I've had my Note a few months now and I still believe its the best tablet out there. The nexus 10 does have a higher resolution but the
Note screen is beautiful anyway, also I use the S pen for everything and it has an SD card, so that tips it for me.
I remember years ago when I was a lad buying hi-fi equipment or stuff like that, Samsung was always at the bottom of the pile, the Beko
of the hi-fi world, if you had Samsung, you just had crap. Sony and the others were the things to aspire to, and if you were really
lucky, Technics! So it really does amaze me how samsung have seemingly come from nowhere over the past few years and are in the
position they are in now.
I had the original Galaxy phone and I think that represented a milestone with its combination of Amoled screen and Android operating
system. The numbers it sold in clearly showed Samsung they had created a winner and that this was the direction to go in. Thankfully
they did. After that I had the original Note. The return of the stylus to the small screen devices was a masterstroke. I sold the Note a
few months ago as it was a bit big for me and I was missing the Sense user interface I had years ago on the HTC Blackstone. I'm now
using a One S.
I'd never be daft enough to be like one of those iSheep who cant think beyond what a marketing campaign tells them, or who has no
sense in value for money. But am I a Samsung Fanboy? Definitely.
P.S. Samsungs projected phone sales for 2013 are over half a billion units.
Samsung been producing top class electronics for years .
VCR TV DVD Hard |Drives SGS1 2 3 and Note 10.1 are just a few of my Samsung products .
Sony no longer cut the mustard in my view .
jje
I had the Original Samsung Galaxy Nexus and was only so-so on it. I quickly traded it for a Motorola Razr Maxx. But the S III looks like a great phone and most people that own it seem to really like it. The Note phones are just too big for my tastes. But it would be cool to have that form factor with a pen. I'm hearing rumors the S IV may have a pen with a smaller form factor than the Note. We'll see.
But I won't make the decision on my next phone, or any other product, just based on my love of the Note 10.1. But I will give them serious consideration, unlike Apple. I have no desire to go down that dark path.
Only for tables i love the built quality of htc phones i had hd2 for 3 years without a single scratch and i may consider htc butterfly as my next phone, but on tablets i have nerarly owned every samsung tablet out there and i will not buy any tablet rather than samsung again
Sent from my GT-N8000 using xda app-developers app
Fanboy? No...
In fact, I dislike Samsung because of some of their surreal business practices - like having reciprocal 'no sell' policy between Canada and the US that prevents me from buying Samsung products from stores like Amazon.com. Which would be ok - if Samsung Canada carried the same products as Samsung US, or at least allowed you to order them *through* Samsung Canada - but they don't. This makes their opening the first physical Samsung Store in Burnaby, BC, Canada rather surreal since the store carries a tiny fraction of what Samsung US sells.
The customer support is often wonky and frustrating (note, we North Americans are still waiting for *any* updates for the Note while it's already rolling out for the second time in Europe).
They try too hard to be Apple and get it wrong too often.
That being said, here's the reality - I have an Q1U-V tablet, a Series 7 Slate, a Galaxy Nexus and a Galaxy Note 10.1. I have two external DVD drives, both Samsung. About the only thing I don't own made by Samsung is a desktop computer or monitor. I've had to buy most of them by driving to the US and buying them over the counter and bringing them back to Canada.
Why?
Simple. While they don't get it perfectly right - they get far closer to what I want than anyone else does. In the end, really - I have no other options. And Samsung seems to be slowly fixing the things I find annoying - so I'm prepared to cut them a lot of slack.
So am I Samsung fan boy? No. But they are my main consumer electronics producer for now...
Nope. I tolerate them only because of the S-Pen. As soon as someone else comes out with one that runs Android I will jump ship immediately.
I don't really value the name of the company ..
Even apple , I believe it produces bad products when it comes to smartphones and tablets aka ipads .. but I dream of a mac laptop ..
I had a Samsung and I'm buying the next tablet from samsung again too ..
ONLY BECAUSE OF THE PEN AND THE SOFTWARE FEATURES ..
I have to admit It sucks when it comes to quality .. I never expected it would feel this bad ..
but It's still a Great device even with the bad feeling of the material of it :good:
I may have tendencies of fanboyism but tbh they do make quality products, it all started with my S3 then i bought an SSD and now the Note, all of which serve me well and work flawlessly.
I feel that the large departments for R&D which they possess play a large role in how good these devices are, e.g they have shrunk the die in many of their mobile chips in order to lower power consumption and heat production. Not many companies are capable of such things and this in my books is why samsung excels.
Nope
While I love my Note 10.1 and have had it since the first day it was released in the US it is far from the perfect tablet.
Proprietary charger.
Always a big negative in my book for any device. If you want to have more functionality than a standard usb form factor charger offers then include a second port for that functionality but leave the charging to a standard usb form factor plug.
Screen resolution.
While I have no real complaints about the screen I expect an apple style rollout this year of a new Note 10.1 with a higher resolution screen making all of us early adopters have to decide if the upgrade is worth it for something we all wanted and expected in the beginning.
Software Updates.
It is frustrating to watch multiple updates come out across the globe for items in the same family of devices without getting even a hint or update on the progress of updates for your region. I think Samsung could do a lot to quiet people's complaints on the update delays by communicating the progress and causes of delays to their users. Even without a definite release date just being able to see that it is in the pipeline would do a lot to satisfy me.
And one final minor issue for me.
Placement of the S-Pen in the body of the device.
The pen placement really confuses and frustrates me. It seems that the note is designed to be held in a landscape orientation, speaker placement, volume button directions, native app orientations, camera positions, accessory orientation, etc. That being the case why does the pen come out of the bottom of the device? If I am using a stand I have to lift up the tablet to get the pen out or put it back in place. When I hold the tablet in portrait orientation, which I do most of the time, because I am right handed I have to choose ease of access to the s-pen (camera to the left), or keeping the light sensors uncovered (camera to the right). I would guess the same from the reverse would be true for lefties. Upper left corner vertical in landscape, next to the power button, would have made much more sense as then the pen would be easily accessible from any position other than upside down while keeping the power and volume buttons accessible as well.
The note 10.1 is a great tablet. It is fantastic for taking notes and as a digital sketchbook but it isn't anything that would make me into a fanboy for Samsung.
I do love my note 10.1. The best tablet for me right now. Not the best at everything, but best overall. The nexus would have been my second choice.
Higher Res screen is no good for me as my eye sight is not as good as it used to be. So the nexus would not have been beneficial.
The nexus had no SD card slot, may as we have an ipad.
A big plus for me with the note is USB charge. I can go travelling and use the same extended battery for my phone and tablet.
My old tablet was an ald xoom. I sold it for 160 ukp and bought the note for 330 with 80 cashback, so it was a sub 100 ukp upgrade.
Yes it has. I have a Glaxy Player, GS3 and now a Note 10.1.
I think "fanboy," especially the way it's used on XDA, implies a kind of blindness favoring a specific manufacturer. I bought (coming from a i9100 SGS2) the Teg3 One X over the SGS3 when they came out because I liked the display, design, and Sense vs. TW.
Here's a quote from Samsung's CEO made in June:
"A particular focus must be given to serving new customer experience and value by strengthening soft capabilities in software, user experience, design, and solutions."
http://www.informationweek.com/mobi...ung-ceo-software-key-to-device-wars/240002193
It's clearly being taken to heart. The welcome and unique capabilities of the Note series make other Android devices look barren. I liked the features (I'm a productivity user) of the Note 10.1 so much I got a N2. And it has even more features than the 10.1. I was playing with a friend’s N10 over the holidays and it looks like a barren wasteland feature-wise compared to the Note. Similarly, he was amazed at what the Note could do that his N10 couldn't.
Samsung's raised the bar for other manufacturers in features and usability. From the "Phone X" leaks at Motorola it seems they've gotten the message. The N4/Optimus G and One X+/DNA/Butterfly are simply re-hashes of existing direction with better h/w. To me, features are like crack; once you're hooked they're hard to give up. So I'm not married to Samsung and would consider other devices but not if it means I'm going backward.
In the high-end space I think manufacturers that just mildly evolve their devices are going to be screwed going forward. As it is, their a generation behind Samsung and if Samsung keeps moving the goal ahead their struggles will only continue. Motorola survives because of Verizon and HTC actually lost market share with the introduction of the One series. From a volume and market share perspective everyone other than Samsung’s in trouble. It'll be interesting to see what's announced at CES and MWC in the next couple of weeks.
TheWerewolf said:
Fanboy? No...
