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I have been deciding against a S4 or an HTC One. Right now, I have an epic 4g Touch, rooted stock. While I enjoy this phone it definitely hasn't let me down, I would like NFC support, LTE, and a better camera. I have a couple questions for people that can use this day to day, versus an in-store demo model.
1) Does anyone know if this phone will or can support Tri-band LTE? It seems the HTC one is unable to do so.
2) Normal usage (Listening to music, texting, checking e-mail, facebook on the web, web browsing, youtube, etc) how long does your battery life last? If you don't mind could you also indicate whether you live in a strong signal area (consistently full bars) or a low signal area (less then three).
3) Is the phone really plasticy feeling?
4) How is the camera on the phone? From what I have read, the S4 camera excels well all around, however the HTC One is better in low-light, but has terrible photo quality due to algorithms for noise and such.
5) Is wireless charging a possibility for this phone?
6) Does this phone only support tectiles or can you get away with other NFC tags?
7) Does sprint only have a 16GB model? Is that model still plagued by the rather low internal storage issue? Note, I understand that can be resolved with a microSD card, but, I just wondered.
8) Does this phone have a sim card slot behind the battery cover? I was surprised to see the HTC One had one, but, I couldn't check with the store model since well, the back cover has the alarm stuff on it and they wouldn't let me see it.
9) Is this phone similar to rooting/flashing kernels like the Epic 4G Touch? No HTC Dev trickery and such?
10) For anyone that has used the "S" features (airview, air gesture, etc) do they actually work well or is it just bogus gimmicky crap?
ROM Specific/Other questions
1) Does anyone know of any applications that can mimic the zoe like features of the HTC one on the S4?
2) Does anyone know if the Google Experience ROM will make use of the home button so that it instantly goes to Google Now, versus going to a task manager? I don't know if there is an option to do this on the normal sprint rom, but when I was messing with the floor model, I couldn't find a way to do this.
3) Does the IR Blaster work on any of the Google Experience ROM's, or any other AOSP ROM?
Final question, to anyone that has used both phones, is there any recommendation or opinion that you can give after using both (possibly those that bought one and then switched it out half way through)
I am having a real hard time deciding one way or another for the phones, and while yes, I understand most of the people at this point say if you flash a GE Rom, the only two remaining selling points are "Removable battery and sd card" or not, it is hard to base the decision off of that, especially if you take into account the other properties of the phone.
I would really appreciate any feedback Thanks
1. No. There are no phones available in the US that support it right now, probably by the end of the year there will be some. Probably Note 3 and LG G2.
2.Battery life is great, I'm in a terrible area for service, as most of the Sprint Network is a bad area for service.
3. I like the way it feels other than the back is a little too slick, but doesn't matter with a case.
4. S4 has the best camera for a phone on the market right now and has a lot of awesome features built in. Htc One takes better low light photos but not by a huge margin and overall is a lower quality camera IMO.
5. Yes. http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones-accessories/EP-P100IJWUSTA
6. Not sure.
7. Yep 16GB is the only option for Sprint currently, but that might change soon.
8. Yes it has a SIM. But you can't use the GSM capabilities unless it is unlocked and you are out of the USA.
9. This phone is too easy to Root and flash ROMs on. I had the E4GT and remember the issues with it when flashing ROMs. All that changed with the S3 and beyond.
10. S features work great. I don't use them always but they work.
1. IDK
2. The GE ROM has different assigned apps to the buttons but I'm not sure what they are, just that they are the same as the other Google Edition phone.
3.AOSP= on one that I know of but that will change anytime. The GE ROM can.
You ask a lot of questions. You a cop? Lol. I have used both and my sister in law has the HTC One. I went back and forth contimplating which to get also and I chose the S4 and haven't regretted it at all. I like the simplicity of the HTC One and it is freaking smooth as can be with the software. But IDK I still like the S4. I don't think you will be disappointed with either one so whatever you decide enjoy.
Thanks, and yes I completely understand the differences between GSM and CDMA. I did see autoprime's post, however I do completely understand the differences.
As far as battery life goes, you said it was great, on average, how many hours is "great" cause that is huge perspective issue.
As far as the storage issue changing soon, is there any ETA or is that just rumors at this point? My upgrade is in three weeks, and I highly doubt that any change would happen this fast.
My biggest concern with the S4 is any form of laggy feeling. As I get that feeling a lot on the S2/E4GT, and it is really annoying.
Plus, since they are both super phones, it is pretty difficult choosing between the two.
GH0 said:
Thanks, and yes I completely understand the differences between GSM and CDMA. I did see autoprime's post, however I do completely understand the differences.
As far as battery life goes, you said it was great, on average, how many hours is "great" cause that is huge perspective issue.
As far as the storage issue changing soon, is there any ETA or is that just rumors at this point? My upgrade is in three weeks, and I highly doubt that any change would happen this fast.
My biggest concern with the S4 is any form of laggy feeling. As I get that feeling a lot on the S2/E4GT, and it is really annoying.
Plus, since they are both super phones, it is pretty difficult choosing between the two.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never gotten under at least 10 hours or usage. Even heavy. I get about medium to light usage at work and I have full LTE bars there. And still have anywhere from 30-60 when I go home. I've never experienced lag on this phone. But some have, but those people say the new update solved it as well. As well as added apps to sd an option. So storage won't be a thing you'll have to worry about per say.
For me, in a good signal area, I normally achieve a bit over 5 hours of screen time on autobrightness on a total time of 16 hours unplugged.
As for the feel, I like it. The phone doesn't feel cheap and it feels very solid. I don't find it slippery either. The back gently sticks on to your fingers, which prevent slippage and accidental dropping. Coming from the E4GT, I find the feel and grip better.
The camera, of course, is much better and has many cool features.
As for rooting and flashing stuff, I find doing this stuff much easier and more logical than the E4GT.
The S4 is a great phone and I think you'll be really happy with it. If you want a phone with tri-band support, you should probably wait a bit to see which new models Sprint will be announcing. There is a rumor that a new, updated S4 might be released with the Snapdragon S800 and tri-band support, although I doubt it.
