it doesnt get it, but works fine.
7- Dont have OP3 or G5 to compare to.
8- Tried some games, and except for heating and huge battery drain I didnt notice anything. Heats up to 40C, when usually it sits at ~30C.
9- This. Waiting for fix.
10- GPS seems to work good, WiFi good. Signal - not really. on 2G it's great, on 4G - it's there, but drains battery as it's always very low, and it seems that is a problem with A2017G's only, not all, but there is a problem for some people who reported it.
Why *****ing about the capacitive buttons not lit? I mean, it's not like you didn't know before you bought the Axon, right? It would be like complaining about the size of the display...
Youssefmans said:
Hey Everyone,
So Guys , I'm about to buy the Axon 7 A2017 the Chinese variant (Since I'm outside the US) with 4gb RAM and 128gb of storage as an upgrade of my old LG G4, that's why I'm asking you guys to answer me honestly what was your personal experience with this device ? what are the bad sides that have made you frustrated or made you regretting making this purchase ??
I've heard many downsides but I cannot really believe them since many reputable reviewers on Youtube have said the opposite ??
Some Cons I heard :
1-The sound output from Headphones are not really great same for the dual front facing speakers.(Which is a bit shocking as the main promoted feature of this smartphone was the audio capabilities ).
2-The Screen is not clearly visible at direct sunlight
3-The Camera is awful , in other words a piece of crap (I dont really care about Photography or low light stills , but I also hate a smartphone that cannot take some sharp stills at daylight ,such as portait of myself for social media)
4-The capacitive buttons are not back lit , but I think I could get used to them.
5-The UI is buggy and bloated , the phone doesn't have any support from devs and the Company didn't fix many issues and bugs.
6-The fingerprint is not that fast or accurate (I've heard from a review that it works 60-70% of time)
7-Multi tasking and app launching is not good either comparing to smartphones that have the same cpu/gpu like Oneplus 3 , LG G5 ,..
8-Gaming experience is worse , as the 1440p leads to fps drops.
9-Notification are not received , bad sync
10-bad signal reception , bad GPS reception , Wi-fi range ??
Yes I know this is so long because after reading many opinions and seeing many reviews that's what came out !!
I still hear that all this can be fixed by an update but till now (after 6 months of releasing) nothing to be confirmed.
I'm a casual user , I don't root my phones , or install custom roms I can bear the Stock Rom if it's doing well , no bugs or lags.
Guys Please be honest , I know that almost every opinion will be biased , I don't want to buy a whortless smartphone because I also consider buying Oneplus 3 since my brother got it and it's an amazing smartphone blazing fast , takes some good images at good light , charging really so quick , everything is good with it except the battery drain when playing heavy games , the standby drain , and some heat issues.
The reasons that pushes me to consider buying Axon 7 over OP3 is it's great 1440p screen VR ready and the front facing speakers even if the Oneplus 3 have a good display despite it's FHD only and also a decent loudspeakers .
Yeahhh this thing is damnn long, but You know I don't wanna spend 400$ for useless features !!
Best Regards , Youssef
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Click to collapse
I haven't had any issues whatsoever with this phone. I'm coming from A LG-G4 as well.
1) Sound is phenomenal! You'll have nothing to worry about.
2) It's not as bright as some other phones like the gs7 or IPhone 7, but it's better visibility than the G4 which is every you're coming from.
3) Camera is mediocre compared to today's phones, but it's similar to G4 performance. So it's slightly behind, but I don't take issue with it for such a good price. Daytime shots are really good, night time are meh, hdr makes them look pretty good but you have to stay really still. Manual mode is great if you know what you're doing.
4) Chinese variant uses on screen keys from my understanding. So the issue of non-backlit isn't relevant in your case.
5) UI is not stock Android, but waaaay closer & smoother than LG's UI. You'll have no issues with bloat coming from a G4 imo. Company has taken care of the major concerns like the notification bell on the lock screen and other things of the like. They was my biggest one, do I'm good now.
6) Fingerprint doesn't always get it perfect, but it's good like 85% of the time for me.
7) I haven't done any speed tests against any other phones, but from what I've seen on YouTube, it is slightly slower than competitors. For me, this isn't an issue cuz we're talking an incomprehensible real world difference. That's my opinion however. Its still faster than the G4.
8) No lag issues with gaming here. It on lagged on me once while I had Need for speed open in the background, a photo backup uploading my 32gb worth of photos going, while playing NBA live. It was only a slight stutter though. Other than that one incident, it's really smooth.
9) No issues with notifications or sync here. Could have been an early problem. I got the phone after they released the latest marshmallow build.
10) I get slightly worse reception than my G4. To me it was expected due to it being a metal phone vs a plastic one. I compared it to the G5 at a Tmo store and it wasn't to far off. Like 3dbm lower signal (higher number). Wifi is great though! Faster speeds, more stable signal, & prefers the 5ghz band when available. I always felt like the G4 sucked with wifi.
Overall, you cant go wrong with this purchase. One plus 3 is also a great option. I picked this phone over the OP3 because I'm a sucker for its design. I think it's sexier. I have been thrilled with my purchase so far and have no regrets. It's got all some quirks, but nothing that is a deal breaker for me. I also have the US variant so obviously this is my experience with that model and your mileage my vary if you are shooting for a Chinese unit. But there is my 2¢, hope it helps with your decision! Best of luck.
Thanks Guys I really appreciate your answers , I was about to switch to the OP3 , but I guess I may get The Axon 7 , cuz I'm a regular user and I'm not seeking for a fast responsive smartphone if this is doing the job well , I was also considering the Xiaomi Mi5s Plus 6gb ram version due to the better camera onfiguration and the latest snapdragon but Yeah , a 2k and Front facing speakers worth it !!
I've read cell reception is really bad and therefore I won't buy it.
Enviado desde mi SM-G920F mediante Tapatalk
Cell reception and how it does hotspot compared to my previous phones are pretty bad. But everything else is spot on.. Love the phone. My wife has the oneplus 3 and keeps it stock.. Both phones are awfully similar. I would get the axon if you keep it stock and the oneplus if you plan on installing custom stuff.
From my limited experience with the device (about 1 week, coming from a Galaxy S7 edge).
1) Sounds has been great for me. Both the speakers and headphone sound are louder and clearer that the S7 edge.
2) Screen is really, really good. Sunlight visibility may be a smidge less than the S7 edge, but I like the way the colours pop a lot more on the A7.
3) Not a big photog to be honest. S7 edge had the better camera, for sure. The A7 camera seems pretty good in good lightning, and pretty bad in low lighting.
4) Definitely not backlit, but I honestly have no issue with them. Your muscle memory kicks in pretty much straight away.
5) Definitely not bloated (especially if you come from Touchwiz). Haven't noticed any large scale bugs yet, but need more time.
6) It could be better. I'd say it's accurate about 80% of the time. It seems to work best with a double tap for me.
7) Can't really compare to those devices, but it's about on par with the S7 edge.
8) Gaming has been as good or better than the S7 edge for me (mine is the Exynos variant though).
9) Hard to say since I turn off most notifications. SMS and Slack are my primaries, and they seem to work fine.
10) WiFi has been fine. Haven't tested GPS much. LTE is definitely weak though. I seem to hover around 2-3 bars most of the time. My house, which for whatever reason is a weak spot for my carrier, poses a particular problem.
Youssefmans said:
1-The sound output from Headphones are not really great same for the dual front facing speakers.(Which is a bit shocking as the main promoted feature of this smartphone was the audio capabilities ).
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No worries here. Best speakers hands down. Only phones that come close are HTC M8 and Alcatel One Touch. Headphone output has been great for me, but I think it works best with high end headphones.
Youssefmans said:
2-The Screen is not clearly visible at direct sunlight
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More visible than most thanks to color saturation and low reflectance. Maximum brightness of 360cd/m² is not the highest but thanks to low reflectance and high color saturation sunlight contrast ratio is amongst the best, just below OP3T and S7 but better than iPhone 7.
Youssefmans said:
3-The Camera is awful , in other words a piece of crap (I dont really care about Photography or low light stills , but I also hate a smartphone that cannot take some sharp stills at daylight ,such as portait of myself for social media)
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Click to collapse
The camera has very good color accuracy and low light is actually pretty decent considering the small pixels size, you just need to be steady or it can become blurry. In bright daylight pictures are good but less sharp than on other 20MP devices (e.g. X play). Noise reduction is a bit too aggressive. I find the camera adequate but it is clearly the main weaker point of the Axon 7 (but I come from the x play which is exceptionally sharp and a very pleasing camera, so I may be a bit biased).
Youssefmans said:
4-The capacitive buttons are not back lit , but I think I could get used to them.