In fact, I dislike Samsung because of some of their surreal business practices - like having reciprocal 'no sell' policy between Canada and the US that prevents me from buying Samsung products from stores like Amazon.com. Which would be ok - if Samsung Canada carried the same products as Samsung US, or at least allowed you to order them *through* Samsung Canada - but they don't. This makes their opening the first physical Samsung Store in Burnaby, BC, Canada rather surreal since the store carries a tiny fraction of what Samsung US sells.
The customer support is often wonky and frustrating (note, we North Americans are still waiting for *any* updates for the Note while it's already rolling out for the second time in Europe).
They try too hard to be Apple and get it wrong too often....
That being said, here's the reality - I have an Q1U-V tablet, a Series 7 Slate, a Galaxy Nexus and a Galaxy Note 10.1. I have two external DVD drives, both Samsung. About the only thing I don't own made by Samsung is a desktop computer or monitor. I've had to buy most of them by driving to the US and buying them over the counter and bringing them back to Canada.
Why?
Simple. While they don't get it perfectly right - they get far closer to what I want than anyone else does. In the end, really - I have no other options. And Samsung seems to be slowly fixing the things I find annoying - so I'm prepared to cut them a lot of slack.
So am I Samsung fan boy? No. But they are my main consumer electronics producer for now...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I laughed a little I'm not sure I quite agree with they "try to hard to be Apple and get it wrong too often." comment. What does that mean exactly?
Frankly Samsung has very clearly innovated, beyond and better than has Apple in many cases. I think one can only fault, if that's even a realistic term in this case, things like the heavy use of plastic vs metal/glass... but is that even really fair? Those same materials are what make the unit so "flexible" in many cases (replaceable battery, internal sd card, light weight, more resiliency when dropped).
I think if anyone is playing catch up now it's Apple. Samsung isn't building knock-offs, they are building better and in many ways different mouse traps. Even Samsung's software is well polished comparatively.
The only thing I dislike on the Note 10.1 is the lower res screen. But that's simply because I know there's better out there. However that doesn't mean it's low quality, quite the contrary it's an excellent screen.... I just wish it was as "excellent" as the one on my Note 2
It's not that I won't buy from other manufactures, Samsung has just made consistently the best products I have use recently. They have converted me from HTC for phones, and Nexus tablets. Now I own a galaxy s3, 8 Samsung pebble, a note 10.1, and a Samsung laptop. As long as they keep up the innovation and good customer service, I think I will stay with them for a long time. As much as everyone complains on these forums, I actually think their rollout schedule of updates is really good
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
I'm not a samsung fan boy and i will never be one. Will never spend a penny on samsung products again.
xuanphucn said:
I'm not a samsung fan boy and i will never be one. Will never spend a penny on samsung products again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why?
HUYI said:
why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would appear not to matter. Motorola and HTC both had new products in the period and still lost market share. LG maintains its percentage of market share primarily with low to mid-range devices. According to reports the N4's sold only 400K units so it's in high-demand from lack of supply.
I can say I.support Samsung now. This note 10.1 and SG3 are my first Samsung devices. They perform so well I left them stock. Not even rooting them. I underestimated them. They do produce some quality products.
I will say though I loved my previous Transformer Prime. Only reason I got refund on it(to buy note 10.1) was because I saw its forum and developement scene kin agoing downhill. It still was, IMO, a great experience. Its the price we pay to be on cutting edge technology at the time. I still have my Nexus7 to satisfy my Tegra3 /Asus needs though
I'd easily recommend either Samsung device I own to others. They work great out the box. Only thing I don't like is their updating software routines. but its cool with me since device works so well out the box.
Also I will likely be getting a Note 2 shortly. Then give my SG3 to my woman. I love that huge. 5.5in. SuperAmoled. Screen on it. It'll compliment my tablet well. Can you believe that that company Haewei is releasing a 6in+. Phone? Love it. Even the rumored SG4 will likely be at least 5ins. I love the phablet category!
demandarin said:
I can say I.support Samsung now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoever thought we'd see that day.
I'm having fun with my Note, it's a toy to me....Samsung has to do a lot more to lure me away from my HTC phones........
How many of you guys are planning to switch to S8? Are you gonna wait for Note 8 later this year, or maybe you're planning to switch from Samsung to some other OEM?
I was planning to get S8 in April, but i'm not sure if it's a good choice, and since i'll be using it for next two years, i would like to hear other people' opinions.
Hell No
---------- Post added at 04:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:09 AM ----------
Done with samsung
their is already a section for this https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s6/general/discussion-phone-buy-time-t3493916://
I'd love too but not sure how I can manager to find enough $$$
Nope, if I stay with android I'll be pixel only from now on
No
Yes, if I rob a bank
Not going to buy it instantly...waiting for reviews and prices to drop first...and then if it is really worth it will buy it...the s6 is a good phone but battery is absolutely trash so im in a need to upgrade...if the s8 is not worth it i will be looking other phones..
Google phone for the win.
would you like to go from 2k to 2k No! Better wait for 4k display
jackherer72 said:
would you like to go from 2k to 2k No! Better wait for 4k display
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol what's the point of a 4k display on a phone...
Unless you're using it for VR, a 4k display is redundant as hell
No. I hate the curved display and the round corners. It looks like the most gimmicky phone ever to me. I'll stick with my S6 for a while, and I'll keep buying flat display phones for as long as I can, I don't want any of the edge display nonsense.
Well I am pretty content with the S6 for now, and I would probably not buy the S8. The news that it will have an 3.5 mm jack after all, is really good. I use mainly Bluetooth for my personal music listening, but occasionally I am playing some music at a party from my phone and it would be a bummer to not be able to.
However the lack of flat screen variant is a deal-breaker for me. I really dislike the edge screen - I understand that many people enjoy it and prefer it, but for me it serves no practical purpose and detracts from the otherwise excellent panel quality. Also it's not news, but the S8 as the S7 before it will have no IR port. Probably there won't be any phones in the future with IR port, but I still have a use for mine and it doesn't make sense to move from a phone that has it to a phone that doesn't. Otherwise, since the S6 is already pretty powerful and with a nice camera and display, the gains in these categories will not be significant, so really, it makes no sense for me to spend over 700 € for an upgrade.
Definitely not, 2017 A-series phones look dope though.
vordhosbnbg said:
Well I am pretty content with the S6 for now, and I would probably not buy the S8. The news that it will have an 3.5 mm jack after all, is really good. I use mainly Bluetooth for my personal music listening, but occasionally I am playing some music at a party from my phone and it would be a bummer to not be able to.
However the lack of flat screen variant is a deal-breaker for me. I really dislike the edge screen - I understand that many people enjoy it and prefer it, but for me it serves no practical purpose and detracts from the otherwise excellent panel quality. Also it's not news, but the S8 as the S7 before it will have no IR port. Probably there won't be any phones in the future with IR port, but I still have a use for mine and it doesn't make sense to move from a phone that has it to a phone that doesn't. Otherwise, since the S6 is already pretty powerful and with a nice camera and display, the gains in these categories will not be significant, so really, it makes no sense for me to spend over 700 € for an upgrade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with u. I use my IR blaster a lot! I do like the edge displays though, and I will be getting the s8+!!!! It looks damn sexy!!!!!
Sent from my SM-N930F using XDA-Developers Legacy app
no. I'm tired of waiting for updates for six months.
I think I gonna buy this but if my father buys it ima take his s7 edge
Maybe cause im using S6 right now. But we'll see what S8 be like after the event.
It's over. Android is the poison that you should stay away from
Hi all,
I love this question since it has been one I've been asking myself ever since the Note 7 explosion debacle.
And after giving it a lot of thought I want to share my view with everyone and please be open about what I'm about to share with you.
I've always owned flagship android phones because I love android for its customizability and up until the Samsung Galaxy s6 I always owned flagship HTC's because the build quality and design was far superior of that of Samsung and the hardware difference was always neglectable. Then when Samsung came out with the S6 I switched simply because the HTC flagship contestant got thicker (or not thinner in each case and it was pretty thick compared to the Samsung and Apple phones due to the full metal body) and the hardware specs were just a tick worse than the Samsung GS6's + I wanted the best camera on the market and that was the Samsung GS6 at the time, on top of that, the Samsung Galaxy S6 design was beautiful compared to the previous models.
I made the switch and was happy! But...
Now, still using the phone and goddddddddddd I'm so annoyed by the amount of times that I had to hard reset it, install an "optimized" ROM and the amount of lag I'm experiencing using the Android OS... MEANWHILE my girlfriend, Who I've been with for 5 years and has an iPhone 5s for a bit more than 3 years and ONLY ever owned Apple products, doesn't have ANY problems with her Apple products...