Hey guys currently im using a LG G4. I'm tired of not having a stable root, and bad battery.
Now i have a chance to buy this phone and sell my old lg g4 my question is, does it worth? How good the phone is compared to lg g4 and can you root/unlock, find a stable rom, use it as daily device? Thank you in advance.
I think it is a good device but the bootloader unlocking may not go as smooth as you would like. Lots of people have trouble unlocking.
Mine came already unlocked from aliexpress so...
But when unlocked i find root to be very stable.
Nice phone for 170 bucks or so.
its a good phone .....root is stable....performance is good....battery is good but need to fix a deep sleep problem by flashing two little things......
Everything is better on the Remi Pro except the screen resolution and camera quality. Camera on the G4 is much better, specialy in video recordin department. If the camera is not your main priority than buy this phone.
Sent from my Redmi Pro using Tapatalk
I bought it yesterday night. Now I need to figure out how to get Eu stable rom. So far so good. Camera is not that bad compared to lg g4 and from half day usage I can say battery is much better. No regrets.
Basically went through the same decision. Was using G4 dual sim, really needed fingerprint reader for Exchange mailbox. Got redmi pro - amoled screen is much better for all around usage (IPS QHD on g4 is whiter and little bit more detailed, also has gorilla 3, but Redmi Pros screen is more pleasant to look at and you really cant tell the difference of the DPI on normal day to day usage), battery life is considerably better on redmi PRO (around 1000 more mAH, lower resolution screen + possibly weaker processor gives more battery life), build quality is quite good ( i could nitpick here and there, like the fingerprint button dipping a little bit too deep on the left side, for two weeks has not become a problem yet though. metal unibody feels good, although more slippery than leather G4). The camera is my only grudge - although I did not take that much pictures on my G4, I loved the possibility of deep manual control over the camera. With Redmis camera, pictures in the dark are quite bad - but then again the time to focus and actually take a picture are noticeably faster on Redmi, so everyday snaps (for work, facebook chat and so on) are less of a hassle.
One of the true negative sides, is the lack of LTE 800 mhz(band 20 ) on the REDMI, as that is used here by all of the carriers. On G4 I had great 4g coverage indoors and on the road (countrysides, highways), Redmi falls short here, and lives mostly on 3g/3g+, rarely dropping to Edge - although I do get my 10ish mb download speed on the 3g, the networks used to be overburdened a year ago (especially 3g bands, now it is a bit better), so 4g was a saviour. Also the lack of a dedicated SD-card slot is a negative side, although not really a problem. I am yet to decide, if I'm keeping redmi pro as my main device - lack of 800mhz 4g being the only real decisive factor.
On the software side, I flashed Xiaomi EU rom - Sim toolkit started working (did not work on chinese version). Coming from LG factory roms, also having used CM and AOSP mods earlier, miui is a really well made "skin" for android. It is so well made actually, I wouldnt even call it a skin - the design and the configuration possibilites are very good. Besides only few small things, I would place miui over LG, Samsung and AOSP/CM in that regard. Few small gripes I have, is that I cannot seem to assign contacts to a specific sim (for calling purpouses - for example, i want work numbers to always call on sim 2, private numbers on sim1. right now I have to click and hold on the contact/number, and on the menu select Dial with sim X, where x is 1 or 2). In the dialer there are 2 call buttons for each sim, but that works only if you input the number manually. On LG G4, you could easily swap between two sims (selecting the main sim), or assign a sim for a contact.
Another problem, what is starting to get me a little bit, is the dropping of the 3g network - or rather the downstream part. On random times, all downloading ceases yet the phone shows upstream is still active. Sometimes this corrects itself in a minute or two, but when you need the connection now, you have to toggle mobile data off and on. This does not happen with Wifi. It might be the problem with the xiaomi.eu rom, as during the few days I used the factory Chinese rom, I did not notice this.
So basically for me, it comes down to the 4g 800mhz support, which for whatever reason, a lot of chinese phones lack (something to do with India laws?). Otherwise, for 180€ ish euros, this is a great buy ( if it does not degrade over time too quickly, especially the software part).
That's a very good post and very informative. Thank you for time. I hope people can benefit from it.
I have no regret so far. Great battery compared to lg 4. Submitted for the unlocking procedure. I want to have eu rom too. Hope it won't take long.
i think about seling it, miui is day by day more worst. phone is good, amoled is not real amoled, if you put black image and go in a dark room you will se pixel is not closed, not pure dark, only brownish.
Hi, long time XDA user here. I'm currently using a OnePlus X. I was considering springing for the new OnePlus 6, but I really shouldn't spend that much money right now. I saw that the V20s (a phone I was interested in previously) are very affordable now and I imaging for 200 bucks I can push my upgrade down the road for a bit, maybe until the OP6+ comes out. I've had an LG phone before and liked it , but it's been quite a few years.(Windows Mobile fellas, not even Windows Phone)
1. Is the V20 still viable, does it run well with current apps and networks?
2. How is the ROM support doing nowadays, and is the rooting process in general still possible from the firmware that currently ships on the phone? (I'm not sure what LGs stance on bootloader locking is)
3. Do custom roms make use of the secondary screen at all?
4. What are the phone's weakest points or biggest annoyances today? As in, what hasn't really stood the test of time?
Thanks for any info you can provide me.
Kevin1a said:
Hi, long time XDA user here. I'm currently using a OnePlus X. I was considering springing for the new OnePlus 6, but I really shouldn't spend that much money right now. I saw that the V20s (a phone I was interested in previously) are very affordable now and I imaging for 200 bucks I can push my upgrade down the road for a bit, maybe until the OP6+ comes out. I've had an LG phone before and liked it , but it's been quite a few years.(Windows Mobile fellas, not even Windows Phone)
1. Is the V20 still viable, does it run well with current apps and networks?
2. How is the ROM support doing nowadays, and is the rooting process in general still possible from the firmware that currently ships on the phone? (I'm not sure what LGs stance on bootloader locking is)
3. Do custom roms make use of the secondary screen at all?
4. What are the phone's weakest points or biggest annoyances today? As in, what hasn't really stood the test of time?
Thanks for any info you can provide me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs
cnjax said:
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. This is exactly what I was looking for.
cnjax said:
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say that with the active development of Lineage OS and Any Kernel.
Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk
cnjax said:
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This sums it up. Seems the v20 is dead. Maybe oreo will bring more development but I doubt it since a lot of people have moved on
WhiteWidows said:
I wouldn't say that with the active development of Lineage OS and Any Kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah lineage that half baked os that's unofficial and you lose main features of the phone and have to flash constant updates or use work arounds to have basic functionality, yeah that's development right there.
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs
LG V20 Still A good Phone
Well maybe you would like a different perspective. I fist laid eyes on the LG V20 in a Verizon store about a month ago but they would not sell it to me because it is not made anymore. So I just purchased an unlocked version from B&H in New York. My first attraction to this phone is the second screen which i think is extremely useful. Then i noticed that the LG V20 has a removable back panel so you can replace the battery. I have been looking for that ever since my NOTE 4 bricked two years ago. in the interim I had a Motorola Pure X which took a look for me to part with. SO that was all I needed to make the choice to buy it. now i do not have to carry a battery brick or make sure i am near a charger all day. i can carry a spare battery in my pocket. Next fringe benefit was finding out that this phone has 3 cameras, 1 front facing and 2 rear, one of them being a wide angle lens. But the love keeps getting better... add to that a removable SD card up to 256 GB or more when they come out with one, fingerprint censor, 64 GB phone and you have a pretty serious contender. I love this phone. I love it so much i but another one. Actually at the moment i have 3. Oh and yes, probably one of the only phones left that has both a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a type C charging port. The Audio and DAC units in this phone is better than most high end audio gear that you would find in a music studio, and i am a musician. I have heard of complaints about the camera quality, but to that i say if you want pictures with that kind of quality, go out and buy a Nikon! Also i have heard that manufactures are moving away form 3.5 mm jacks and removable batteries because they want to make the phones more water proof. Bull Hockey!! Are people so obsessed with phones that they cannot leave the thing alone for a 10 minute swim. The real reason is because the manufacturer doesn't want you keeping a phone more than 2 years so they make the batteries last only that long and if you cannot replace the battery, you need a new phone. (or you can go the route of trying to put a new battery in your phone and butcher it to death).
Long story to say do not count the LG V20 out yet. it is a superb phone, has many features that a lot of other phones just do not have. I am very pleased with both of mine and i love the second screen.
The only bad experience i have had is that in order to get Verizon's Visual Voice mail, i had to purchase a Verizon version, and the front camera crapped out after a week. It was supposed to be new, but the box looks like it has been ridden around the world, so i doubt it was new. SO i am sending that back but still have both of my unlocked US996's.
cnjax said:
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like, how is December 2016 is more that 2 years ago? Kid, are you sane? More so, Shap 820 even didn't existed more than 2 years ago, it is still actual chip not legacy like some 810, and 835 is pretty much == 820 rebranded and repainted
---------- Post added at 06:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:09 PM ----------
Kevin1a said:
1. Is the V20 still viable, does it run well with current apps and networks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, because it's powered by SD820, not Snap 430 or 600 or something
Kevin1a said:
4. What are the phone's weakest points or biggest annoyances today? As in, what hasn't really stood the test of time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The weakest point is battery somewhat degraded over time, I could have like 7hrs SOT on Wifi on the start but now after cold winters it shows its age and gives me around 4.5...5 SOT on same router. but battery is exchangeable easily and I hope to buy more fresh one
Some people claim they got screen retention, it's more visible the more southern country you live and more brighter you must set you screen to
I still am keeping it as a backup phone but I am using a different DD. I did take it on a trip though with the 10800 ma battery I have for it. I'm running a stock 918H and it still fairly fast. The SD card and headphone jack are nice too. Still a good buy at $150 or so
I love the second screen and the DAC but being forced to run the stock ROM is a PITA as it's very sluggish. I have a Mi A1 that runs circles around the V20 in terms of performance, which is sad. Meanwhile, if you try to solve the lag, running Lineage OS defeats the purpose and outweighs the benefits of the phone as you won't have the DAC, second screen nor full camera functionality.
Absolutely it is worth it. You can pick up a V30 with a slightly faster processor, and slightly better camera (and that is debatable) for $250. However, you will lose the replaceable battery, the second screen, the IR blaster.
The people that say they are having performance problems have hardware issues. Even stock non-rooted, runs plenty fast, but if you use Alpha ROM, and debloat all the carrier bullsh** then it runs like a beast.
-- Brian
runningnak3d said:
Absolutely it is worth it. You can pick up a V30 with a slightly faster processor, and slightly better camera (and that is debatable) for $250. However, you will lose the replaceable battery, the second screen, the IR blaster.
The people that say they are having performance problems have hardware issues. Even stock non-rooted, runs plenty fast, but if you use Alpha ROM, and debloat all the carrier bullsh** then it runs like a beast.
-- Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have hardware issues. The stock ROM (de-bloated or not) is well known to be sluggish. As I stated in my post, the phone is completely different if running Lineage at the cost of the unique functionality. Aside from many people complaining of the performance under stock as being sluggish, this guy describes it perfectly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZl2GpxekrQ&t=3s
So I have a slow phone? Holy crap! I had no idea!
Stop spreading FUD, and learn how to do things like disable rctd, ccmd, logging, CPU throttling...
-- Brian
runningnak3d said:
Absolutely it is worth it. You can pick up a V30 with a slightly faster processor, and slightly better camera (and that is debatable) for $250. However, you will lose the replaceable battery, the second screen, the IR blaster.
The people that say they are having performance problems have hardware issues. Even stock non-rooted, runs plenty fast, but if you use Alpha ROM, and debloat all the carrier bullsh** then it runs like a beast.
-- Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
runningnak3d said:
So I have a slow phone? Holy crap! I had no idea!
Stop spreading FUD, and learn how to do things like disable rctd, ccmd, logging, CPU throttling...
-- Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your sarcasm isn't appreciated and I'm not spreading fud - this is fact. I've done lots of tweaking and no amount of it will fix what LG did to the stock ROM. You're acting as if I'm the only person who has pointed out the shortcomings of the V20. The fact is, it is a fantastic phone with bad execution of the OS by LG. To be clear, I still use mine but it will soon be retired to secondary usage as my Mi A1 is way better as a DD.
No, I am sure there are plenty of others out there complaining as well -- that also don't know the first thing about how to get the most out of their phone.
Is the V20 the end-all / be-all? Nope, but it is the last great flagship phone that was released. Everything since is just a waste of money.
-- Brian
We just bought our T-mobile V20's this year. Great phones for about $150 in excellent used (hard to tell they were used) condition. Great photos and DAC, among other things. We couldn't find anything comparable for that price, new or used.
Mine is still great. Stock, unrooted, H990DS with a zerolemon 10000mAh extended battery. The image retention doesn't bother me - it's not permanent. I use the widescreen camera a lot, and charge the device once every 3-4 days. The IR transmitter sees plenty of use too, as does the DAC and the dual SIM.
There's nothing else that fits my needs. Dreading when it dies.
I just got me V20 H918 in excellent condition with 3 batteries and 4 cases for $185 shipped. I've come from G4 which started to have GPS lock issues, sometimes. My LG G3 GPS is no longer working at all. lol. Not sure what's up with that. Was this fixed in v20 or is this just tear and wear on GPS chip or something?
My main attraction point is camera manual controls and i mean white balance K numbers and mic for loud concert recording as well as removable battery and i prefer bigger screens and 5.7 upgrade from 5.5 on G4 is welcomed too. Oh and DAC was other feature that attracted me as well. What's weird that G4 concert recording was terrible but G3 was fantastic. Never distorted. Hoping V20 has great mic like G3 did. Let me know your thoughts.
I will NOT buy a phone if it doesn't have removable battery as i refuse to spend $800 on phone every few years and be forced by manufacturers due to profit.
Don't know any other manufacturer that lets you do white balance in K values. I wish aperture would be f=1.6 or f1.5 but had no complains with 1.8 on G4. Kinda sucks wide angle is f2.4, as it should be 1.8 or lower. It seems ppl use that camera more often. I guess night shots in standard angle is to use.
Thought about pixel but don't have manual control like LG does. If you guys have any suggestions on used phone <$250 that blows V20 out of water please let me know. I use to be Samsung Galaxy lover but since LG introduced manual controls i switched. There was pro photographer article on G4 camera so ppl that think iphone or samsung has better camera u should read that article. But let me know if there is something better.
P.S
In process of rooting it as i need it for kernel auditor for screen colors profiles (Vomer DeepRich) and kernel i/o scheduler control and kin screen and lux too, among few more other apps. Came with 10u so downgraded to 10p, bootloader unlocked already. Next will be laf exploid root method.
I just reflashed the excellent Alpha ROM on my V20 and managed to rid myself of a significant portion of the sluggishness I mentioned by getting rid of Magisk. I'm not sure what was going on but Magisk was definitely slowing everything down on my V20. Recommend if you buy this phone to stay away from Magisk or at least keep this is mind if you intend to root.
im on Mi A1 right now and im planning also to switch to V20.
Title says it all. I'm looking to pick up a new phone as my current HTC M9 is finally showing its age.
This is what I'm looking for in a phone:
I am BIG on de-bloating and ad blocking so at minimum root is REQUIRED.
Not required but might as well be, 3.5mm jack
6" screen or smaller, would prefer to stay below 5.6"
must support US AT&T bands
some what new specs
would like to have a LED display
not a requirement but defiantly looked at is battery life/size
I use to be VERY big into installing custom ROMS and Kernels. I've slowly backed off a bit but still love to do it from time to time. My HTC is just running a de-bloated version of the stock developer ROM. My Shield Table on the other hand is running lineage OS as the stock ROM is garbage. Having custom ROM options for this reason makes me feel secure in my purchase which is another reason I'm looking at a OnePlus in general.
From the digging I've done there really isn't much that meets my requirements. The OnePlus 5 seems to be my best option that I can find. The one plus 6 goes outside of my size limits. From the reading I've done it seems like the spec upgrades to the 6 vs the 5 just aren't worth the size changes.
I've also looked at the Asus ZenFone 4 Pro and ZTE nubia Red Magic Mars. The Asus modding community is basically dead other wise it seems to be a great fit. As for the ZTE it just barley meets my size limitations and is a bit of a gamble being that I have no experience with this manufacture before. Other then that my only gripe with the device itself is the LCD display but I currently have a LCD on my HTC so its not to big a deal.
So would you recommend that I pickup a OnePlus 5 or should I be looking at something newer due to the 5 approaching 2 years old now?
If this changes anything I would be picking up the phone from Amazon due to OnePlus only selling their most recent device on their website. I.E. - No warranty / international version https://www.amazon.com/OnePlus-A500...0955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=mobile&sr=1-2
I would suggest looking for a Oneplus 6 that has proper camera implementation and other little issues resolved. Or a Google Pixel 2XL if you want something that will last you longer in terms of updates ( eBay is having many auctions lately). In general, I would not recommend buying a Oneplus 5.
BrownEye02 said:
Title says it all. I'm looking to pick up a new phone as my current HTC M9 is finally showing its age.
This is what I'm looking for in a phone:
I am BIG on de-bloating and ad blocking so at minimum root is REQUIRED.
Not required but might as well be, 3.5mm jack
6" screen or smaller, would prefer to stay below 5.6"
must support US AT&T bands
some what new specs
would like to have a LED display
not a requirement but defiantly looked at is battery life/size
I use to be VERY big into installing custom ROMS and Kernels. I've slowly backed off a bit but still love to do it from time to time. My HTC is just running a de-bloated version of the stock developer ROM. My Shield Table on the other hand is running lineage OS as the stock ROM is garbage. Having custom ROM options for this reason makes me feel secure in my purchase which is another reason I'm looking at a OnePlus in general.