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I got used to them very quickly but in the dark I occasionally miss them.
Youssefmans said:
5-The UI is buggy and bloated , the phone doesn't have any support from devs and the Company didn't fix many issues and bugs.
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UI is great, only the launcher is not that good, but I replaced it with HTC blinkfeed launcher from xda, as I love their blinkfeed + theming and other aspects.
Youssefmans said:
6-The fingerprint is not that fast or accurate (I've heard from a review that it works 60-70% of time)
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People who have this issue did not map their finger correctly, that is not from all possible angles. If you make sure you map your finger from every possible angle and position it works perfectly. It took me a couple of tries to get it right but after that no issues. If you activate ZTE Locker daily wallpaper feature it may reduce recognition times, so may prevent successful recognition if the finger is removed too fast. For me it's no big deal but I know some people prefer to deactivate daily wallpapers to speed up recognition.
Youssefmans said:
7-Multi tasking and app launching is not good either comparing to smartphones that have the same cpu/gpu like Oneplus 3 , LG G5 ,..
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I think that may be true because of the use of a different file mapping system (I read something about this) however this may become default in Android nougat so may not be an issue going forward. I personally don't find app launching slow but other phones are slightly better.
I know that OP recently implemented this file system on their phone:
https://www.google.fr/amp/s/www.xda...fferences-and-f2fs/amp/?client=ms-android-zte
I think this can be replicated on any phone where the ROM build support this. It was replicated on the OP3, it should be positive to get it to work on custom ROMs for the Axon 7 if not done already.
Youssefmans said:
8-Gaming experience is worse , as the 1440p leads to fps drops.
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Since the Axon 7's display has a pentile arrangement, it is not a true 1440p, this means the display actually has fewer pixels so the difference in performance is not that dramatic. That also explains why the Axon 7 can maintain good battery performance despite 1440p display.
Youssefmans said:
9-Notification are not received , bad sync
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Never had this issue. However you need to know that as a default the phone kills apps that are in the background and does not let apps interrupt deep sleep, so you need to set up exceptions for each app to allow them to share notifications.
Youssefmans said:
10-bad signal reception , bad GPS reception , Wi-fi range ??
Youssef
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I can't confirm this, I actually found this phone to have better reception than OP1, OP1 and Moto X play. My house has thick walls and in spots where I usually had poor reception I now have good reception, access to 4G, etc. I compared db values and they were better than on my other phones.
1- The sound output from headphones is perfectly fine, as good as you can expect from a phone really. The speakers didn't come close to living up to the hype and reviews if you ask me. The only problem with sound is that you'd have to use their stock music app for the Hi-Fi DAC to work, and that app is beyond trash. Super laggy, super buggy, with less than bare-bones functionality. That and the phone apparently only outputs 16 bit sound despite having a 32 bit DAC.
2- Almost no phone is visible in direct sunlight, this phone's brightness is absolutely fine and very bright. Only phones like the Galaxy S7 with super contrast modes can be more visible.
3- The Camera is indeed utterly useless in low light, but in good lighting conditions is okay-ish. It's not in the same league as expensive flagship phone cameras, this is where they really cut costs (aside from the software).
4- Yes, they are not back lit, and yes it's easy to get used to, but super annoying in the dark.
5- The software is abysmal, by far the worst I've ever used. The empty promises and months of not delivering make me completely regret my purchase. If I was within the return period I'd refund the phone and get a OP3T.
6- The fingerprint sensor is very fast and works 95%+ of the time for me. Anyone who's having issues likely didn't register their finger prints from all angles as the phone explicitly tells you to do in its instructions.
7- There's nothing about multi-tasking that has annoyed me yet aside from the occasional bug where a program just closes, but I don't do side by side comparisons so I don't know if it's outperformed by other SD820 phones.
8- I haven't gamed all that much on it, but its gaming performance should be pretty much the same as any other SD820/1440p phone, or slightly better than some of the earlier SD820 phones. I've ran emulated PSP games at 1440p with all settings maxed out without frame drops. If you want a 1080p phone for better performance buy a OP3T.
9- I've had no issues with notifications aside from the lock screen being garbage (even if you disable the stupid bell, which took them forever to update to allow).
10- It's an aluminium unibody phone, of course it's not going to have the same reception as a glass or plastic phone. In my experience it's only slightly worse and hasn't affected me much.
Most your concerns are nothing to worry about, it's the software/non-existent support that would make me turn around, run away, and never look back.
puremind said:
Since the Axon 7's display has a pentile arrangement, it is not a true 1440p, this means the display actually has fewer pixels so the difference in performance is not that dramatic. That also explains why the Axon 7 can maintain good battery performance despite 1440p display. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, this is actually a major problem with pentile. The resolution has to be rendered as normal, they have no magical trick that renders based on subpixels, it's per "pixel", so all these pseudo-1440p phones actually are rendering the software at 1440p if set to full resolution.
1) it's pretty clear, better than any other phone that I have used. Might need an extra amp if you plan to use 70ohm+ cans. Anything else is driven really well if you use DVC within poweramp.
2)no problems for me, but reports have said it is only around 320~ nits which is just not true as I compared it to a Nexus 5 and 5X, and it was brighter than both of them. Even if it was dimmer it should be just fine anyway. I'd compare the level to be a iPhone on 90%.
3)pretty good camera front and back, I don't take selfies as I hate myself amongst other things. Good in normal sunlight and medium to low light (bedroom). I have no idea what the standard is these day and I frankly don't care as I don't use it that much. Good enough to not have your friends laugh at you.
4)I don't like back lit anyway since I normally turn them off and if you can't turn them off they stand out too much at night since the screen is AMOLED.
5) No bugs, just different, I'd say it's the best custom UI that I've used. Close to stock with more compact icons etc. Like a half arsed attempt at making android 7 UI on 6 which is actually pretty good if you look at other manufacturers like Samsung.
6)If you wet your fingers and touch it, lightning fast. I find that if I have really dry hands (half an hour bike ride) I might have to slide it around a bit more but it works. Just do what the setup tells you and keep moving your finger around that scanner. More you cover the better. If you unlock while taking out your pocket you have at least 3 attempts at the scanner at least unless your are Sherrif QuickDraw. If you are using the Chinese version you can even set certain fingers to use certain apps such as camera, very useful as you can add up to 5 fingers.
7)True, but it's marginal. You probably have seen those benchmark videos where they open up 20 apps all in one row and time it. Not a big deal if you consider that the time for each app is like half a second longer each. Doesn't bother me. Been using android since gingerbread, I've experienced full minute waits before.
8)It's 1440p like you said, if you root it you can do some xposed hacks and run it at 1080p shouldn't be that big of a deal anyway. Most games run just fine. I play asphalt 8 (yeah bit old but oh well) just fine.
9)Some ****ty power settings that are enabled by default, just look around in the settings for a bit and you should be fine.
10)It's on par or better than my S3. No dropped calls or missed texts but then again not a lot of people contact me:crying:.
Like you said, if you are a casual user, it shouldn't bother you. 70% of the phones on the market will be just fine. Phone have reached a level where if you don't go for the big names or just buy smart you can use them for 2+ years easy. Sister still rocking Nexus 5 just fine. Battery is crapping out but it was never that good to start with.
If you like games and media, get the Axon. Best portable device I have brought for years. Provides solid audio when paired with good IEMs. Games like Asphalt come to life with the front speakers. Also for a phone this size, it's very easy to hold. If you look at the phone next to a 5" one it's wider by not even 1cm.
If your bro has a OP3 I personally won't get one as well just to be different, also might get confusing. BUT it has:
-better software support (you said you were a normal user so doesn't matter really)
-tad faster with better general battery life due to smaller screen, less GPU load etc.
-more accessories, it's a more popular phone.
-get the 3T instead if you plan on getting this.
-notification slider thing, if you go to college this will be handy as you don't have to pull your phone out.
The Axon also has a few nit picks that I like to pick:
-the notification light is RG not RGB, Not that anyone actually uses that light, I just use it to see if my battery is full lol.
-didn't notice this but some guy on reddit also said that because the headphone jack and the charger is on different sides it lead to some weird holding positions which is true.
-the right speaker (button side) is not in the middle but at the bottom right of the phone due to the charging port. Didn't notice this until I saw a tear down video now when I watch youtube I try to listen out for it. Most of the time I can't but it's there.
Google VR Is also SOON^TM, some guy also said it didn't fit due to the bands touching the hardware buttons. But the ZTE headset is pretty cheap $50~ I think but it's china only.