She is still using a 2008 Macbook Pro which works smoother than my HP Spectre X360 which is not more than a year old...
Her Macbook battery and iPhone battery last longer than my Windows laptop and Android Galaxy S6 ... So finally it kicked in that it's not the phone but the operating system that ducks everything up... And frankly while I'm ranting on about anything that's not Apple, my HP Spectre X360 (also flagship model Laptop, top specs) is feeling crappier than my girlfriends 2008 Macbook Pro...
So living with an Apple user for 5 years I finally caved to the convenience of Apple products which don't have the frickin' problems I have with Windows or Android and who's products just work so much better than any flagship that will ever come out for Android or Windows simply because these companies are not able, professional or dedicated enough to make their OS as optimized and smooth as Apple has with their OS + Hardware and the problem is that even if they try, which I'm sure they do, there are too many different devices with different hardware that there'll never be something as optimized as an apple product coming from an android/windows using phone/laptop manufacturer.
Now to answer your question, I will not switch to the Samsung Galaxy S8 simply because I know that within a year, I will again experience lagging, a bad phone battery and I'll never be able to get the great synchronization that Apple has with its products... (Partly also cause I live in China and google services are blocked here).
Instead, I will slowly switch EVERY product I have to an Apple product. Starting with my phone when the iPhone 8 comes out.
(I find the "leaked" Samsung galaxy s8 pics not at all as beautiful as many online claim it to be... if anything the Xiaomi Mix looks nicer than any of the leaked SGS8 pics, which is also another reason why I'm switching to apple, since all of their designs are just so beautiful and I can't make any of my windows or android products look as beautiful as an apple device simply because it causes more errors on the windows or android OS when you install 3rd party software to make your phone look more apple-ish designed)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
. Once I have the iPhone 8 I'll wait until I'm either super sick and tired of my HP Spectre x360 or if I have enough money to easily afford the next Macbook pro model once it comes out.
And for my desktop which I built myself... that'll also get replaced eventually... Don't know by what yet, but certainly by something from Apple...
I'm tired of fixing issues on Windows products, and let's all be honest... they are plentiful and appear for no ducking good reason....
Cheers, and if you feel the same way, please let me know! I'd love to see if anyone here finally got to the same realization and feels the same way.
nathanaelhorn said:
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not even pay $ 200 for an iphone ... I already had an Imac for 6 months and it sold ... never again ... very annoying and slow ... I mounted a pc 10x better for half price or little else
EDIT:
I started this thread in April 2017 and went through year waiting for and then eliminating phones that could replace my beloved Quark, without losing any features like QHD (1440p) OLED, Qi wireless charging, and 3.5mm headset jack. While also GAINING features that have become de rigueur for premium Android phones, like IP68 dust/water resistance and fingerprint sensor.
I also wanted to be able to root the phone to keep total control. By the end of the 2017, the only phone that met those requirements (for me in the U.S.) and also was aesthetically pleasing was the open market LG V30 US998. The Exynos Galaxy Note 8 was just too large.
The LG V30 was not even on the original list below, but the LG G6 was... and it failed. The end-of-year LG V30 was what the LG G6 SHOULD have been. It's a more refined version of the LG G6.
I may keep this thread going to discuss 2018 phones, but they will have to beat the Quark while also competing with the excellent LG V30...
_____________
NEW Phones to replace 2014 Quark (Droid Turbo/Moto Turbo/Moto Maxx)?
FIVE PHONES TO WATCH IN 2017
There's NOTHING on the market right now or even in the past two years that is better than the 2014 Quark, in my opinion. The LG G4 and ZTE Axon 7 came close. So, I am waiting for NEW phones to come out.
I have three 64GB XT1225 -- two daily phones running RR 6.X and one still new in the box. I've come up with a list of 5 phones coming out later this year to watch, to see if they are worthy of replacing my daily Quark phone... Skip to the bottom if this is too long to read. But I explain my criteria.
I've had the Quark since December 2014, when I bought two in the same month, and then spring of 2016 I bought a 3rd Quark to be emergency backup (still new in the box).
During that time I had a couple of LG G2 phones I had as backup but when I bought the 3rd Quark, I sold those on eBay. I even won FREE a new 2015 LG G4 from AT&T in a contest, and sold it NEW IN THE BOX (but added a Qi wireless charging back cover I ordered from Europe, so it was even better than new). That 2015 LG G4 (with the Qi wireless functionality) was actually the closest replacement phone I've found for the Quark. But that was the money I used to buy the 3rd 2014 Moto Maxx XT1225.
My point is, each year since 2014 I've looked at various flagship phones and for one reason or another they don't match up to what I have now.
2016 ZTE Axon 7 came very close.
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5.5" AMOLED (exactly same Samsung panel in the Google Pixel XL, has same part number)
Google Daydream VR certified
64GB/4GB RAM ($400, now $357) or 128GB/6GB RAM ($500) -- both with microSD card
award-winning DAC
headset jack
front-facing stereo speakers
frame designed by BMW
20MP camera with rear OIS
bootloader unlock on request and has root, custom ROMs
For Verizon users, CDMA bands and Verizon VoLTE (on stock Nougat and LOS 14.1)
WOW. So, why not? No Qi wireless charging. Plus reports ZTE's firmware could be better. The custom ROMs are almost fixed, but in the beginning couldn't even access the award-winning DAC. Audio was all messed for months on the custom ROMs. But you could still root and run stock.
I wish Google had bought 1 million of these, slapped on their software and sold them as the Google Pixel XL. I seriously would have considered buying it, but the lack of Qi wireless is still a deal killer.
2016 Google Pixel XL.
Bezels too big for no reason. No Qi wireless charging. Google has lost their sense of direction. I owned two of the gen3 Galaxy Nexus and two of the gen5 LG Nexus 5. Ever since the WHALE 2014 Moto Nexus 6 (which I refused to buy), they have lost their sense of what mainstream smartphone users want. A 5.2" - 5.5" updated version of the Moto Nexus 6 would be PERFECT. UPDATED Snapdragon chipset, Qi wireless, QuickCharge 4.0, 1440 AMOLED, headset jack, etc. -- but in a reasonable size.
2016 Moto Z Force
Verizon exclusive. No headset jack. Crappy mods to make you pay for what should already be in the phone -- particularly stereo speakers, Qi wireleless charging, larger batteries. Except you can only use ONE mod at a time.
2016 Moto Z
No headset jack. Crappy mods to make you pay for what should already be in the phone -- particularly stereo speakers, Qi wireless charging, larger batteries. Except you can only use ONE mod at a time.
2016 LG G5
Crappy mods. Even crappier than the Moto Z series.
2017 LG G6
No Qi wireless for international models. No DAC/bigger storage for U.S. models. LG messed up. Make ONE phone with premium specs for the entire world!
2017 Galaxy Samsung S8
Very interesting. Specs are good. Has Qi wireless charging, 1440p AMOLED. Exynos variants have already been rooted and has official TWRP and ROMs. But I'm going to wait until 2nd half of 2017 to see what else is coming...
WHAT ELSE IS COMING THIS YEAR?
Here's FIVE phones to keep your eyes on.
This list below is in order of increasing likelihood -- with the bottom two being VERY interesting.
5 - 2017 Google Pixel 2
Probably still won't have Qi wireless or headset jack... Because Google is stupid.
4 - 2017 OnePlus 5 reportedly will have 1440p AMOLED. I'm not buying a 1080p phone, not since having 1440p since 2014. And any phone I buy has to have Qi wireless charging. I'm also concerned about OnePlus proprietary "Dash Charge" since I have many, many QuickCharge chargers. I'm NOT throwing those away.
3 - 2017 ZTE Axon 8
What could ZTE do to improve their almost perfect ZTE Axon 7 specs? Add Qi wireless charging.
What else could they do? Improve their firmware.
So, let's see what they do!
2 - 2017 Nokia 9
The Nokia 9 is expected to feature the following, key specs:
5.5-inch QHD OLED Display
Snapdragon 835, Adreno 540
22 MP Dual-Lens Carl-Zeiss Rear Camera
6 GB RAM
64 GB / 128 GB storage
12 MP FFC
3800 mAH Battery
Qualcomm Quick-Charge 4
Iris Scanner
Finger-Print Scanner
Nokia OZO Audio Enhancements
IP68 certification
Android 7.1.2 Nougat
Will run STOCK Android. Will it have Qi wireless? I'm very curious about this phone.