From the digging I've done there really isn't much that meets my requirements. The OnePlus 5 seems to be my best option that I can find. The one plus 6 goes outside of my size limits. From the reading I've done it seems like the spec upgrades to the 6 vs the 5 just aren't worth the size changes.
I've also looked at the Asus ZenFone 4 Pro and ZTE nubia Red Magic Mars. The Asus modding community is basically dead other wise it seems to be a great fit. As for the ZTE it just barley meets my size limitations and is a bit of a gamble being that I have no experience with this manufacture before. Other then that my only gripe with the device itself is the LCD display but I currently have a LCD on my HTC so its not to big a deal.
So would you recommend that I pickup a OnePlus 5 or should I be looking at something newer due to the 5 approaching 2 years old now?
If this changes anything I would be picking up the phone from Amazon due to OnePlus only selling their most recent device on their website. I.E. - No warranty / international version https://www.amazon.com/OnePlus-A500...0955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=mobile&sr=1-2
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Click to collapse
Existing thread for such discussions is this https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1620179
Here is my opinion about your question.
I recently purchased a op5 about 10 days back. I could have picked up the 6T but until the onscreen fingerprint is a few generation old I dont want to go that way. 6 was out of question due to the notch. 5t has a great screen and my friend is using it but I NEED my fingerprint on the front.(It is my use case could be different for u)
+ the metal body and 3.5 mm jack.
Also, the camera is good enough for daytime shots and the 835 with 6GB is very zippy and I am sure it will remain so for a couple of years. And it does have a great dev scene so later when my device is a year or so old i can just unlock the bootloader and go custom. I love custom rom and used to do that the 1st thing once i got my phone but nowadays i just dont have the time.
Overall i love the phone and feels very premium. I cant give my feedback about the other models u have listed above but personally for me OP5 checks all the boxes.
Go for 5 since it meets almost all on your checklist and besides, there's not much difference from the OP5 to 6/6T in terms of performance. Been using my OP5(6/64(Latest Beta)) for more than a year now but I hadn't have any hiccups or slow performance issues in all the applications. Plus, up till now; The Rom / Kernel development for OP5 is still alive and kicking.
Only issue that I had with my OP5 is the "Device temperature too low" which is already a hardware issue(Motherboard) as per the local tech and honestly speaking, I believe it was my fault as well. Maximing the usage of my OP5 and kept on using it even if it's charging then while I'm sleeping, accidentally covered the phone with my pillow(while AFK on Ragnarok Mobile) thus causing the phone to heat up to the maximum temp(Too hot to even hold the phone with it's case on). As of writing, I'm still waiting for my phone to be fixed by the tech.
Thanks everyone for the input!!
With the research I did today I ended up going with the Galaxy S9 (EXYNOS). Covers all my bullets, its a newer device then the OnePlus 5 with very close to the latest specs and was able to find the 128GB for $560. With it being the EXYNOS processor I should have no issues rooting and debloating it. And if I cant stand the stock rom it looks like they have good lineage OS development for it so I can just jump to that.
I just bought me a Oneplus 5 to replace my old Nexus 6. I bought the 8/128 variant in great shape for $260. I had the seller leave the bootloader unlocked for me so that I can easily root and flash ROMs when I'm ready. I haven't read into how any of that works on the OP5 or what I would need to do. I'd presume that I'd probably just boot into TWRP and flash magisk but I haven't checked any of that out.
So far, I absolutely love the phone. I knew my Nexus 6 was getting slow and was going to literally blow up at some inopportune time but I guess that I didn't realize how awful it was til buying the OP5. I haven't tried anything too taxing on it yet but this has been so smooth that it's hard to imagine anything else.
OP5 still a beast and will run all playstore apps for years to come. (6/8gb ram is insane for 99% of users)
-Also, less pixel (16:9 1080p) makes it faster and gives better battery performance.
-I love the out-of-display buttons, imo is the android signature.
- sound chip is awesome, big sell point for me on my ath-m50s.
I choose this phone especially to reduce my overcompensation (no, money isn't the problem). micro-technology is just killing the planet, so not changing my phone every year (hello apple fan boi) was a huge sell point for me.
Actually ram killed my previous phone, even with swap partition it was too slow ( HTC Desire Z from 2010). So I decided to get the best phone ram wise, xda support wise and chipset wise.
The only issue I have, is Oneplus refuse to sell batteries, this is just stupid, I mean yeah I get they want you to change phone model, or send them back your op for repairs, but still, how many people want to change the battery??? not much! so I dont get why they are so picky on that !
wife's OP3 still a very fast phone even in 2019, snapdragon 820, 6gb ram, but battery doesnt hold the charge. ebay batteries are ****, tired once, and got 1900 mha, phone shutdown @ 20% charge.
I love the op5, and if I dont loose/break it, I should be good for an other 4 years I believe ! :good:
I came from a Pixel XL, the OP5 looked great because of 8GB of RAM (which seems impressive for a phone), a better SoC, and a slightly lower resolution (better 3D performance). Along with all those things being true in-person, the speaker is also a bit better. It also has good LineageOS support.
My main reason for switching was for ease-of changing the battery if I needed to; the Pixel XL needed some adhesive heating and careful lifting of the screen; I wanted no part of that. The OP5 just pries open on clips which I find very nice, and the battery access is from the back.
I got a slightly damaged one (minor drop damage; insides and screen looks ok) for $200; the 8GB/128GB model.
Hello. I have the G900V on Verizon and for the past couple days have been having trouble getting back to a stable rom. I've had signal drops at random especially when making calls and phone random reboots. I'm on lineage OS 14.1 / 18.1.
At times reverts to 3G and have to restart phone
Stock camera says "Media server died" and crashes
At times screen glitches out and can see artifacts
Phone gets super hot at times (Batteries are brand new)
Things i've tried numerous times over....
1. To restore backups on TWRP but sometimes getting error messages Error 255 and Signal 9
2. Restoring roms from stock but signal still drops (even when roms seems fine stock rom nothing restored)
3. Restored firmware thru odin
4. Flashed different version of TWRP
5. cleared out apps cache data for camera but still dies
6. Restored EFS (radios)
7. Re-installing roms from scratch with gapps and magisk
Currently again restoring Lineage 14.1 RR again now. Any ideas on what's wrong with my phone?