[/COLOR]
Cyrus D. said:
No, this is actually a major problem with pentile. The resolution has to be rendered as normal, they have no magical trick that renders based on subpixels, it's per "pixel", so all these pseudo-1440p phones actually are rendering the software at 1440p if set to full resolution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it is accurate.
IPS 1440P screen has 11M lighting elements whereas
Pentile 1440p oled only has 7.3M lighting elements - only marginally more than the 6,220,800 Lighting Elements of 1080p IPS LCD display
I bought the phone just before B08 came out so I really wasn't troubled by the software at all, especially since I always install HTC Blinkfeed launcher from HTC, which replaces clock, weather and gallery.
I had no trouble using the HiFi DAC on other apps so far, which app didn't work for you?
puremind said:
I don't think it is accurate.
IPS 1440P screen has 11M lighting elements whereas
Pentile 1440p oled only has 7.3M lighting elements - only marginally more than the 6,220,800 Lighting Elements of 1080p IPS LCD display
I bought the phone just before B08 came out so I really wasn't troubled by the software at all, especially since I always install HTC Blinkfeed launcher from HTC, which replaces clock, weather and gallery.
I had no trouble using the HiFi DAC on other apps so far, which app didn't work for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's correct that pentile has 1/3rd less subpixels than a standard RGB array. "1080p" on an AMOLED would have the same number of subpixels as a real 720p panel. But that wouldn't matter for software, it's still coded per pseudo-pixel as far as I know. Resolution output isn't coded by subpixels.
As for the DAC, every program I've tried sounds different than the stock music player. That includes PowerAmp's latest alpha (called a beta in the app store). The difference is most apparent in instruments, they sound noticeably sharper on the stock music player. I don't know for sure if this is some sort of equalizer or software tricks in the stock player that can't be disabled (the stock player has squat for options) or if it's indeed due to the DAC.
As for the the claims it outputs only 16 bit sound, I haven't ever found out exactly what that means. Whether it's just the stock music app that is limiting it, or if it's coded in the ROM to work like that.
Cyrus D. said:
It's correct that pentile has 1/3rd less subpixels than a standard RGB array. "1080p" on an AMOLED would have the same number of subpixels as a real 720p panel. But that wouldn't matter for software, it's still coded per pseudo-pixel as far as I know. Resolution output isn't coded by subpixels.
As for the DAC, every program I've tried sounds different than the stock music player. That includes PowerAmp's latest alpha (called a beta in the app store). The difference is most apparent in instruments, they sound noticeably sharper on the stock music player. I don't know for sure if this is some sort of equalizer or software tricks in the stock player that can't be disabled (the stock player has squat for options) or if it's indeed due to the DAC.
As for the the claims it outputs only 16 bit sound, I haven't ever found out exactly what that means. Whether it's just the stock music app that is limiting it, or if it's coded in the ROM to work like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you try MX Player?
For pentile displays there is a formula that calculates the subpixel intensities for each subpixel based on the desired "theoretical" pixels, so there are fewer operations being computed. Those operations are only marginally more complex than on an RGB display so the added complexity is offset by the much lower number of operations being conducted. From experience with calculation engines, it is usually more efficient to reduce the number of operations than to reduce the complexity of computations in terms of processing time.
Camera is the only major con for me.
The buttons on the bottom of the screen are ****ty too. Cant see them at night but i can deal with that.
puremind said:
Could you try MX Player?
For pentile displays there is a formula that calculates the subpixel intensities for each subpixel based on the desired "theoretical" pixels, so there are fewer operations being computed. Those operations are only marginally more complex than on an RGB display so the added complexity is offset by the much lower number of operations being conducted. From experience with calculation engines, it is usually more efficient to reduce the number of operations than to reduce the complexity of computations in terms of processing time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I tried to use it and compare the same song side by side to PowerAmp and the stock music player and I couldn't do it because that software is rage inducing. It's not designed at all to be a music player, so even if it could use the Hi-Fi DAC I wouldn't use it.
And that's interesting, I've looked into it and never found any info or article about the resolution output being optimized for pentile displays. Would you happen to have a link so I can read more about it?
Cyrus D. said:
Well I tried to use it and compare the same song side by side to PowerAmp and the stock music player and I couldn't do it because that software is rage inducing. It's not designed at all to be a music player, so even if it could use the Hi-Fi DAC I wouldn't use it.
And that's interesting, I've looked into it and never found any info or article about the resolution output being optimized for pentile displays. Would you happen to have a link so I can read more about it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried MX player? Did you find a difference? What is your go-to app? Which software version do you use? Have you made sure the dolby module was activated when comparing? It could be some apps somehow switch it off and you have to manually switch it on again.
If you don't compute values for each subpixel you have no means of producing the right colors on each theoretical pixel, this is true for both RGB and Pentile OLED. From a colorimetry standpoint there is no other way to control intensity and saturations, you have to drive each subpixel individuallly.
Perhaps it was just interesting timing that my previous secondary phone (the HTC One) died when it did, but whatever the reason was, I ended up picking up a used Nexus 6 a few weeks ago to serve as a combination backup and secondary phone. When the battery in my daily driver, the Moto X Pure Edition, took a crap last week, the "backup" side of that purpose was put to the test. Here's how it went:
XDA Stuff: Unlocking the bootloader, obtaining root, and installing the Xposed Framework (along with MinMinGuad and GravityBox) & A.R.I.S.E. audio was extremely painless. You'd be hard pressed to find too many other newer Verizon-compatible devices that are this easy to get started with that stuff on.
Device's casing: For having a screen that is only .26" larger, this phone sure is a lot wider than the Moto X Pure Edition. It's also extremely slippery. I'm surprised these things last as long as they do among folks with "normal-sized" hands. Anything much wider than 3" is a recipe for droppage. Thankfully, I got it with one of those giant super-grip kickstand casings. While this improves the grip dramatically, it makes the device extremely cumbersome to pocket. The kickstand comes in handy all the time though. It's sad that this monstrosity covers up the loud-and-proud NEXUS badge on the back though. It's kind of like hiding the Verizon logo; you just don't do it.
Screen: Easily the Nexus 6's biggest weakness. Aside from Samsung, Motorola seemed to be one of the biggest proponents of Oled panels during the days of the Nexus 6 (and even before). I'm probably in the minority with this opinion, but the Pure Edition's LCD really spoiled me, so the Nexus 6's panel was a letdown. Not only is there no option to switch to a more natural color profile under the stock rom/kernel, but the panel also isn't the brightest and burn-in is a noticeable problem, especially thanks to Motorola's insistence on using software keys instead of hardware navigation buttons. Despite these flaws, it is functional and usable, but the cartoony/awful color calibration just looks goofy. Turning the brightness down low takes it from "kind-of silly" to laughably bad. As a short-term backup/tester, it is acceptable, but I wouldn't daily this thing long-term without installing a customer kernel and applying some corrections.
Quirks: Like the Moto X Pure Edition, the Nexus 6's screen is set very low on the face of the device (although it is less noticeable on the former). I'd imagine that this serves to make the machine slightly more manageable duing single-handed operation (like a hardware implementation of Apple's "reachability" ) and also to improve visual symmetry with those software navigation keys (while the screen is on).
Also, the MicroUSB port is strangely upside-down on this phone.
Camera, Speakers: Seems comparable to the Pure Edition. Optical stabilization makes getting a steady shot in low light (or any lighting, for that matter) much easier and negates the need for digital stabilization in video recording mode, which improves field-of-view. Speakers sound about the same, although the hardware/software that drive them is noticeably "crustier" sounding. Still, it's very much usable.
Wireless Radio performance and compatibility: Didn't test side-by-side, but anecdotally seems identical to the Pure Edition. The massive number of GSM, CDMA, and LTE bands supported by this device is highly impressive, just like the Pure.
Vibration motor: Still noisier than it should be, but not quite as terrible as the Pure Edition. Also feels a bit stronger.
Software: Bland and boring, but gets the job done. I miss the Motorola camera and flashlight gestures (although the power key double-tap eliminates the need for the former) as well as the IR-assisted active display feature. Also, the "attentive display" (which keeps the screen awake as long as the camera can see the user) was very much missed. Also also, I was disappointed to see that there is no way to enable any kind of "night mode," even on the latest-and-greatest Android 7.1.
Conclusion: Nexus 6 is a good phone for the price these days. The camera is better than I originally gave it credit for, but don't buy this phone for its screen. If you want a cheap (but modern) Android phone that works on Verizon Wireless and can have its bootloader unlocked easily, (but don't want to pony up the additional $35-60 that the Moto X Pure Edition sells for) it's hard to go wrong with the 6. The battery is not user-replaceable, but holds up well. And, unlike the Nexus 6p, it won't fold in half!