1 - 2017 Moto Z2 Force
5.5" 1440p AMOLED
headset jack
Snapdragon 835
Reportedly the Moto Z2 Force will NOT be a Verizon exclusive. Will be sold by all the major U.S. carriers and internationally. Also Motorola is ADDING BACK the headset jack. This still leaves the mods... But you could add a "battery pack" mod which also adds Qi wireless charging. Yes, you are paying $70-$80 for the larger battery and Qi wireless which should already be in the phone. But the final result would be basically an updated Quark.
Leaked renders of Moto Z2 Force
You have that camera hump, but the battery pack mod evens it out.
One of the Qi wireless 2,200 mAh extended battery pack mods for the 2016 Moto Z series. They are also guaranteed to fit the 2017 Moto Z2 series. Adds battery capacity AND Qi wireless charging functionality.
Last year's Moto Z Force (the Verizon exclusive with the missing headset jack) had a 3,500 mAh battery. If the Moto Z2 Force has same battery capacity, then adding this 2,200 mAh battery pack mod would give you 4,700 mAh battery capacity!
Any international variants would have probably have bootloader unlocked on request, just like now.
#1 and #2 are the best bets, with #3 right behind them (depending on Qi wireless).
I'm not buying anything right now. There's no rush, and nothing out there right now (LG G6, Galaxy S8) are compelling enough that I can't wait to see what develops by end of the year.
IF I don't buy anything this year (my wife and I are in the process of adopting two children, but can't say anything more about that for now), perhaps NEXT year's LG G7 will have AMOLED display? Reportedly LG promised almost their entire supply for this year to Apple, which is why the LG G6 still has LCD. And perhaps LG will realize the folly of regionalized specs (Qi in U.S., with DAC/more storage for Asia). Maybe NEXT year LG will produce a FANTASTIC PHONE for the entire world.
Honestly, if I had the money, I would replace my Quark with a OnePlus 3T. I won't give up the possibility of using custom ROMs with devices with uncertain development capability. Still, I am very happy with my Quark (which will soon turn 2 years old), even though its speaker is busted (it sounds like crap).
Shooting Star Max said:
Honestly, if I had the money, I would replace my Quark with a OnePlus 3T. I won't give up the possibility of using custom ROMs with devices with uncertain development capability. Still, I am very happy with my Quark (which will soon turn 2 years old), even though its speaker is busted (it sounds like crap).
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I just can't downgrade to 1080p and give up Qi wireless charging. Also the OnePlus 3T has the proprietary "dash charge". I have many QuickCharge wall-plug chargers as well as dual port car chargers. I also have several Qi wireless charging pads. I'm not throwing those away.
To me OnePlus is a company who is almost "major" league like LG, Samsung, Motorola -- but not quite. When they offer a phone with at least 1440p AMOLED, I'll know they are serious. All the "major" companies have offered 1440p since 2014 -- Motorola wasn't even the first. LG did it in early 2014 with the LG G3.
There's at least a dozen "budget" Chinese companies releasing 5.5" 1080p slabs. Look at the specs of the OnePlus 3 or even OnePlus 3T vs the ZTE Axon 7. ZTE stood out by offering top tier specs for the same budget price. The ZTE Axon 7 on paper makes OnePlus 3T look like a loser. Comparing all the hardware specs. Where ZTE lost is their firmware, but usually that can be fixed with custom ROMs.
ChazzMatt said:
The ZTE Axon 7 on paper makes OnePlus 3T look like a loser.
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Well, the OnePlus 3T has a better processor, bigger battery and much better community support.
zys52712 said:
Well, the OnePlus 3T has a better processor, bigger battery and much better community support.
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Not much better processor, 821 vs 820 only because it's updated version of the OnPlus 3 (820). If ZTE had released a end-of-year update, it too would be 821.
You are comparing a newer phone (November 2026) to an older phone (May 2016).
And slightly bigger battery for the 3T, 3400mAh v 3250mAh (Axon 7). The original 3 had 3000 mAh (June 2016) which is SMALLER than the AXON 7. And the original 3 had the same 820 as the AXON 7.
The other Axon 7 hardware specs still blow OnePlus 3 or 3T away.
OnePlus 3T vs OnePlus 3 vs ZTE Axon 7
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/co...us-3,ZTE-Axon-7/phones/10313,10017,10068?ft=2
(they don't list it but there's also a 128GB/6GB RAM ZTE Axon 7 model for U.S. now)
Why didn't amateur OnePlus put in 1440p or fantastic DAC with front facing stereo speakers in their 3T "update"? 534ppi vs 401 pppi.
All top tier phones by LG, Samsung, Motorola, Sony, Huawei, etc have 1440p. Even Apple is going to 1440p AMOLED this year! Until you have that, you are mid-tier spec only. I've had 1440p AMOLED since 2014 and I'm NOT going to downgrade to 1080p.
Maybe ONEPLUS will step up and deliver top tier specs with the OnePlus 5. We'll see.
That Nokia 9 though, unfh. I like the look of it more than the probably-vaporware Droid 3 renders.
...unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be GSM-only, which sadly still isn't an option where I live. No Verizon CDMA+LTE, no deal : \
Regarding wireless charging, apparently the holdup for a while was that manufacturers were moving towards metal case backs, which kind of gets in the way. Qualcomm announced way back that they had solved the problem, but I guess they never actually did anything with what they figured out.
Given that metal backs are SO yesterday and glass backs are the current fad, I expect that wireless charging will make more of a comeback in the coming year.
I wonder if it's possible to grab the wireless coil from a US LG G6 and stick it into an international version, to get the best of both worlds...I would expect they use a similar, if not the same, mainboard.
Septfox said:
it looks like it's going to be GSM-only, which sadly still isn't an option where I live. No Verizon CDMA+LTE, no deal : \
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Well, ZTE made an effort with their Axon 7 phone to include CDMA, because they were making a big push into U.S. market. Verizon VoLTE even works with Axon 7. But CMDA is the dinosaur that will go extinct. For companies wishing to make a quick splash on world markets, they can safely ignore CDMA.
You may not know this, but LTE is actually GSM/HSPA based technology. Which of course is why all LTE phones now have SIM cards.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE_(telecommunication)
In telecommunication, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a standard for high-speed wireless communication for mobile phones and data terminals, based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA technologies.
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So, GSM won. CDMA lost. Even Verizon and Sprint has switched to it, by going to LTE and to VoLTE. The problem is they have to keep their "legacy" CDMA towers running -- for now -- for fallback protection. But at some point in time, CDMA will disappear entirely.
Verizon has said they will shut down their 2G CDMA network by end of 2019 and their 3G CDMA network by end of 2021. This has been long planned by Verizon:
Aparna Khurjekar, who was at the time Verizon's vice president of global strategy for M2M, told FierceWireless in 2012 that the carrier planned to shutter its 2G and 3G CDMA networks by 2021.
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Last year, Verizon announced their 2G CDMA will actually shut down by end of 2019. They have not yet given a firm date for the 3G CMDA shutdown, except for that prediction back in 2012. But they will shut it down. Here's why:
Verizon said in April (2016) that fully 92 percent of its wireless traffic traveled over its LTE network. Verizon is also refarming its 3G, CDMA EV-DO spectrum for its LTE network.
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That was a statistic from a year ago. Surely that percentage is even higher now.
In November 2015, Verizon even made a prediction which has not yet come true:
In November (2015), Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said the carrier is looking to introduce LTE-only handsets “probably more to the end of 2016.”
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Well, they haven't done that yet. But they are aggressively looking to do it! So, with Verizon LTE-only phones, you won't even get CDMA from Verizon! Once they introduce LTE-only phones, then it's just a matter of attrition. Getting customers to upgrade to the newer phones in such number that they can then petition the FCC to shut down even 3G CDMA.
In 4 years, everyone will own different phones than they do now.
2G CDMA is being shut down end of 2019, and 3G CDMA shutdown goal is end of 2021. That 3G CDMA date is not set in stone, but Verizon wants to shut it down. AT&T has already shut down their 2G GSM network end of last year.
In India, there's already an LTE-only carrier called Jio. That's the future -- LTE only.
And for me, if I wish to import phones from other countries like the Moto XT1225 with the easily unlocked bootloader or even the Exynos variant Galaxy S8 with the easily unlocked bootloader, having a GSM/HSPA/LTE carrier like AT&T is fantastic. I'm NOT buying the S8, but I seriously considered it for a few weeks. If I did, it would NOT be the U.S. model which is bootloader locked, but the international Exynos variant. But for Verizon users, they have no choice. The Exynos variant doesn't have CDMA.