UPDATE: October 3rd I flashed a stock rom Android 5.0 LL. Went to use camera and it failed and my signal went out so sadly it's hardware failure for sure! Phone also keeps boot looping at random and real hot. I had this phone for 7 years guess it's time for a change.
Any thoughts on the S20 / S20 Ultra as an upgrade? Stay with Verizon or go to T-mobile? I read it can be rooted and have a paid service to have bootloader unlocked.
[CLOSED][SamPWND]USA Model BL Unlock Info [U/U1/W]
Note: This Thread is @svetius Approved! NOTE: Thread temporarily closed until OP returns SamPWND Bootloader Unlock Service Note2: This is an informational thread that links to a paid service. Paid service is not a service provided by XDA...
forum.xda-developers.com
Try a known good stock rom to rule out a mobo failure.
blackhawk said:
Try a known good stock rom to rule out a mobo failure.
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So I flashed back to stock 5.0 and sure enough went to open camera and it failed and my signal dropped and went out. It's confirmed hardware failure. I finally got back to Lineage 14.1 after like a dozen stuck boot loops it finally booted into the rom.
I'm thinking of upgrading to the S20 / S20 Ultra on either Verizon or T-Mobile. S21 has no expandable storage. I read the bootloader can be unlocked for a service fee and phone can be rooted. I run Mac so I do not have windows so hopefully I can do this!
What do you suggest for a new device? This is a very sad day for me! But it's time for new and better things!
Droid9684 said:
So I flashed back to stock 5.0 and sure enough went to open camera and it failed and my signal dropped and went out. It's confirmed hardware failure. I finally got back to Lineage 14.1 after like a dozen stuck boot loops it finally booted into the rom.
I'm thinking of upgrading to the S20 / S20 Ultra on either Verizon or T-Mobile. S21 has no expandable storage. I read the bootloader can be unlocked for a service fee and phone can be rooted. I run Mac so I do not have windows so hopefully I can do this!
What do you suggest for a new device? This is a very sad day for me! But it's time for new and better things!
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Sorry to hear that.
Avoid Android 11 at all costs. It's a dead rotting horse... a fubar.
I picked up a new unlocked Note 10+ 256gb, 12gb US Snapdragon variant running on Q for $800 a week ago. Overall Q has a few rude surprises but is far less restrictive than R.
If you like Notes, you'll love the 10+. I have two now. The first one is 2 year old and still looks and runs like new. One replacement battery in this heavily used device. Current stock OS load is 16 months old, still fast and stable with minimum maintenance.
This variant is not easy to root if that's your intention. Package Disabler though will let you clean it up nicely.
The 60hz display is still one of the best out there (excellent color, contrast, brightnessl, and even with older hardware it's downright snappy and fun to use. Even in a case because it's so thin it doesn't seem that big.
Get a Zizo Bolt case, put a .5-1tb V30 SD card in it and it's good to go
After the 10+ it's slim pickings from Samsung in my opinion... which is why I now have two
blackhawk said:
Sorry to hear that.
Avoid Android 11 at all costs. It's a dead rotting horse... a fubar.
I picked up a new unlocked Note 10+ 256gb, 12gb US Snapdragon variant running on Q for $800 a week ago. Overall Q has a few rude surprises but is far less restrictive than R.
If you like Notes, you'll love the 10+. I have two now. The first one is 2 year old and still looks and runs like new. One replacement battery in this heavily used device. Current stock OS load is 16 months old, still fast and stable with minimum maintenance.
This variant is not easy to root if that's your intention. Package Disabler though will let you clean it up nicely.
The 60hz display is still one of the best out there (excellent color, contrast, brightnessl, and even with older hardware it's downright snappy and fun to use. Even in a case because it's so thin it doesn't seem that big.
Get a Zizo Bolt case, put a .5-1tb V30 SD card in it and it's good to go
After the 10+ it's slim pickings from Samsung in my opinion... which is why I now have two
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Yeah I'd rather have the S20+ because its newer and it has the expandable sd card. The S10 / Note 10 is too old. This morning my phone finally got stuck in permeant boot loop and wont boot into any roms period after it was pretty much fine for about a week. Thanks for getting back to me I appreciate it.
Plus the S10 Note 10 doesnt have 5G. The S20 was the first and the S20 plus has 5G mw vs the slower 5G speed on the regular S20. If I have to upgrade I might as well get a 5G device this time. My last 2/3 Androids were 4G since 2012.
The 10+ is an exceptional phone. It's color rendering exceeds the N20U and new iPhone.
It depends entirely what you want to use it for though. The Snapdragon variant is a pain to root and I wouldn't recommended rooting it.
As a stock workhorse, watching vids and browsing it rocks. It's build and display qualities are exceptional which weighed heavily on my decision. My refusal to adapt R and no SD card sealed all the new junk's fate.
Lol, a faster processor and laser AF been nice but not at the cost of downgrading usability.
I will continue herding user friendly dinosaurs...
blackhawk said:
The 10+ is an exceptional phone. It's color rendering exceeds the N20U and new iPhone.
It depends entirely what you want to use it for though. The Snapdragon variant is a pain to root and I wouldn't recommended rooting it.
As a stock workhorse, watching vids and browsing it rocks. It's build and display qualities are exceptional which weighed heavily on my decision. My refusal to adapt R and no SD card sealed all the new junk's fate.
Lol, a faster processor and laser AF been nice but not at the cost of downgrading usability.
I will continue herding user friendly dinosaurs...
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Click to collapse
I'm being told as long as the S20 has a bit 1 bootloader it can be unlocked and rooted. I'm looking on Swappa right now.
I don't like the fact years ago with the new phones they sealed the batteries making them non removable and some of the phones you cant use an external sd card. I'm not so much about the screen specs as I just want a phone that has 5G that can be rooted. I do like all the new phones come standard with OIS on the cameras, as a photographer with an old Nikon that will come in handy. I didn't like the fact the S5 pictures would come out shaky at times, the Note 4 had OIS tho. If they had made the S10 / Note 10 5G I would consider it! But I've been on 4G for nearly 10 years now and if I'm going to have to spend a bunch of money I might as well invest in newer technology.