Bottom line: Budget-minded Verizon customers might be better off with the Pure Edition, but if even that phone costs too much, the Nexus 6 is not a bad consolation prize. I couldn't ask for a better secondary/tester device.
Bill720 said:
.
Software: Bland and boring, but gets the job done.
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Click to collapse
Dude this is vanilla android. Here we dont want crappy oems bloats and features. We want pure android. This is a Nexus not crapsung
Realistically, I have no idea what the OP is talking about when refers to the software being bland and boring. Motorola's implementation of Android was equally bland and boring. The few things Motorola added to Android didn't change matters.
That said, I'm guessing he's comparing the N6 to the Moto X Pure from 2014. The Moto X Pure/Style from 2015 my roommate uses has a camera with more megapixels but lacks OIS. I would argue the N6 camera is better despite having fewer pixels than the Moto X Pure (2015) 21MP shooter, simply because the N6 camera actually lets more light in. Then there is HDR+. People don't like it because it's slower than HDR from other manufacturers. HDR is faster because it's a software overlay on the image, rather than hardware compositing of images like HDR+.
Based on my experience with both the Moto X Pure (2015) and the Nexus 6, the Nexus 6 is the easier device to customize. Not only do you not have to beg Motorola for an bootloader unlock code with the N6, you also have more extensive custom ROM support. My roommate's Moto X is running Lineage OS because there's virtually no ROM support for the device.
The "Quirk" of having the screen set low on the body is because Motorola designed the display for both devices to always have the soft keys always up. With them up the usable display area is actually centered. Between the two, the N6's AMOLED screen, despite its issues in sunlight, is still the better screen. It's hard to beat a screen that actually displays the color black as black and not gray as it does on an IPS LCD.
thoughts on responses
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
That said, I'm guessing he's comparing the N6 to the Moto X Pure from 2014. The Moto X Pure/Style from 2015 my roommate uses has a camera with more megapixels but lacks OIS. I would argue the N6 camera is better despite having fewer pixels than the Moto X Pure (2015) 21MP shooter, simply because the N6 camera actually lets more light in. Then there is HDR+. People don't like it because it's slower than HDR from other manufacturers. HDR is faster because it's a software overlay on the image, rather than hardware compositing of images like HDR+.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too am thinking of the 2015-release Pure Edition, which does indeed lack optical stabilization. Despite this, the seemingly-ludicrous resolution actually lends itself to capturing a lot of interesting detail that I've come to enjoy. Given that, I'd have to say that image quality is probably a draw, depending on conditions.
As for HDR+, I don't know if it's hardware-exclusive, but it does do some pretty amazing things, even in subpar conditions.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Based on my experience with both the Moto X Pure (2015) and the Nexus 6, the Nexus 6 is the easier device to customize. Not only do you not have to beg Motorola for an bootloader unlock code with the N6, you also have more extensive custom ROM support. My roommate's Moto X is running Lineage OS because there's virtually no ROM support for the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't speak to the quality of the custom roms on the Pure Edition, but the stock Rom is pretty darn good, so it's not as big of a loss. The stock kernel is pretty decent too. All I needed to install with that unlocked bootloader was Root, the Xposed Framework, and A.R.I.S.E. audio. While getting to that state of unlocked bootloader was a bit more fiddly than on the Nexus 6, it's better than most Verizon-certified devices.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Between the two, the N6's AMOLED screen, despite its issues in sunlight, is still the better screen. It's hard to beat a screen that actually displays the color black as black and not gray as it does on an IPS LCD.
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Click to collapse
While the contrast is better, I don't consider the burn-in, green tint, (pink tint when the brightness is set low) and horrible default calibration to be worthy sacrifices to make for it. And this is coming from almost five years of Samsung Oled use. Compared to a low-grade LCD, the 6's screen might be arguably superior, but the Pure Edition has one of the best screens in the business, so the Nexus 6 is no match for it, both objectively and subjectively. Make no mistake - it's a decent and very much usable panel by itself, but definitely not the best.
Two years ago when I was in the market for a new device my final two choices were between the N6 and the Moto X Style. The Moto X Style lost. Not because it isn't a good device - my roommate has one - but because of two things. The screen, and the camera.
No matter how you slice it, LCDs are older technology, and not as battery efficient as AMOLED. As a more mature technology they are more trouble free than AMOLED however. But for media consumption, having your blacks actually be black more than compensates for burn in. Burn in which, I might add, I don't see on my device to any noticeable degree. Oh, and size did matter here.
As for the camera, ignoring the obvious, the lack of OIS, more pixels does not equal better pictures. Wonder why so few flagship devices go above 13 megapixels in 2017? It's because of the law of diminishing returns. A simple truth about a digital camera is that the more pixels a camera has the less light each pixel can take in due to decreased surface area of the individual CCDs making up the sensor. The solution OEMs came up with? Decrease the pixels and increase the aperture. For me, the decrease in pixels was more than offset by improved light gathering capability and the presence of OIS. HDR+ is a bonus but didn't figure in my decision.
Heading into 2018, I still would take the N6 over the Moto X Style. But about this time next year I anticipate having a Pixel 2XL, so there you go.
Two things I don't like about displays today:
1) Unnecessarily high resolution, which makes the SoC work harder, leading to less performance and worse battery life. There is no point in having more details than the eye can see (around 300 dpi).
2) Pentile on almost all amoled displays. It looks fuzzy, unless of course the resolution is unnecessarily high. It was noticeable on the Galaxy Nexus with its lower resolution, and it makes me think twice about the OnePlus 5.
Google should have given the N6 a 1920x1080 display without pentile.
screen technology and camera performance
runekock said:
Two things I don't like about displays today:
1) Unnecessarily high resolution, which makes the SoC work harder, leading to less performance and worse battery life. There is no point in having more details than the eye can see (around 300 dpi).
2) Pentile on almost all amoled displays. It looks fuzzy, unless of course the resolution is unnecessarily high. It was noticeable on the Galaxy Nexus with its lower resolution, and it makes me think twice about the OnePlus 5.
Google should have given the N6 a 1920x1080 display without pentile.
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Click to collapse
Bingo. The reason why the Galaxy Note 2 (that I used before) was able to get away with just 720x1280 on a 5.5" Oled panel was because it used a proper subpixel layout that did not share pixels. These days, 1080x1920 is probably a more appropriate choice for this size class, but if the panel uses the dreaded "pentile" layout, then it automatically decreases the perceived/effective resolution.
Thanks to its proper RGB subpixel layout, the Pure Edition could've gotten away with a 1080x1920 panel and had resolution to spare, but the Nexus 6 needs its 2K display in order to compensate for the loss in sharpness that is caused by use of pentile.
No matter the reason, as you mentioned, forcing the chipset to render exponentially-higher resolution graphics strains it more than would've been necessary.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Two years ago when I was in the market for a new device my final two choices were between the N6 and the Moto X Style. The Moto X Style lost. Not because it isn't a good device - my roommate has one - but because of two things. The screen, and the camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's interesting that you mention this because, one year ago, I was in the market for a new device and the Pure Edition won on the basis of its unlockable bootloader, Verizon compatibility, and having one of the best screens in the industry. I'd been burned by Samsung and their "super" amoled nonsense twice in a row by that point and decided to get away from it altogether for future daily-driver smartphones (at least until the technology matured).
While I too was originally concerned by the high camera resolution, figuring that the mainstream reviewers' opinions were probably right, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it actually does a really good job. You are correct to say that resolution isn't everything, but I was pleasantly surprised. Lack of optical stabilization was a slight letdown, but I've been nothing short of blown away by the quality of the photos, especially when one considers how low the bar was set by the mainstream reviews.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
No matter how you slice it, LCDs are older technology, and not as battery efficient as AMOLED. As a more mature technology they are more trouble free than AMOLED however. But for media consumption, having your blacks actually be black more than compensates for burn in. Burn in which, I might add, I don't see on my device to any noticeable degree. Oh, and size did matter here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The "battery efficiency" thing is debatable, but the contrast ratio of the Pure Edition is very good as it stands, especially considering its nearly-triple maximum brightness output when compared to the 6. The lack of "perfect black" is hardly even noticeable unless you're using the device in a particularly dark environment or are really looking for it.
I could give the 6 a pass here if the software complemented the hardware, but as it is, the default calibration is nothing short of horrendous (and it gets worse as you turn the brightness down). Having to install a custom kernel and fiddle around to get something that almost matches what the other phone can do out-of-the-box with the stock kernel is a noteworthy letdown for me.