Septfox said:
That Nokia 9 though, unfh. I like the look of it more than the probably-vaporware Droid 3 renders.
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Yeah, that was disappointing, that Motorola went with the Moto Z Force instead of Droid Turbo 3/Moto X Force 2. They made the Moto Z Force be Verizon-only (except for reportedly a Chinese model which doesn't have U.S. LTE bands) and then the regular Moto Z was very blah (at least for me) with missing headset jack.
Well, "Nokia" has been reconstituted by former managers of the old Nokia mobile division who have now licensed the name under a new company "HMD" they created. They are getting FoxConn to manufacture their designs --same way Apple gets FoxConn to manufacture their designs for iPhones. They announced the first phones they will release this year, the Nokia 3, 5, 6. They started with "affordable" phones for first batch of releases early this year, and insiders say by end of the year they will release two top-tier phones, reportedly the Nokia 8 and Nokia 9. Yes, those have not been officially announced, but it seems logical with their strategy. Start with the small stuff, build to the big. They are also working with Google to get fast updates over stock Android.
HMD, then, looks as if it is trying to turn its Nokia phones into Nexus-style devices with fast updates, clean, bloatware-free software and aggressive pricing.
“Most of the smartphones in the market do not have the Android OS in the way it should be,” said HMD Global’s vice president for the Middle East and North Africa Per Ekman.
“Vendors are adding a skin on top of the OS. Consumers have the right to have the latest version of the OS, and we will be pushing the latest version and the patches as soon as it is available from Google.”
“We and Google will jointly enhance the Nokia brand to put the right kind of inputs into the phone, including Google Assistant,” he said. (That "Google Assistant" thing was announced back when it was still Pixel-only.)
This is a rather interesting niche in the Android space, now that Google’s Nexus phones are gone, as it is something no one is really exploiting. OnePlus competes on price, but not updates, for instance, so by going this route and doing it successfully, Nokia could find itself in a very good position in 2018/19.
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The bottom tier and mid tier phones will be released to Western markets by end of 2nd quarter: 720p/1080p and Snapdragon 4XX/MediTek type stuff. Of the three (Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6), the Nokia 6 mid-tier so far is the best -- with stereo speakers and Dolby, 64GB internal memory with 4GB RAM, microSD card, and other stuff. But it's only running Snapdragon 430. You would think they would at least go Snapdragon 6XX? Otherwise the other hardware specs are impressive for that category. Anyway, $300, if ordered from UK.. May also come to U.S. for around $250? But I'm not interested. However, might be something I would buy for my mother!
The top tier models (Nokia 8 and Nokia 9) will be the requisite 1440p and Snapdragon 8XX, of course. But then what other specs besides that? Well, they SAY they want to compete with Apple iPhone and Samsung, and by that time not only has the S8/S8+ been released, but the Note 8 will be coming.
The Nokia 8 has enough substantiated "rumors" -- if that's possible? -- it has a listing in GSMArena:
NOKIA 8 RUMORED SPECS
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=8522
5.7" 1440p LCD, STEREO SPEAKERS, etc.
Where the Nokia 9 differs is 1440p AMOLED. Here's similar listing for the Nokia 9 on competing site PhoneArena:
NOKIA 9 RUMORED SPECS
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/Nokia-9/phones/10486?ft=2
Part of this is actually "knowable". What do other major manufacturer flagship phones (Samsung, LG, Motorola, Sony, HTC, Huawei) have, what's out there on the market right now, who are you trying to compete with?
So, yeah, you're going to have 1440p, Snapdragon 835 (unless Qualcomm releases a newer version by July). You're going to have USB 3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector.
But are you going to be SMART and also put in a headset jack -- or stupid and leave it out? Motorola left it out last year, realized their mistake and are putting it back in. LG and Samsung left it in.
Are you going with the edge-to-edge displays? I think you have to since the LG G6, Samsung S8 and even the new iPhone 8 will have that. If you have any bezels at top or bottom, them put them to use with front-facing stereo speakers!
Are you going with Qi wireless? Or you can't because you have metal unibody? The Nokia phones seem to use metal, unless they change that for their top tier phone?
Point is, it's the mixture of the features and price point that differentiate phones. There's too many "me too" phones. I put ALL the 5.5" 1080p phones into that category including the OnePlus 3 and 3T.
"ME TOO" PHONES
Have you ever heard of the Sharp Z2 Android phone? How about the Asus Zenfone 3? or BLU Vivo 6? or LeEco Le S3? Or some of the Xiaomi models? There's a dozen more I could list. All you need to know is they are 2016, 5.5", 1080p phones.
They all have about the same specs. None have Qi wireless, none have stereo speakers, etc. Is this something you could brag about to your friends? Is this something you would be proud to own? I rag on my friends' iPhones that only have 1080p resolution. I've had 1440p AMOLED since 2014. Why would I downgrade to 1080p? And YES, I can see the difference.
When I went from 720p Galaxy Nexus to 1080p LG Nexus 5, ignorant people were saying "you can't see a difference between 720p and 1080p." Uh, yes you can. And those SAME ignorant people are now saying "You can't see a difference between 1080p and 1440p." Now if someone is telling me they want to buy 1080p because it's a BUDGET PHONE, and they don't care there's a difference in fine details on the display, OK. But don't tell me you can't see a difference. I work in visual media professionally and I easily see a difference, even on my 5.2" AMOLED display.
Back to feature mix and price points... ZTE Axon 7 excelled by putting in so many available features at such a low price point. First they made the 64GB/4GB RAM model (initially $400, now $357) available in the U.S. and later the 128GB/6GB RAM ($500) model available in the U.S. That latter model was not an "updated" model. They were both released in China in May 2016, but ZTE only exported the 64GB model to the U.S. at first.
Where LG messed up this year with the LG G6 was trying to regionalize certain features. Why wouldn't U.S. customers also want better audio and more storage (64GB)? They said it was for "pricing". It's already costing over $600. Like with the 2014 Quark, I want the best or nothing. Put ALL the features in. If you forced me to choose only between an LG G6 or Galaxy S8, I would choose the S8 (Exynos variant) because it has EVERYTHING.
Where the new Nokia will run into problems is if there's enough DEMAND for two top tier 1440p phones at the same time everybody else is releasing their 2ND HALF 2017 1440p AMOLED phones! Yes, Nokia could conceivably cut that back to just one phone.
Septfox said:
I wonder if it's possible to grab the wireless coil from a US LG G6 and stick it into an international version, to get the best of both worlds...I would expect they use a similar, if not the same, mainboard.
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XDA posted a tear down video where they said YES it seems possible to put a wireless coil on international version. However, it seems a little complicated. It seemed more than just putting the coil on the back cover, which I've done before with LG G3 phones. My attempts with LG G3 phones were mixed for friends' phones. After my trial and errors, I ended up buying back battery covers from where someone else had already done it professionally.
Right now, the Moto Z2 Force with the Qi wireless battery pack seems to be my best bet, IF I get a new phone this year.
ChazzMatt said:
Well, ZTE made an effort with their Axon 7 phone to include CDMA, because they were making a big push into U.S. market. Verizon VoLTE even works with Axon 7. But CMDA is the dinosaur that will go extinct. For companies wishing to make a quick splash on world markets, they can safely ignore CDMA.
...
So, GSM won. CDMA lost. Even Verizon and Sprint has switched to it, by going to LTE and to VoLTE. The problem is they have to keep their "legacy" CDMA towers running -- for now -- for fallback protection. But at some point in time, CDMA will disappear entirely.
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There is no "including" CDMA, Snapdragon radios can use every band under the sun by default. It comes down to whether manufacturers want to jump through Verizon and the FCC's hoops to enable it state-side. Well, and I suppose there are minor physical considerations like antenna size, but that's the beauty of designing and manufacturing your own handsets; you can put in whatever you please. <insert headphone jack-based stab at Apple here>
Key thing being "at some point in time". Verizon's not going to shut their CDMA towers off until they know that they'll lose the minimum number of customers doing it; once they get enough LTE towers set up, they'll "generously" offer to "upgrade" customers who're using CDMA/VoLTE-less devices, possibly at a "reduced price".
Until then, Verizon CDMA has the best coverage here in the states, particularly in rural areas. Sitting here at my desk, I have minimum signal, but still enough to call out clearly; my boss's T-Mobile phone wouldn't be so lucky.