Droid9684 said:
I'm being told as long as the S20 has a bit 1 bootloader it can be unlocked and rooted. I'm looking on Swappa right now.
I don't like the fact years ago with the new phones they sealed the batteries making them non removable and some of the phones you cant use an external sd card. I'm not so much about the screen specs as I just want a phone that has 5G that can be rooted. I do like all the new phones come standard with OIS on the cameras, as a photographer with an old Nikon that will come in handy. I didn't like the fact the S5 pictures would come out shaky at times, the Note 4 had OIS tho. If they had made the S10 / Note 10 5G I would consider it! But I've been on 4G for nearly 10 years now and if I'm going to have to spend a bunch of money I might as well invest in newer technology.
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I'm not sold on 5G. Many times it's net bandwidth increase is 20%. How badly it impacts battery life especially with less than optimum reception is a point of contention.
5G has shorter range and worse reach around objects than 4G. 4G should be around for another 10 years. Since I can browse and stream vids with no major issues I put 5G on the back burner. Lol, I still just adorn my 10+... so there's that. The square display, its 7mm thickness, it's stability, speed, all around usability and the spen really make it a killer phone even today.
I wouldn't recommend the 5G 10+ variant as it reportedly impacts power usage which is typical of the 1st generation of 5G. The Exynos chipset is a different animal from the Snapdragon. It may also have a different graphene heat sink on some of those phones. All Snapdragons variants to the best of my knowledge have the vapor cooled variant which is superior.
Be very careful buying any Samsung phone. A lot of misleading even outright fraud going on now.
Demand nothing less than full specs. Cross check device P/N and specs, always.
Many have reflashed roms and are the Exynos rather than the Snapdragon variants but the seller tries to hide that fact.
Best to talk to the seller by phone.
Buying a new older phone can be a better deal in spite of the higher price. The above issues are one of the reasons I rejected a N20U. A lot of the 8gb ram variants out there too and sellers trying to hide it, wtf? You want 12gb of ram if you can get it... it runs like a champ.
blackhawk said:
I'm not sold on 5G. Many times it's net bandwidth increase is 20%. How badly it impacts battery life especially with less than optimum reception is a point of contention.
5G has shorter range and worse reach around objects than 4G. 4G should be around for another 10 years. Since I can browse and stream vids with no major issues I put 5G on the back burner. Lol, I still just adorn my 10+... so there's that. The square display, its 7mm thickness, it's stability, speed, all around usability and the spen really make it a killer phone even today.
I wouldn't recommend the 5G 10+ variant as it reportedly impacts power usage which is typical of the 1st generation of 5G. The Exynos chipset is a different animal from the Snapdragon. It may also have a different graphene heat sink on some of those phones. All Snapdragons variants to the best of my knowledge have the vapor cooled variant which is superior.
Be very careful buying any Samsung phone. A lot of misleading even outright fraud going on now.
Demand nothing less than full specs. Cross check device P/N and specs, always.
Many have reflashed roms and are the Exynos rather than the Snapdragon variants but the seller tries to hide that fact.
Best to talk to the seller by phone.
Buying a new older phone can be a better deal in spite of the higher price. The above issues are one of the reasons I rejected a N20U. A lot of the 8gb ram variants out there too and sellers trying to hide it, wtf? You want 12gb of ram if you can get it... it runs like a champ.
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Well I know my next phone won't be thru my provider or ebay that is for sure. I am putting trust into Swappa. I think I can email the seller but not able to call them. According to google the S20+ SM-G986U is a US variant with the snapdragon chip. They are unlocked meaning I can use them on any carrier. Swappa has a 30 day return policy and they verify devices. 5G is an investment and all devices are backward compatible. I know 5G has shorter reach but with it comes more speed. I was not aware of all the fraud going on with listings.
I had considered getting another Galaxy S5 or maybe a Note 4 but they are just too old. And knowing this one is in hardware failure isn't making me happy. I'm ok with 4G LTE but I just figure if i'm going to spend lots money might as well get something newer.
This is who I used. They answer their phone.
Shipped 2 day FedEx free, no screwing around.
All was as speced except OS was Q not Pie; check manufactured date to avoid this from happening. I'm not blaming the vendor for this. They buy lots of new unsold phones and resell them.
I have a high confidence level with this vendor.
blackhawk said:
This is who I used. They answer their phone.
Shipped 2 day FedEx free, no screwing around.
All was as speced except OS was Q not Pie; check manufactured date to avoid this from happening. I'm not blaming the vendor for this. They buy lots of new unsold phones and resell them.
I have a high confidence level with this vendor.
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Click to collapse
I had a look on their site and They are kind of pricey but are these phones under warranty? They are brand new? I know the Ultra had camera problems vs the other 2 S20's. Oh lots people are trying to convert me to Apple iPhone still . I do have a 2012 classic Macbook haha! I've compared both phones!
@TheMadScientist said I have to ask them what the firmware number is in order to be able to unlock bootloader thru SamPWND. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...ock-info-u-u1-w.4201689/page-13#post-85751713
Droid9684 said:
I had a look on their site and They are kind of pricey but are these phones under warranty? They are brand new? I know the Ultra had camera problems vs the other 2 S20's. Oh lots people are trying to convert me to Apple iPhone still . I do have a 2012 classic Macbook haha! I've compared both phones!
@TheMadScientist said I have to ask them what the firmware number is in order to be able to unlock bootloader thru SamPWND. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...ock-info-u-u1-w.4201689/page-13#post-85751713
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Click to collapse
The warranty question is one I have as well but not too concerned. The 10+ Snapdragon's have a solid hardware track record. Just keep it in a good case...
I will ask next time I talk with them about the warranty.
If they're list as new; they are. Factory sealed. I scruntinized and tested mine hard, it is perfect. All factory plastic guards are present and no finger prints or micro scratches anywhere. They battery was quite low as expected when unboxed. Zero hours showing.