Screen calibration? You've been watching too many of Erica Griffin's review videos on YouTube. She is the only device reviewer I'm aware of who goes so insanely into depth regarding the screen. And I get why she does it, since without a screen a smartphone is but a chunk of plastic, metal, and silicon. But there are more people like me than there are you: people who don't actively look for issues like that. That said, I have to wonder if my device, being a late vintage, used an updated panel. The colors are about as accurate as on my laptop.
I say that because I've never had to install a custom kernel to fix something that to me isn't broken.
some idiot comes into a nexus forum filled with a million ways to change anything you want and cries about not being able to change things... what?
@def1003: And who exactly is the idiot? Up until your post the discussion has been civil between @Bill720 and myself. We may not agree with each other, but he has put forth solid reasoning behind the assessment he made. He's earned respect for that, as the two devices are indeed very similar in specifications, and choosing between one and the other is difficult.
on Oled screens...
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Screen calibration? You've been watching too many of Erica Griffin's review videos on YouTube. She is the only device reviewer I'm aware of who goes so insanely into depth regarding the screen. And I get why she does it, since without a screen a smartphone is but a chunk of plastic, metal, and silicon.
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Click to collapse
I can't say that I watch too many of her videos, (the last one I actually remember was the Galaxy Note 2 dummy phone drop test series) but I'll study up take a look at some of her thoughts on the Nexus 6.
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
But there are more people like me than there are you: people who don't actively look for issues like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My opinion is based on more than benchmarks (which objectively demonstrate poor quality) however. I'm not "that guy" who has a calibration gadget and calibrates all his monitors, but I can tell the difference between "good enough" and when everything looks like a cartoon. It's not just that I'm accustomed to the Pure Edition and all of the other monitors and screens that I use on a regular basis; it's also the fact that, after looking at the real world and then the Nexus 6's portrayal of the world, the mind knows that something isn't right.
That's not to say that it isn't fun to look at sometimes, but the mediocre default calibration crushes the natural vibrance of the displayed image, both objectively and subjectively. And that's at normal brightness. Turn the dial down, and things go from disappointing to downright silly.
I realize that OEMs are bound by some unseen force to perpetuate the myth of Oled's "vibrance" by applying these hyped-up calibrations from the factory, but all I'm asking for is the option. In the Moto X Pure Edition's stock rom/kernel, the user is given a choice between a "natural" and "vibrant" profile. If they'd provided something like that on the Nexus 6's stock software, I'd be accepting of their willingness to make an effort. From what I've heard, Samsung and OnePlus now give at least 2 choices on their Oled-equipped phones. I understand that even the "natural" option isn't anywhere close to perfectly calibrated, (regardless of display technology) but it at least lands the ball in the park, which is all I want.
Ironically, that is what Google is doing for the Pixel 2/2XL. But only after people complained about the natural color palette Google used. If blame were to be applied for the punchy and vibrant colors of AMOLED, look no further than Samsung. And since they are the biggest Android OEM, more people see their screens and expect all other screens to look like that.
I think I'm one of them. My last device was a Galaxy S4.
thoughts on Oled calibration
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
Ironically, that is what Google is doing for the Pixel 2/2XL. But only after people complained about the natural color palette Google used. If blame were to be applied for the punchy and vibrant colors of AMOLED, look no further than Samsung. And since they are the biggest Android OEM, more people see their screens and expect all other screens to look like that.
I think I'm one of them. My last device was a Galaxy S4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps Samsung has trained its customers to expect cartoony results on Oled screens by using their marketing muscle to perpetuate the myth of Oled's "vibrance." This doesn't mean that it's a mainstream opinion though, as Apple has historically managed to get their iPhones in the ballpark as well. We'll have to see what they do with the new Oled-based iPhone X.
I don't know if it will do anything, but I just installed an Android 8.1 ROM and toggled the SRGB colorspace option in Developer Options.
Bill720 said:
Perhaps it was just interesting timing that my previous secondary phone (the HTC One) died when it did, but whatever the reason was, I ended up picking up a used Nexus 6 a few weeks ago to serve as a combination backup and secondary phone. When the battery in my daily driver, the Moto X Pure Edition, took a crap last week, the "backup" side of that purpose was put to the test. Here's how it went:
XDA Stuff: Unlocking the bootloader, obtaining root, and installing the Xposed Framework (along with MinMinGuad and GravityBox) & A.R.I.S.E. audio was extremely painless. You'd be hard pressed to find too many other newer Verizon-compatible devices that are this easy to get started with that stuff on.
Device's casing: For having a screen that is only .26" larger, this phone sure is a lot wider than the Moto X Pure Edition. It's also extremely slippery. I'm surprised these things last as long as they do among folks with "normal-sized" hands. Anything much wider than 3" is a recipe for droppage. Thankfully, I got it with one of those giant super-grip kickstand casings. While this improves the grip dramatically, it makes the device extremely cumbersome to pocket. The kickstand comes in handy all the time though. It's sad that this monstrosity covers up the loud-and-proud NEXUS badge on the back though. It's kind of like hiding the Verizon logo; you just don't do it.
Screen: Easily the Nexus 6's biggest weakness. Aside from Samsung, Motorola seemed to be one of the biggest proponents of Oled panels during the days of the Nexus 6 (and even before). I'm probably in the minority with this opinion, but the Pure Edition's LCD really spoiled me, so the Nexus 6's panel was a letdown. Not only is there no option to switch to a more natural color profile under the stock rom/kernel, but the panel also isn't the brightest and burn-in is a noticeable problem, especially thanks to Motorola's insistence on using software keys instead of hardware navigation buttons. Despite these flaws, it is functional and usable, but the cartoony/awful color calibration just looks goofy. Turning the brightness down low takes it from "kind-of silly" to laughably bad. As a short-term backup/tester, it is acceptable, but I wouldn't daily this thing long-term without installing a customer kernel and applying some corrections.
Quirks: Like the Moto X Pure Edition, the Nexus 6's screen is set very low on the face of the device (although it is less noticeable on the former). I'd imagine that this serves to make the machine slightly more manageable duing single-handed operation (like a hardware implementation of Apple's "reachability" ) and also to improve visual symmetry with those software navigation keys (while the screen is on).
Also, the MicroUSB port is strangely upside-down on this phone.
Camera, Speakers: Seems comparable to the Pure Edition. Optical stabilization makes getting a steady shot in low light (or any lighting, for that matter) much easier and negates the need for digital stabilization in video recording mode, which improves field-of-view. Speakers sound about the same, although the hardware/software that drive them is noticeably "crustier" sounding. Still, it's very much usable.
Wireless Radio performance and compatibility: Didn't test side-by-side, but anecdotally seems identical to the Pure Edition. The massive number of GSM, CDMA, and LTE bands supported by this device is highly impressive, just like the Pure.
Vibration motor: Still noisier than it should be, but not quite as terrible as the Pure Edition. Also feels a bit stronger.
Software: Bland and boring, but gets the job done. I miss the Motorola camera and flashlight gestures (although the power key double-tap eliminates the need for the former) as well as the IR-assisted active display feature. Also, the "attentive display" (which keeps the screen awake as long as the camera can see the user) was very much missed. Also also, I was disappointed to see that there is no way to enable any kind of "night mode," even on the latest-and-greatest Android 7.1.
Conclusion: Nexus 6 is a good phone for the price these days. The camera is better than I originally gave it credit for, but don't buy this phone for its screen. If you want a cheap (but modern) Android phone that works on Verizon Wireless and can have its bootloader unlocked easily, (but don't want to pony up the additional $35-60 that the Moto X Pure Edition sells for) it's hard to go wrong with the 6. The battery is not user-replaceable, but holds up well. And, unlike the Nexus 6p, it won't fold in half!
Bottom line: Budget-minded Verizon customers might be better off with the Pure Edition, but if even that phone costs too much, the Nexus 6 is not a bad consolation prize. I couldn't ask for a better secondary/tester device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the same money, about $100, the Kodak Ektra has much faster overall performance and brighter screen.
RGB and Kodak
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
I don't know if it will do anything, but I just installed an Android 8.1 ROM and toggled the SRGB colorspace option in Developer Options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That option is there in the stock rom too, but it doesn't do anything. In fact, if you back out of the developer options and go back in, you'll find that it is turned back off.
damiloveu said:
For the same money, about $100, the Kodak Ektra has much faster overall performance and brighter screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's an interesting-looking product for sure, and while I would have to assume that they put a decent camera in the thing, there's very little support or discussion on it anywhere. It doesn't even have a forum on XDA DEVELOPERS. The biggest non-starter for me, however, is lack of band 13 LTE and CDMA support/certification for Verizon. This could possibly be an attractive buy for AT&T or Tmobile customers, however, depending on how the rest of the experience holds up.
@Bill720: If I recall correctly it's nothing special, with its only claim to fame being the camera.