Of course, the above is likely to change too, as we get closer to CDMA being completely defunct...more GSM towers going up, T-Mobile, Sprint and their MVNOs getting ready to snap up older Verizon customers when they realize that they were talked into buying a phone using dead-end cellular technology this late into the game.
ChazzMatt said:
And for me, if I wish to import phones from other countries like the Moto XT1225 with the easily unlocked bootloader or even the Exynos variant Galaxy S8 with the easily unlocked bootloader, having a GSM/HSPA/LTE carrier like AT&T is fantastic. I'm NOT buying the S8, but I seriously considered it for a few weeks. If I did, it would NOT be the U.S. model which is bootloader locked, but the international Exynos variant. But for Verizon users, they have no choice. The Exynos variant doesn't have CDMA.
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It's going to be interesting to see how Verizon plans to exert control and keep customers, once CDMA is gone. They're going to need to adopt a different strategy, to continue making buying their locked-down phones appealing, since the whole "because our network is the best and only OUR radios are configured to work on it!" thing will be out.
Sure, being able to buy a phone over a two-year contract is nice (well I mean, contracts are nice if you like being at the mercy of the universe's sense of humor, personally I'd rather buy outright), but all carriers offer that sort of thing nowadays...and they don't sell "exclusives" that are gimped versions of the real thing. Usually.
ChazzMatt said:
"ME TOO" PHONES
Have you ever heard of the Sharp Z2 Android phone? How about the Asus Zenfone 3? or BLU Vivo 6? or LeEco Le S3? Or some of the Xiaomi models? There's a dozen more I could list. All you need to know is they are 2016, 5.5", 1080p phones.
They all have about the same specs. None have Qi wireless, none have stereo speakers, etc. Is this something you could brag about to your friends? Is this something you would be proud to own?
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Oh come on, people don't buy copycat phones because they're trying to make a fashion statement, they buy them because they're cheaper than getting an S#, iphone, uhh...whatever else is competing with those in a given year.
To be honest, I see nothing wrong with there being a bunch of "me too" phones out there. They create competition, the higher-end ones (such as those by Xiaomi and OnePlus) put some pressure on the big players like Apple/Samsung/Lenovo to keep their prices from staying stupid-high for more than a few months at most. The low- to mid-range ones offer anyone low on cash an opportunity to have a frankly more than adequate handset. Gone are the days where "only" spending $150 on a phone meant you were getting something almost uselessly slow.
ChazzMatt said:
I rag on my friends' iPhones that only have 1080p resolution. I've had 1440p AMOLED since 2014. Why would I downgrade to 1080p? And YES, I can see the difference.
When I went from 720p Galaxy Nexus to 1080p LG Nexus 5, ignorant people were saying "you can't see a difference between 720p and 1080p." Uh, yes you can. And those SAME ignorant people are now saying "You can't see a difference between 1080p and 1440p." Now if someone is telling me they want to buy 1080p because it's a BUDGET PHONE, and they don't care there's a difference in fine details on the display, OK. But don't tell me you can't see a difference. I work in visual media professionally and I easily see a difference, even on my 5.2" AMOLED display.
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No argument here. It's not a completely fair comparison since we're talking old flagship next to newish mid-range phone, but putting my "old" 1440p AMOLED screen next to my mother's g4 Plus 1080p IPS screen...the image quality, contrast and pixel response difference is night and day. Literally the only thing hers has going for it is maximum brightness.
And even two AMOLED screens, the higher-res version is going to win. The only way I can see someone not telling a difference is if they either need glasses, or never use their phone for an extended period of time.
ChazzMatt said:
Back to feature mix and price points... ZTE Axon 7 excelled by putting in so many available features at such a low price point. First they made the 64GB/4GB RAM model (initially $400, now $357) available in the U.S. and later the 128GB/6GB RAM ($500) model available in the U.S. That latter model was not an "updated" model. They were both released in China in May 2016, but ZTE only exported the 64GB model to the U.S. at first..
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If it weren't for the large price difference when I was shopping, I would have bought an Axon 7 over the Turbo, despite it being slightly bigger. It really is a fantastic package aside from the lack of Qi charging, which is livable as far as I'm concerned. Just couldn't justify the $100+ difference for a used one at the time, and I badly needed a new phone.
ChazzMatt said:
Where the new Nokia will run into problems is if there's enough DEMAND for two top tier 1440p phones at the same time everybody else is releasing their 2ND HALF 2017 1440p AMOLED phones!
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Nokia has the distinct advantage of a legendary brand name, without the disadvantage of being seen as "business-only" like Blackberry. They've already put out some Android phones that have been fairly well-received, so...why not? If they can manage the specs they're pushing without being too insanely overpriced (*coughBB-Privcough*), they should do fine...enough to continue experimenting, anyway.
It helps too that the concept images for the Nokia 9 thus far have painted a drop-dead gorgeous handset. If it's reasonably sturdy, looks good, and is fast, people might even be willing to overlook its lack of a headphone jack (which I suspect is a reality).
Septfox said:
No argument here. It's not a completely fair comparison since we're talking old flagship next to newish mid-range phone, but putting my "old" 1440p AMOLED screen next to my mother's g4 Plus 1080p IPS screen...the image quality, contrast and pixel response difference is night and day. Literally the only thing hers has going for it is maximum brightness.
And even two AMOLED screens, the higher-res version is going to win. The only way I can see someone not telling a difference is if they either need glasses, or never use their phone for an extended period of time.
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Good stuff, but thank you especially for this. :good:
I can't believe all the 1080p people who seem to just want to defend their favorite phone (iSheep, OnePlus zombies) without admitting 1440p resolution is the sign of a premier phone since 2014 for a very good reason.
Or front-facing stereo speakers, which some phones have had (HTC models, Huawei, Sony, LeEco, Alcatel, Moto X 2014, Moto Nexus 6, ZTE Axon 7, etc.) This is not a "new" concept! If you had the choice between one mono speaker or stereo speakers, why would you not want stereo?
Over in the Galaxy S8 forum, there's a thread about what could improve the S8. And since several professional reviewers have mentioned Samsung OWNS stereo manufacturer Harman Kardon, and front-facing stereo speakers would have been a nice touch on a premium phone, I also mentioned that point. And some fanbois just reacted with intense vitriol. As if having stereo speakers would somehow HARM them, make their testicles shrink and disappear. "IF you need stereo, use headsets or wireless ear buds!" And accused me of being some boombox-loving gangsta. Blah, blah, blah. This was in a thread specifically about how the 2017 flagship phone could be IMPROVED. They didn't have any ideas themselves, they just didn't like the implication the phone they just bought wasn't perfect in every way -- or couldn't be improved in any way. If you don't like the stereo speakers, no one will FORCE you to use them -- you can still use your wired headset or Bluetooth earbuds.
YET, I bet... I would bet $100 that if the OnePlus 3T had 1440p AMOLED and front facing stero speakers -- or the Galaxy S8/S8+ had front-facing stereo speakers -- the fanbois would eagerly point to those features as being the BEST, the pièce de résistance why their phones RULE.
Rumors are the OnePlus 5 will be 1440p. If true, what will the OnePlus fanbois say then?
______
And the earlier point about the "Me Too" phones -- yes, competition is good. But I'm just getting tired of breathless announcements for yet anther -- wait for it -- 5.5" 1080p phone with EXACTLY the same specs as the last dozen phones announced by Chinese companies. This was why the top-tier hardware spec ZTE Axon 7 (at such a reasonable price) was a breath of fresh air. If 100 companies are going to go "Me Too", then go "Me Too" in THAT direction.
I'm just a hardware spec hound, and I make no apologies about that. SOFTWARE can always be improved, but hardware can't. See Apple's iPhone 4 ridiculous screw-up with their with un-insulated external metal band antenna, i.e. "grip of death". The only "fix" was rubber bumper cases. The FIX came next year, when they insulated their antenna properly in the iPhone 4S.
Start off with the best hardware, then software can do it's thing.
I don't care how EFFICIENT you claim the latest Snapdragon chipset is (we hear this each year), I will ALWAYS take a 4,000 mAh battery over a 3,000 mAh battery.
I will always take 4GB RAM over 2GB RAM,
I will always take hardware rear camera OIS over none (should have been included on our Quarks) vs software-only stabilization
NFC chip over none (Motorola's stupid decision to leave it out of 2017 U.S. Moto G5 Plus, but include it in "international" variants).
or stereo speakers over one mono speaker.
You can still buy a phone that might have something lesser or even missing, but don't tell me it wouldn't make the phone BETTER.
Why do I want this phone so much? It makes no sense.
http://www.pcmag.com/news/353461/jelly-is-the-worlds-smallest-4g-smartphone
It's just so cute and tiny!