Display is perfect, tested with ScreenTest. It's snappy fast and getting good battery life so far.
Checked the ram usage, sensors, all good with nominal readings.
Connected straight up to phone/internet when I put my sim and SD cards in. Access the memory card data with no issues. Even Poweramp recognized the library on the data card instantly after I imported it's save settings.
Apple? Hell no. The color rendering tests for the 10+ exceed the newest Apple flagship phone in some respects. Although it has no high refresh rates it's color rendering make it still one of the best and stylish displays out there. I love the borderless design and square corners. Lol, the fact that I own 2 shows you I'm so jaded
As for your latter question I don't know. I leave the boot loader alone. It's simply not worth it to me to risk trashing these phones as they run very well unrooted. This variant is hard to root.
blackhawk said:
The warranty question is one I have as well but not too concerned. The 10+ Snapdragon's have a solid hardware track record. Just keep it in a good case...
I will ask next time I talk with them about the warranty.
If they're list as new; they are. Factory sealed. I scruntinized and tested mine hard, it is perfect. All factory plastic guards are present and no finger prints or micro scratches anywhere. They battery was quite low as expected when unboxed. Zero hours showing.
Display is perfect, tested with ScreenTest. It's snappy fast and getting good battery life so far.
Checked the ram usage, sensors, all good with nominal readings.
Connected straight up to phone/internet when I put my sim and SD cards in. Access the memory card data with no issues. Even Poweramp recognized the library on the data card instantly after I imported it's save settings.
Apple? Hell no. The color rendering tests for the 10+ exceed the newest Apple flagship phone in some respects. Although it has no high refresh rates it's color rendering make it still one of the best and stylish displays out there. I love the borderless design and square corners. Lol, the fact that I own 2 shows you I'm so jaded
As for your latter question I don't know. I leave the boot loader alone. It's simply not worth it to me to risk trashing these phones as they run very well unrooted. This variant is hard to root.
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Meant to respond the other day. Your not BL unlocked and rooted? So today The seller you suggested finally got back to me about the firmware. They don't have that info so I guess i'll have to go with Swappa and get a mint like new device. I think Samsunghas a brighter display more nitz than iPhone from what I read. I know my S5 was hard to see during daylight tho. Is your phone easy on the pocket can it fit?
Droid9684 said:
Meant to respond the other day. Your not BL unlocked and rooted? So today The seller you suggested finally got back to me about the firmware. They don't have that info so I guess i'll have to go with Swappa and get a mint like new device. I think Samsunghas a brighter display more nitz than iPhone from what I read. I know my S5 was hard to see during daylight tho. Is your phone easy on the pocket can it fit?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The N10+ Snapdragon variant is notoriously hard to unlock the BL and root. Simply not worth the risk for me as it can run very well stock. My oldest one has been in service 2 years unrooted and runs great.
The Exynos variant are easy to root but have their own hardware issues. All Snapdragon variants use the preferred vapor phase/copper heatpipe, some of the Exynos variant are randomingly using the inferior graphene heatpipe.
If the actual Exynos chipset its self is inferior is another debate. I can't really comment on that with any authority or knowledge as I haven't researched it much. It may simply not have as good of an instruction set as the Snapdragon or deeper architecture differences. Both are 7 um chips.
blackhawk said:
The N10+ Snapdragon variant is notoriously hard to unlock the BL and root. Simply not worth the risk for me as it can run very well stock. My oldest one has been in service 2 years unrooted and runs great.
The Exynos variant are easy to root but have their own hardware issues. All Snapdragon variants use the preferred vapor phase/copper heatpipe, some of the Exynos variant are randomingly using the inferior graphene heatpipe.
If the actual Exynos chipset its self is inferior is another debate. I can't really comment on that with any authority or knowledge as I haven't researched it much. It may simply not have as good of an instruction set as the Snapdragon or deeper architecture differences. Both are 7 um chips.
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Click to collapse
I'm guessing you have the Exynos and not the Snapdragon variant? I know Snapdragons are harder to unlock and root. I read something about the upcoming S22 snapdragon having a different cooling method than the current you mentioned used. I can't wait months for a new phone tho. I do not trust Ebay as a seller and unfortnantley the one you suggested is of no help regarding the firmware.
Droid9684 said:
I'm guessing you have the Exynos and not the Snapdragon variant? I know Snapdragons are harder to unlock and root. I read something about the upcoming S22 snapdragon having a different cooling method than the current you mentioned used. I can't wait months for a new phone tho. I do not trust Ebay as a seller and unfortnantley the one you suggested is of no help regarding the firmware.
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Click to collapse
Both are running with Snapdragon, deliberately.
To me a having fast, stable platform that fun to use and fulfills its mission 100% is far more important than having the newest, fastest device.
Mind you, I wuv speed and hate to wait.
I hate endless troubleshooting even more...
blackhawk said:
Both are running with Snapdragon, deliberately.
To me a having fast, stable platform that fun to use and fulfills its mission 100% is far more important than having the newest, fastest device.
Mind you, I wuv speed and hate to wait.
I hate endless troubleshooting even more...
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Click to collapse
Right and that is what I want too in a device. I'm tired of flashing ROMS after having my S5. It was non stop this past week or so and it would just bootloop and freeze and drop calls no matter what ended up being bad logic motherboard (was having issues sporadically past couple months). I just want to be rooted stock for now and be able to make recieve calls, texts without issue and restore things to my phone. Troubleshootng can be more trouble than it's worth hense all that troubles with my S5 towards the EOL (End of life).
What does wuv speed mean?
I'm having a serious problem with sellers not being able to tell me the firmware build number for S20+ 986U. This is becoming such a hassle! I'm looking at brand new sealed in box on Ebay and used mint on Swappa. The seller from Fusion Electronixs says they cant just order a phone and turn it on to see build number. I did mention the box and to check that. Should I just take my chances and buy one off Ebay or Swappa without knowing the build number?
I know once I got a temp phone years ago on Ebay and it was not as described was a different S5.