And I did notice that the SRGB toggle shut itself off.
Kodak fails to replace Motorola...
Strephon Alkhalikoi said:
@Bill720: If I recall correctly it's nothing special, with its only claim to fame being the camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably true. After reading/watching some of the few mainstream reviews that do exist for it, the conclusion reached is that the camera is acceptable, but nothing better than the high-end phones of 2016. The rest of the experience was average (at best) and the device does not appear to have gained enough mainstream traction for "XDA stuff" (root, Xposed, custom roms/kernels, etc.).
While we're on the topic of alternative phones however, for folks who can tolerate Oled, the OG Droid Turbo combines the camera, features/software, and elegance of the Moto X Pure Edition with the screen technology and chipset of the Nexus 6, while adding in a positively massive battery pack. The prices on that phone have now dipped down below $100, (with some being sold for as little as 75-85) but a $25 ransom must be paid to be able to unlock the bootloader. If it weren't for the Oled screen, that thing would come dangerously close to "daily driver material" for me personally, and the fact that the navigation keys are hardware instead of drawn on-screen does eliminate the prime cause of uneven Oled panel wear.
with the nexus rooted and using the paid app colour changer pro i have tweaked my nexus 6 to a really good screen with all the colours and tones looking perfect , without that app the screen was not the best , now i think it is , but using the same app on my samsung s8+ has boosted the look and feel perfectly , if your not happy with your screens look then try that app as it will make you enjoy your old nexus 6 or any oled or lcd phone.
@peekie: I'm sure he has already done that. As much as we may like the device, we have to keep in mind this device is not perfect. As someone new to the N6 he found the experience disappointing, mainly because of the screen. I can understand where he is coming from, even though I've not had any issues with the screen. What I did find laughable was the poster who thought a budget Kodak phone could in any way compete with two flagship-level devices.
Yes, yes, it's possible to love a phone. Heck, you sleep next to it, don't you? Rate this thread to indicate your love for the Sony Xperia 5 II, all things considered. A higher rating indicates that the Sony Xperia 5 II is an incredible phone that you enjoy tremendously. You love it.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
I don't love inanimate objects and I don't sleep with my phone next to me. I turn it off when I go to bed. But, by listing what I don't like you can see how much I like.
The Xperia 5 ii is far too slippery and difficult to hold without a case. I haven't found a case that protects the phone but still allows the shutter button to operate smoothly. The fingerprint reader works fine for me but I would prefer one mounted on the back of the phone like the old Pixels.
One surprise I really like is the option to charge up to 80% and then automatically shut off.
What I really miss is more instructions on using the pro app.
Rather than love, I would consider the fun factor. I'm having a lot of fun taking photos with the Sony Xperia 5 ii. Of course, reading the news is depressing but I go take photos and feel better.
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x5ii quick story
having had last flagship for already 4 long months, evaluated available flagships in a big theoretical matrix, and this phone won along with 8Pro which i already have. X1ii is a flop thanks to shocking 60hz screen and rated way worse. Hoping to get the light phone, without notch and with all the classic features i bought it. Returned after 1 day:
21:9 makes display small, eyes suffered straight away, also the brightness isn't great..i can reduce font and display size to minimum on 1+ and still see better than X5ii with increased font
size 6.1" is on par with Galaxy S7/8/9 cubic meter wise, e.g. S10 would have much bigger display
ultra slippery hard to pick hard to hold body.. absolutely unusable without fat ugly case.. maybe maybe X1ii flat frame is better?
unwanted keypresses thanks to buttons spread everywhere and unwanted unlocks thanks to fingerprint acting after touch
almost impossible to swipe from the edge was the major showstopper, also triggering SideSense was super difficult...i've spent hours testing this to no avail and it was the return reason
very bland OS feels vanilla on one side, but also feels cheap and sad..Win app exists but can't backup no more.. so no extras.. no Dex, phone to PC sync or something
very weird selfie pics
no wireless charging was very difficult to abandon
what was cool:
no gray backbleeding like on every Samsung/Oneplus OLED, say what!
cam trigger...special button will not only launch camera but also start shooting.. it also acts like focus because it intercepts half press
Sony variant of Samsung SmartStay is fantastic. keeps phone unlocked while you look at it and this time it works because using sensors.. Never heard of it but it's super cool
SideSense is a good improvement as it brings multiwindow back..but the requirement is to activate is easily and that doesn't happen because of display edges on a flat phone
fingerprint unlock was perfect if it was easier to locate.. maybe black version doesn't help it, or you need a case with contrasting color
massive code support unlike Samsung, counted 4* AptX for example
tiniest status bar ever saw, notchless.. gives extra space
what a lesson.. despite hoping to prove otherwise i learned punchhole isn't that bad, fingerprint under display isn't worse, big display is beneficial despite weight (crying), and curved display is also great. and Oneplus has the best flagship even one year later, easily dwarfing all those Ultras.
doggydog2 said:
x5ii quick story
having had last flagship for already 4 long months, evaluated available flagships in a big theoretical matrix, and this phone won along with 8Pro which i already have. X1ii is a flop thanks to shocking 60hz screen and rated way worse. Hoping to get the light phone, without notch and with all the classic features i bought it. Returned after 1 day:
21:9 makes display small, eyes suffered straight away, also the brightness isn't great..i can reduce font and display size to minimum on 1+ and still see better than X5ii with increased font
size 6.1" is on par with Galaxy S7/8/9 cubic meter wise, e.g. S10 would have much bigger display
ultra slippery hard to pick hard to hold body.. absolutely unusable without fat ugly case.. maybe maybe X1ii flat frame is better?
unwanted keypresses thanks to buttons spread everywhere and unwanted unlocks thanks to fingerprint acting after touch
almost impossible to swipe from the edge was the major showstopper, also triggering SideSense was super difficult...i've spent hours testing this to no avail and it was the return reason
very bland OS feels vanilla on one side, but also feels cheap and sad..Win app exists but can't backup no more.. so no extras.. no Dex, phone to PC sync or something
very weird selfie pics
no wireless charging was very difficult to abandon
what was cool:
no gray backbleeding like on every Samsung/Oneplus OLED, say what!
cam trigger...special button will not only launch camera but also start shooting.. it also acts like focus because it intercepts half press
Sony variant of Samsung SmartStay is fantastic. keeps phone unlocked while you look at it and this time it works because using sensors.. Never heard of it but it's super cool
SideSense is a good improvement as it brings multiwindow back..but the requirement is to activate is easily and that doesn't happen because of display edges on a flat phone
fingerprint unlock was perfect if it was easier to locate.. maybe black version doesn't help it, or you need a case with contrasting color
massive code support unlike Samsung, counted 4* AptX for example
tiniest status bar ever saw, notchless.. gives extra space
what a lesson.. despite hoping to prove otherwise i learned punchhole isn't that bad, fingerprint under display isn't worse, big display is beneficial despite weight (crying), and curved display is also great. and Oneplus has the best flagship even one year later, easily dwarfing all those Ultras.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had similar, rather unfortunate experience with Xperia 5 II. My biggest hope was impressive camera system performance which appeared to be impossible to satisfy with. I gave good 4 weeks run to this phone but unfortunately it didn't deliver what I wanted.
I mean Photo Pro camera app is really cool and hardware specs are more than sufficient to have outstanding photos but in reality the camera experience is rather hit or miss especially in not ideal light conditions. In other words, I didn't see highest quality photos whatever hard I tried. Tinkering with Lightroom (manual photo editing) is rather waste of time when it comes to smartphones camera. Absence of AI is a big omission regardless of opinion of Sony fanboys.
Other things I disliked in this phone where mentioned already are as follows:
- I expected much better battery life from it compared to my Pixel 4. In reality it's just not that great at all,
- accidental buttons triggering in the pocket (I was pissed off with it to be honest),
- missing Wireless charging and 3D Face unlock,
- not good enough selfie camera and still subbar camera performance overall (old Pixel 4 with outdated hardware does better job),
- low screen brightness at sunny day outdoor conditions.
So sorry Sony but please try harder next time when you're about to release $1000 or so phone.
WarVic said:
I had similar, rather unfortunate experience with Xperia 5 II. My biggest hope was impressive camera system performance which appeared to be impossible to satisfy with. I gave good 4 weeks run to this phone but unfortunately it didn't deliver what I wanted.
I mean Photo Pro camera app is really cool and hardware specs are more than sufficient to have outstanding photos but in reality the camera experience is rather hit or miss especially in not ideal light conditions. In other words, I didn't see highest quality photos whatever hard I tried. Tinkering with Lightroom (manual photo editing) is rather waste of time when it comes to smartphones camera. Absence of AI is a big omission regardless of opinion of Sony fanboys.