TheSt33v said:
Why do I want this phone so much? It makes no sense.
http://www.pcmag.com/news/353461/jelly-is-the-worlds-smallest-4g-smartphone
It's just so cute and tiny!
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The TINY PHONE TREND returns
I just want the Glitch from ReBoot to be real
Well, as I suspected OnePlus doesn't have the guts to enter the Big Boy arena:
OnePlus 5 Fresh Leaks
http://playfuldroid.com/oneplus-5-f...der-3600-mah-battery-6-gb-ram-128-gb-storage/
1080p in 2017? On a flagship phone? Fail. Even laggard Apple is going to 1440p and they stay YEARS behind top tier Androids!
All major manufacturers since 2014 have offered 1440p. Even ZTE with the Axon 7 offers 1440p. Thus, OnePlus wants to stay in middle school, not play on the varsity team.
Also, no mention of Qi wireless, so another fail.
But not really a surprise. I don't hold a high opinion of OnePlus, not sure why everyone else drinks the Kool-Aid. The whole "never settle" crap motto, when I see PLENTY of hardware spec compromises.
It's the best of the "mid-tier" phones. Won't even be as good as Apple this year, and LOTS of Androids (even mid-tier) normally have better specs than Apple!
In 2014:
In 2016:
______
But some of that "2018" stuff, Apple will reportedly get a year "earlier" -- in 2017! 1440p, Qi wireless charging... But OnePlus users still won't have it!
Why are you so hung up on wireless charging? I find it slow and rubbish, and the only thing it excels at is overheating my phone.
Watevah said:
Why are you so hung up on wireless charging? I find it slow and rubbish, and the only thing it excels at is overheating my phone.
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ASK APPLE WHY THEY ARE GOING TO IT? Because it's very useful.
You're not forced to use it you don't want. But I've had it since 2013 on two different phones and it's very convenient. My wife and I use it every day. Walk in, put the phone down. Pick the phone up, walk away.
It's not either/or. You can also plug in when necessary.
It's a premium feature I will insist upon having. Like 1440p.
ChazzMatt said:
You're not forced to use it you don't want. But I've had it since 2013 on two different phones and it's very convenient. My wife and I use it every day. Walk in, put the phone down. Pick the phone up, walk away.
It's not either/or. You can also plug in when necessary.
It's a premium feature I will insist upon having. Like 1440p.
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Yeah, well it's not like anyone is forcing me to use it, just want to find out why people prefer using it. I have a samsung Qi charger lying on my desk for a few months now and I'm almost ready to bin the useless thing. I think it's the first gen charger. Do the newer models have improved power output, at least?
Watevah said:
Yeah, well it's not like anyone is forcing me to use it, just want to find out why people prefer using it. I have a samsung Qi charger lying on my desk for a few months now and I'm almost ready to bin the useless thing. I think it's the first gen charger. Do the newer models have improved power output, at least?
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There is research being done so the new gen Qi wi-fi is faster, but I don't really care about that. I've been using this feature since my 2013 LG Nexus 5 and now on my 2014 Moto XT1225 (both me and my wife), and it's great just as it is. Sure, if you want to make it faster, fine.
I use the triple coil tilt ones so I can see notifications easily. Keep two in the living room, two in the bedroom. Even a couple at my mom's house, so we can use them when we visit.
It's not about speed, it's convenience. By the time we need to leave the house, they're charged. If you're going to put your phone down somewhere, it can be charging AND you can still see your notifications.
A friend of mine uses one at his office. The tilt charger lets him see his notifications, and if he has a meeting, just grab it and go.
The major stress on a phone is the constant plugging/unplugging/plugging/unplugging. Qi wireless charging prevents some of that stress.
Yeah, if I need to charge quickly I use any of the QuckCharge 2.0 chargers I have on hand. I even have dual port car chargers for me and my wife.
So, I'm not against plugging in, when necessary. Again it's not either/or. You can use both as needed.
But Apple is going to Qi wireless charging for their 1440p AMOLED phone, so they finally understand the nice convenience factor.
And I will have to find some more features Apple iPhone doesn't have to bash them, because they're about to take my two favorites -- 1440p AMOLED and Qi wireless charging...
I just won't buy a phone without either feature now that I've had them.
Essential FIH-PM1
One phone to add to the 2017 top-tier smartphone watch list now that OnePlus has struck out.
The mystery Andy Rubin "Essential" FIH-PM1 phone. Yes, the Andy Rubin who created a little start-up called Android and sold it to Google...
THAT Andy Rubin. He left Google in 2014, started a hardware company called "Essential" and is releasing a premier Android smartphone coming out this year.
The man who CREATED Android is now creating an Android smartphone.
This is the only CONFIRMED image of the phone, because that's Andy Rubin's hand holding the phone.
Someone THINKS this may be a prototype that showed up in a recent Michelin commercial because no other phones out right now have that combination of bezel-less look, and placement of ports. Not sure why it would show up in a tire commercial -- and in the commercial the volume buttons are on the wrong side -- so that's why I said the only CONFIRMED image is the one in his hand above.
Leaked specs are 5.5", 1440p, Snapdragon 835, 4GB RAM. Bezel-less display. 3.5mm headset jack (because he's NOT stupid). Also ceramic back -- which gives clue it might have Qi wireless charging.
If you decide to buy flagship device go for only Google devices. They are well thought and most long term supported.
IHMO.. Moto is only good for value/budget phones (E/G series).
z4ck1n said:
If you decide to buy flagship device go for only Google devices. They are well thought and most long term supported.
IHMO.. Moto is only good for value/budget phones (E/G series).
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1) I probably know more about Google hardware than you ever will.
2) While I will agree with you on Motorola being very laggard on updates -- I will not defend them in any way on that issue -- the 2014 hardware duo of Moto Nexus 6 and Quark series (XT1225/XT1250/XT1254), both released at the same time, shows they can play with the big boys. Motorola did make a Nexus phone with some of the best hardware specs ever made, and their Quark was basically the 5.2" version of that phone -- except for lack of stereo speakers and rear camera OIS. (Both were very strange omissions -- Motorola knew how to do hardware rear camera OIS as it's on the Nexus 6, and they had just put stereo speakers on the 2014 Moto X earlier that year. Very puzzling, and the only two things to prevent this from being the best phone EVER. It's not like they didn't charge enough money for this phone -- I paid about $700 each for my first two XT1225 in 2014.)
Quark (Moto XT1225/XT1250/XT1254) vs Moto Nexus 6
3) Uhmmm. I look suspiciously on Google ever since they released the too-big Nexus 6. They still haven't gotten back to where they should be. That was the FIRST of NOT having "well thought" design. Until then, they went with mainstream design size. That year, 2014, the mainstream display size was between 5.0" - 5.5", with the "average" being around 5.2". (Even Samsung with their Note phablets never went over 5.7" display size.) Google jumped the shark and went to 5.95" -- a 6" phablet! Of course people weren't going to buy it! They've admitted their mistake, and Motorola told them they shouldn't go that big. Whoever made that decision really missed an opportunity to solidify the Nexus branding as a commercial entity, and instead RUINED the Nexus brand.
"Well thought"? NO. Tell me what they were thinking with the HUGE bezels in the 2016 Pixel XL? They weren't thinking. Huawei turned them down for Pixcel and they had to go begging to HTC, who re-used a frame from a previous phone.
And they dropped Qi wireless charging, in both 2015 and 2017 when even Apple is adding Qi wireless charging now in 2017! (Motorola also stupidly dropped it, while Samsung did not.) If you charging THAT much money (over $800), you better have everything in the phone.
Look at the hardware specs of the ZTE Axon 7 AND the PRICE and look at the hardware specs of the Pixel XL.
The ZTE Axon 7 matches and even BEATS the Pixel XL in every hardware spec (except maybe camera) and is less than HALF the price. Why can't Google do that? Are they STUPID? I'm not paying EXTRA $400-$500 for HUGE BEZELS. Put some front-facing stereo speakers there, and I'll consider it.
It's not just about the price, but the hardware specs and the look. ZTE's frame is even designed by BMW. Google's frame they got out of the garbage dumpster behind HTC building. Look at the SIZE. The ZTE Axon 7 is SMALLER in spite of having the same display and even adding front-facing stereo speakers! "well thought"? HA!
Both have
same 5.5" 1440p AMOLED Samsung display
Pixel XL has 821 vs the 820 Snapdragon, only because it was released six months later. I would call that even.