Other things I disliked in this phone where mentioned already are as follows:
- I expected much better battery life from it compared to my Pixel 4. In reality it's just not that great at all,
- accidental buttons triggering in the pocket (I was pissed off with it to be honest),
- missing Wireless charging and 3D Face unlock,
- not good enough selfie camera and still subbar camera performance overall (old Pixel 4 with outdated hardware does better job),
- low screen brightness at sunny day outdoor conditions.
So sorry Sony but please try harder next time when you're about to release $1000 or so phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am irritated when someone knows their comments are flawed so the insult anyone who comments in advance. The Sony Xperia 5 II is the first Sony phone--or camera--I've ever bought. I had the Huawei P40 pro which is sitting on a shelf.
I recognize that the Huawei is a "computational photography" force and the Xperia is, by choice, not. I also recognize that many, perhaps most people, need and enjoy an automatic camera. Life is better for them when the device has AI and computational photography and their skills and abilities are limited. So, I value both as devices meeting a need.
Now, specifics.
---Battery life. I set my phone with the charging option of stopping charging at 80%. I usually end the day with at least 50% left. I'm very happy with the speed of recharging.
---Accidental triggering in pocket. I really can't comment since I don't carry the phone loose in my pocket. I have my phone in a holster on my belt. This is mostly because I have my wallet, money clip, coins, pocket knife and the dark a small flashlight in my pockets.
---Missing wireless. I'm not someone who misses it.
---Face unlock. I would like face unlock if it worked well but I detest fingerprint readers under the screen. I got used to the side-mounted print reader and don't find it a problem.
---Selfies. I don't do "selfies" enough to matter. I'm older than most trees and never was a narcissist.
----Screen Brightness. I agree. I strong overhead sunlight it's horrible.
I thoroughly enjoy their Pro Photo App but I understand why many prefer computational photography. With self-driving cars and self-cleaning underwear, it's a trend.
141ptkelly said:
I am irritated when someone knows their comments are flawed so the insult anyone who comments in advance. The Sony Xperia 5 II is the first Sony phone--or camera--I've ever bought. I had the Huawei P40 pro which is sitting on a shelf.
I recognize that the Huawei is a "computational photography" force and the Xperia is, by choice, not. I also recognize that many, perhaps most people, need and enjoy an automatic camera. Life is better for them when the device has AI and computational photography and their skills and abilities are limited. So, I value both as devices meeting a need.
Now, specifics.
---Battery life. I set my phone with the charging option of stopping charging at 80%. I usually end the day with at least 50% left. I'm very happy with the speed of recharging.
---Accidental triggering in pocket. I really can't comment since I don't carry the phone loose in my pocket. I have my phone in a holster on my belt. This is mostly because I have my wallet, money clip, coins, pocket knife and the dark a small flashlight in my pockets.
---Missing wireless. I'm not someone who misses it.
---Face unlock. I would like face unlock if it worked well but I detest fingerprint readers under the screen. I got used to the side-mounted print reader and don't find it a problem.
---Selfies. I don't do "selfies" enough to matter. I'm older than most trees and never was a narcissist.
----Screen Brightness. I agree. I strong overhead sunlight it's horrible.
I thoroughly enjoy their Pro Photo App but I understand why many prefer computational photography. With self-driving cars and self-cleaning underwear, it's a trend.View attachment 5254351
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Click to collapse
I'm irritated with someone who does not understand what computational photography is about. Some people (aka super Pro guys) are thinking that it's just for lazy, ordinary people with lack of photography skills. Surprise! It's not about it at all. No one camera it the world can reproduce exactly what human eye can see (I'm not talking about "Night Vision" photography). This problem as well as limitations of mobile cameras (mainly tiny size of lenses) is addressed by AI and computational photography. Trust me, we see the world in advanced HDR and depth of field of human eye is much better than on any camera.
So summarize what I said above, Xperia 1 II / 5 II photos are weak and not true-to-life at all. I can't remember any flagship smartphone delivering so many unusable photos - misfocused, blurred parts of the image further from the centre, horriblee distortion, chromatic abberation, blown out highlights, ridiculous amount of lens flares (T* marking on the lens glass is a bad joke!) etc. Having great selfie camera is not about narcissism, you know. It's just something that near $1000 modern smartphone must have!
All other Xperia 5 II flaws I mentioned before are valid and quite critical for such expensive device. I won't say a word of complain if Xperia 5 II price was about $350. Perhaps, even this price tag is too high and generous for it. Just because I came back to Pixel 4 which costed me $250. And I'm not a fan of Google phones at all. It just never let me down.
141ptkelly said:
I don't love inanimate objects and I don't sleep with my phone next to me. I turn it off when I go to bed. But, by listing what I don't like you can see how much I like.
The Xperia 5 ii is far too slippery and difficult to hold without a case. I haven't found a case that protects the phone but still allows the shutter button to operate smoothly. The fingerprint reader works fine for me but I would prefer one mounted on the back of the phone like the old Pixels.
One surprise I really like is the option to charge up to 80% and then automatically shut off.
What I really miss is more instructions on using the pro app.
Rather than love, I would consider the fun factor. I'm having a lot of fun taking photos with the Sony Xperia 5 ii. Of course, reading the news is depressing but I go take photos and feel better.
View attachment 5218585
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Click to collapse
Sorry buddy, but the photo example you've uploaded is quite bad. I understand you're having fun with Xperia 5 II Camera app as I did though. Perhaps your photo perfectly represents my experience with Xperia 5 II .
I'm also coming from P30 pro and I'm a little bit disappointed with the camera quality of Xperia 5 ii....The only thing that I like about this phone it's the 120hz and its speed, otherwise, it's not a device that it's worth the 1000$ price tag...Lucky me that I got it for 400$ second hand and I didn't spend a fortune on it.. I regret that I sold my P30 pro for this joke of a phone
robi101012981 said:
I'm also coming from P30 pro and I'm a little bit disappointed with the camera quality of Xperia 5 ii....The only thing that I like about this phone it's the 120hz and its speed, otherwise, it's not a device that it's worth the 1000$ price tag...Lucky me that I got it for 400$ second hand and I didn't spend a fortune on it.. I regret that I sold my P30 pro for this joke of a phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree with "this joke of a phone" comment!
There is definitely learning curve for using Pro Camera app but I noticed Normal Camera app improved after A11 update:
Attached are few point and shoot photos near Palouse falls, WA, US from Normal Camera App.
doggydog2 said:
what was cool:
no gray backbleeding like on every Samsung/Oneplus OLED, say what!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please explain. There is no gray "blacklighting" bled on the Note 10+. It's contrast ratio is near perfect as any display out there and the borders are laser sharp... unless I'm missing something.
I really hope Sony gives Samsung some stiff competition and picks up the ball where Samsung is dropping it. Even if you're not a Sony user, good competition helps catalyze competitors to produce better products.
A win-win for the consumer.
Good for you then. Winning in backbleeding lottery feels good. I test backbleeding as it's accentuated at night which is when I use phone, and in dark mode. Xperia 5ii was very good. Note20U, S10 is fairly good. Don't know about Note10. one pluses 6 7 8 were below average. Samsung tablets are the worst, for the record. Horrid.
doggydog2 said:
Good for you then. Winning in backbleeding lottery feels good. I test backbleeding as it's accentuated at night which is when I use phone, and in dark mode. Xperia 5ii was very good. Note20U, S10 is fairly good. Don't know about Note10. one pluses 6 7 8 were below average. Samsung tablets are the worst, for the record. Horrid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OLEDs* are incapable of IPS backlighting bled because there is no backlight.
The OLED pixels need power to illuminate otherwise they are black.
Apparently this is a firmware or driver glitch.
It's possible that that if not properly back shielded the OLED pixels could reflect light from behind the pixels. Have to know more about the display's physical construction to comment on that. If it were to occur it be a design or manufacturing defect rather than a typical OLED display characteristic.
My display when tested with Screen Test with black, full brightness is completely black. In fact there are no flaws visible whatever color or intensity across the whole screen including the curved portions. It's drop dead gorgeous.
The high refresh rate OLED displays of all Android makes are having various issues usually at very low light levels but not always.
Tinting is a common problem.
I'm actually glad now to be at a measily 60hz with none of these issues.
*AMOLEDs in most cases now.
PPGX5II said:
I disagree with "this joke of a phone" comment!
There is definitely learning curve for using Pro Camera app but I noticed Normal Camera app improved after A11 update:
Attached are few point and shoot photos near Palouse falls, WA, US from Normal Camera App.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Photos are good, no doudts, but I see nothing that can't be achieved by 3 times cheaper or much older phone. Trust me, old dinky dirt cheap Pixel 2 can do the same or even better. I can give you dozens of really bad quality shots from Xperia 5 II I've got. Never had such experience with any other flagship phone, especially in bad light conditions. Finally, I've just reviewed my photos from older Xperia 5 and found that ... it was better which is unbelievable. Certainly Xperia 5 II is a waste, missing opportunity for Sony. I really hope that they will learn on own mistakes, look at what other companies do and finally come up with some great thing. Not sure that it will be Xperia 1 III / 5 III. Not enough time for Sony and a quality bar is too damn high - latest Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, iPhone, OnePlus are hard to beat indeed.
WarVic said:
Photos are good, no doudts, but I see nothing that can't be achieved by 3 times cheaper or much older phone. Trust me, old dinky dirt cheap Pixel 2 can do the same or even better. I can give you dozens of really bad quality shots from Xperia 5 II I've got. Never had such experience with any other flagship phone, especially in bad light conditions. Finally, I've just reviewed my photos from older Xperia 5 and found that ... it was better which is unbelievable. Certainly Xperia 5 II is a waste, missing opportunity for Sony. I really hope that they will learn on own mistakes, look at what other companies do and finally come up with some great thing. Not sure that it will be Xperia 1 III / 5 III. Not enough time for Sony and a quality bar is too damn high - latest Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, iPhone, OnePlus are hard to beat indeed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to switch to oppo find x2 pro, but i m not sure its a good option...
robi101012981 said:
I would like to switch to oppo find x2 pro, but i m not sure its a good option...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't switch to older devices unless you had a very good experience with them before or they're dirt cheap. Oppo Find X3 Pro came into play. That one would be interesting to play with or at least to entertain the kids with microscopic camera.
WarVic said:
Don't switch to older devices unless you had a very good experience with them before or they're dirt cheap. Oppo Find X3 Pro came into play. That one would be interesting to play with or at least to entertain the kids with microscopic camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's a little bit too expensive for what s offering...I've bought this Xperia 5 II for only 400$, so I think it was a good deal... About that device, I'll exchange it with my 5 II, so no cost will be involved, so idk what to say...
WarVic said:
Photos are good, no doudts, but I see nothing that can't be achieved by 3 times cheaper or much older phone. Trust me, old dinky dirt cheap Pixel 2 can do the same or even better. I can give you dozens of really bad quality shots from Xperia 5 II I've got. Never had such experience with any other flagship phone, especially in bad light conditions. Finally, I've just reviewed my photos from older Xperia 5 and found that ... it was better which is unbelievable. Certainly Xperia 5 II is a waste, missing opportunity for Sony. I really hope that they will learn on own mistakes, look at what other companies do and finally come up with some great thing. Not sure that it will be Xperia 1 III / 5 III. Not enough time for Sony and a quality bar is too damn high - latest Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, iPhone, OnePlus are hard to beat indeed.
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It's interesting more Japanese companies aren't in the fray.
Conservative digital optical giant Canon maybe thinking of making a grab. Canon spends a huge percentage of their profit on research to help advance their product lines. They have offer excellent tech support as well; a good egg.
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WarVic said:
Photos are good, no doudts, but I see nothing that can't be achieved by 3 times cheaper or much older phone. Trust me, old dinky dirt cheap Pixel 2 can do the same or even better. I can give you dozens of really bad quality shots from Xperia 5 II I've got. Never had such experience with any other flagship phone, especially in bad light conditions. Finally, I've just reviewed my photos from older Xperia 5 and found that ... it was better which is unbelievable. Certainly Xperia 5 II is a waste, missing opportunity for Sony. I really hope that they will learn on own mistakes, look at what other companies do and finally come up with some great thing. Not sure that it will be Xperia 1 III / 5 III. Not enough time for Sony and a quality bar is too damn high - latest Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, iPhone, OnePlus are hard to beat indeed.
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Yeah, Computational Photography is where Sony lacks in Normal Camera App and $950 price tag (now at $850 and I bough for around $1050 including tax) is bit high (I would say around $800 at launch would be killer) but there are some feature which you will not find in other Flagships like Animal Eye focus and 4K 120fps video etc (Just to mention few there are other features too). Also Photo Pro gives you that extra control you need in certain situations. I was in dilemma whether to go for Xperia 5 II or Pixel 4a 5G but eventually I went for 5II and I don't regret it at all (my wife has 4a 5G) and if you look at hardware (except front facing camera, lack of 5G and extra google assistant button for some ppl) everything is just perfect.
Those brands you mentioned mostly use Sony sensor and quality which you mentioned is due to Computational Photography and not because of actual hardware. I would prefer good hardware than not so good hardware with some software magic to make it look good.
blackhawk said:
OLEDs* are incapable of IPS backlighting bled because there is no backlight.
The OLED pixels need power to illuminate otherwise they are black.
Apparently this is a firmware or driver glitch.
It's possible that that if not properly back shielded the OLED pixels could reflect light from behind the pixels. Have to know more about the display's physical construction to comment on that. If it were to occur it be a design or manufacturing defect rather than a typical OLED display characteristic.
My display when tested with Screen Test with black, full brightness is completely black. In fact there are no flaws visible whatever color or intensity across the whole screen including the curved portions. It's drop dead gorgeous.
The high refresh rate OLED displays of all Android makes are having various issues usually at very low light levels but not always.
Tinting is a common problem.
I'm actually glad now to be at a measily 60hz with none of these issues.
*AMOLEDs in most cases now.
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i wouldn't be happy on 60Hz - it hurts eyes as they constantly refocus during scrolling. But the backbleeding happens on 60Hz OLEDs equally. It's just different than IPS, not caused by obvious backlight, but by voltages and near impossibility to tune it well. OLED backbleeding (some can refer to it as lack of uniformity, glowing, banding) looks very similar as on IPS but it's less uniform. Looks like huge ghosts in various shapes on your screen or bands.
So I didn't mean pure black levels (unrealistic in most media content), i talk about low RGB levels / low brightness. That's where massive backbleeding comes to OLEDs. I rated some also here. Look at the pictures in this thread, hope you ate your breakfast already Since noone really keeps the screen turned on with RGB (0,0,0) for most pixels, the ultimate blacks are good only for one scenario: AOD. But make a microscopic step higher from (0,0,0) and you immediatelly lose this benefit of OLED.
We use IPS panels for work for hundreds of people, surprise. Now that the market races for top brightness, at the cost of eye health, glad that the high frequencies came at least. But still, this OLED technology should not exist in 2021. It's flickering, agressive to eyes, excessive blue, nauseating to some. My cheap 7year old IPS tablet is still pleasure to look at compared to nowadays OLED junk. Can't watch horrors on my state of the art OLED TV thanks to this. Bigger panel - more backbleeding. You can't pay enough to get rid of it. The death of *OLED is inevitable, let's celebrate a new technology soon!! We will laugh at OLED in future like we do at CRT, that's for sure.
doggydog2 said:
i wouldn't be happy on 60Hz - it hurts eyes as they constantly refocus during scrolling. But the backbleeding happens on 60Hz OLEDs equally. It's just different than IPS, not caused by obvious backlight, but by voltages and near impossibility to tune it well. OLED backbleeding (some can refer to it as lack of uniformity, glowing, banding) looks very similar as on IPS but it's less uniform. Looks like huge ghosts in various shapes on your screen or bands.
So I didn't mean pure black levels (unrealistic in most media content), i talk about low RGB levels / low brightness. That's where massive backbleeding comes to OLEDs. I rated some also here. Look at the pictures in this thread, hope you ate your breakfast already Since noone really keeps the screen turned on with RGB (0,0,0) for most pixels, the ultimate blacks are good only for one scenario: AOD. But make a microscopic step higher from (0,0,0) and you immediatelly lose this benefit of OLED.
We use IPS panels for work for hundreds of people, surprise. Now that the market races for top brightness, at the cost of eye health, glad that the high frequencies came at least. But still, this OLED technology should not exist in 2021. It's flickering, agressive to eyes, excessive blue, nauseating to some. My cheap 7year old IPS tablet is still pleasure to look at compared to nowadays OLED junk. Can't watch horrors on my state of the art OLED TV thanks to this. Bigger panel - more backbleeding. You can't pay enough to get rid of it. The death of *OLED is inevitable, let's celebrate a new technology soon!! We will laugh at OLED in future like we do at CRT, that's for sure.
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That's banding or at least what I call it.
Never seen that on my 10+
May be firmware or a defect in the active matrix drivers.
Either way it's completely unacceptable!
I like high end CRTs, their silky transition smoothness is hard (impossible?) to replicate.