4GB RAM
In addition, the ZTE Axon 7 has award winning DAC and front facing speakers + microSD card. I know that's a Google thing to not have microSD card, so if the Pixel XL was superior in all other aspects, I wouldn't even mention it.
Price? Currently over $800 vs $330. There's even a ZTE Axon 7 variant with 6GB RAM/128GB internal memory for $499 -- still beats the Pixel XL.
The only single point the Pixel XL is ahead in is the Google Pixel camera.
Well thought?
Don't make me laugh. Google should have bought 1 million ZTE Axon 7 phones, slapped their software on them, and sold THAT as the Pixel XL! They could even have marked it up a few hundred dollars and still made a profitl
If ZTE had used a ceramic/glass back and had Qi wireless charging, I would have bought 3 of them. Just like I own three Moto XT1225.
________
I was a Google Nexus fanboi with the gen3 Galaxy Nexus and the gen5 LG Nexus 5, buying both for me and my wife. I also bought Nexus tablets, the 7 and the 9. I bragged incessantly about Nexus hardware.
But Google screwed up in 2014 with the whale Moto Nexus 6. The model number for the Nexus phones is NOT screen size! Google got confused and made it too big. They even had a 5.2" Nexus 6 version they were testing! We saw the leaked benchmarks in mid-August 2014:
Shamu:
5.2",
1440p,
Snapdragon 805,
3GB RAM.
It was there! They had two variants. Google should have released BOTH or just released the "mainstream" size. But they told Motorola go with the one that was too big. That's when they lost me. I'm NOT going to look like this:
Someone carrying a Nexus 6
Which is why I bought the 5.2" version, the Quark that Motorola released at the same time. It was either the 5.2" Shamu re-purposed, or had been developed in parallel -- don't really care, it was top tier specs in a size I liked. It's MY Nexus 6. Oh, and the 5.2" Quark has a BIGGER battery than the 6" Shamu! Another way Google always screwed up the Nexus phones -- they skimped on the batteries!
Still, with the Nexus 6 and the Quark series, Motorola finally did graduate to the top tier category.
Ever since then, Google has admitted their mistake by going smaller and smaller - 5.7", then 5.5". But they still don't quite understand -- and they stupidly releasing even smaller versions with mid-tier 1080p specs and lesser RAM.
It wasn't the COST of the Nexus 6 most people didn't like, it was the SIZE. It wasn't mainstream. Even Samsung didn't make their phablet Note series that big (overall frame size).
And now Google screwed up with the most recent phones, the Nexus 6P (although they made it smaller than the Nexus 6, it was also still too big a) and the Pixel XL (with the bezels) even though they made it even smaller than the Nexus 6 and the 6P.
I'll consider the 2017 Pixel XL IF Google can get their act together.
________________
Ever since 2014, I can also list the many mistakes Motorola has made under new owner Lenovo --
breaking their fast updates promise,
not fixing the two deficiencies in the Quarks (stereo speakers/rear camera OIS) in the 2015 Kinzie successor, and instead adding the silly plastic shatter shield gimmick.
making you pay EXTRA for what should already be in phone (mods, with stereo speakers, Qi wireless charging), and
even with the U.S. Moto G5 Plus -- stripping NFC out when including it for the rest of the world.
Hi folks,
I'm still rocking my stock 6T (Global version) on AT&T. The battery is starting to show its age I think, but other than that it has been perfect. It's in great shape and I'm not planning to change it out any time soon. 2.5 years is already the longest I've ever used a phone.
But, with lots of bad reviews on the newest OnePlus offerings, and the continually steeper prices they are charging, I'm wondering what I would do if something happened to my 6T.
I bought it because of:
Price/Performace ratio
Not tethered to a carrier and minimal crapware
Unlockable/rootable (though, I never did either on this phone)
OnePlus good history of support on prior devices (I also have a 3T, now used as a wifi mini tablet)
So, What would you folks buy if you had to get a new phone today?
May jump to a Pixel. Tried to cop a 8T, but ended up with a incompatible version of it. Even then, By OOS changing soon I want to get even more freedom. It's sad I see a lot of people going to Samsung, which I ain't knocking, But they were the reason why I switched to OnePlus..
Would love to see more responses to this post.
I will be buying a new phone next year and have been asking myself this question.
Ability to root and install custom ROMs means more to me than camera, fingerprint, wireless charging, whatever.
Although a decent camera and waterproofing would be a nice bonus.
If I could I'd go back and get a headphone jack and IR blaster as well. I miss my old HTCs.
"Although a decent camera and waterproofing would be a nice bonus."
For this options iphone is good option
I had a 6T, scratched the screen somehow, got a 7T. Loved it, but switched to a Samsung A71. (easier to get the new stuff to work on my galaxy 3 smart watch than doing a bunch of hacking/loading stuff). Great screen, good battery life. For a midrange, 300 bucks was hard to pass up.
Thanks for all the responses. It seems there's no obvious go-to for us.
Here's what I'd like, coming from the 6T:
Processor: next step up from whatever 6T had when it came up 3 years ago, but I don't need the latest-greatest
Memory: I have a 256GB storage version, with 8GB RAM. This was fine then, and is fine now.
Screen: whatever the 6T has is fine. The tiny notch never bothered me.
Connectivity: Really want 5G support! I don't cycle through phones quickly anymore so want to future proof
Required beyond doubt: in-screen fingerprint reader. Love this! 6T was the first to have it.
Cameras: I'm not a big camera guy but would like a zoom camera on the back (fixed optical zoom camera, or ability to optically zoom). Doesn't have to be best in class, but should be evolved from 6T
Now here's where I get a bit crazy: every phone I buy, I put in a case (I'm using the 6T OnePlus "graphite" case I think). What I'd RATHER have is no need for a case, but a ruggedized phone (waterproof of course) that doesn't need a case. By removing need for a case, the phone dimensions could be the same as the 6T+case. It would give room for a BETTER BATTERY. I'd like the battery to be in the 4500mAh+ plus range.
For god's sakes I wish they would bring back the multicolor LED (I used LightFlow with them in prior phones), but a good implementation of the always-on screen is fine too. But make it highly configurable and energy-sipping.
Software:
Plain vanilla Android. No bloatware. No carrier apps, but compatible with carrier apps for visual voicemail etc. Compatible with wifi calling, VoLTE etc.
Unlockable and rootable. I didn't do either to my 6T but want to know I could.
Price: I'm not looking for a flagship killer. <$600 US.
Better wait for pixel 6 launch and decide based on it, but Samsung i never recommend, if you don't have options then you can purchase mainly because of Exynos processor, grrrrr.....
I hate to say it but ios supports theming that will something mind blowing, thay have powerful hardware but software sucks too many restrictions, i believe i am living under dictatorship when i am using it
kmr168401 said:
Better wait for pixel 6 launch and decide based on it, but Samsung i never recommend, if you don't have options then you can purchase mainly because of Exynos processor, grrrrr.....
I hate to say it but ios supports theming that will something mind blowing, thay have powerful hardware but software sucks too many restrictions, i believe i am living under dictatorship when i am using it
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Thanks. I'm in no hurry to replace my 6T, but since it's getting up there in age, I have started musing about where to jump if necessary.
An iOS device is out of the question. I have one, for work, and it works fine, but I hate it. Hate it hate it hate it. I'm not saying iPhones are bad; my wife and kids have them and they work great for them. Just, I can't stand using them for more than the basics.
Pixel 6 looks interesting; I quail at the likely high-end price. We will see. I wish there were more options in the "next tier down from flagship" phones out there like OnePlus used to be in the 3T-6T era. No more...
Flagship, sorry it's myth nowadays, why because can you tell any good processor available in market, once upon a time we had kirin from Huawei, but now there's no direct competitor for Qualcomm, so whatever garbage they produce and claiming it the best we need to accept that , look into the 888 series, they are garbage but we don't have any options, we need to accept it and invest in that, i am thinking of using my op6t for another two years, then move to sparkling trending iglore .
Sorry i forgot to add when ever we start 4k video recording in op9pro it's getting overheat so flagship killer mya**, and overpriced because of hasselblad camera, actually they didn't manufactured or designed, and who knows what is the collaboration is, but put the name and sell it for more than thousand dollars, fantastic. I have so many good words to express but this is not the place, so i keep quiet. You know something i brought realme 6 pro for my mother, its camera is fantastic compare to my op6t, it's cost me 250$, this is my last op6t
Only opion Realme GT. Budget and looks good under the hood.
I'll go for pixel.
I'm pretty sure I'll go rogue and bite the Apple.