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I am planning to switch to Android after years of SE phones, though the X10 is an SE and full of specs it's way to big for my taste.
The Hero and Legend are the perfect size (I would preffer 3.5'' but it's ok) for pocket.
Now that the Hero's price is at last low here are some questions I am asking after reading some reviews:
-Is the camera still slow whatever the OS version or cooked ROM we use?
-Is it 100% sure that an official 2.1 OS will come ''to save'' the Hero?
-Is the Legend VGA 25fps capable for recording videos? and could we tweak the actual Hero camera driver to record that much?
-Will a 2.1 OS unleash the 256k colors of the Hero's screen or it will still be limited to 65k?
-I have read that the Hero screen is very readable under bright sunshine while the Legend is using LED technology would that mean worst or better?
-Could the Hero's battery last 3 days with: No 3g, 20 mins Wifi, no GPS,and some calls?
- I find the camera is much faster in the Modaco 3.1 ROM, and I think it will be faster in Eclair
- According to HTC, yes, the Hero is getting Eclair/2.1. As far as "saving" the phone, that's sorta subjective, and we won't truly know how much of a difference it makes until it's officially released for us.
- I don't know about the Legend's framerate. The Hero's camera driver is not open source, so it's unlikely that *we* could tweak it to record at a higher fps, however, that's not to say that HTC won't increase the framerate in the Eclair release.
- I'm not sure about colour depth. I'm inclined to think that it's a hardware thing and it will never change. I also fail to see a problem with the colour depth. It's a friggin' phone, I'm not doing any professional photo editing on it. But maybe that's just me.
- I've never used an LED phone, so I can't comment on the Legend's supposed viewability.
- Depending on what you mean by "some calls," absolutely it could last three days. I've gone 2 days with 3G on, and "some calls." Of course, the ROM you're using could affect the battery life too.
Is it true that the photo quality taken with its camera are as awefull as the nokia 5800?
I am not a ''camera phones fan'' but I want a good camera
Considering the Hero has no flash (which is, IMO, the phone's biggest flaw), the camera is pretty good. Yeah, you may have issues taking pictures in dark rooms because there's no flash, but the camera app allows you to adjust settings like colour balance and ISO, allowing you to make the best of bad lighting. Further, you can use a program like Photoshop Mobile or Picsay Pro/Free to increase the brightness or exposure to make the pictures look better.
I've never taken pics with a Nokia phone. The Hero takes worse pictures than my Canon Powershot A400... but that's a camera, not a phone. :/
I seen the Legend and the Hero and I would wait until the Legend comes out. Packing 2.1 sense, that great uni-body metal body, and a 5 mpx camera with flash and it also has better specs then the Hero.
I just saw the N1 review in gsm arena, one of the major concern for me was direct sunlight visibility of the Amoled screen...and it's a failure
I think the Legend shares the same amoled technology as Desire and N1, so this makes me wonder if I shouldn't take again an Hero.
It's screen is nice under sunlight right?
Also the Modaco 3.1 Rom does speed up shutter speed? I get blurry photos with my actual SE Aino because the shutter is slowed down...
The 2.1 update for Hero is coming this month right?
Hi all. This is like a mini review about Neo V MT11i. Before I bought it I could not find much info. I know, it is almost the same as Neo, but still there are some issues, so maybe this review will help someone to decide, especially if you are planning an upgrade after a Nokia N7x/N8x series phone.
I wanted to buy Neo MT15i when it came out because it seemed to have a good price/functionality ratio but I hesitated a bit, the price still seemed a bit too high for me.
So when Neo V came to our country (Latvia), I waited till Christmas and then bought it with a 2 year contract. Before buying I explored other options but Neo V seemed to be the best value for the money and also I really wanted to get Android 4 soon, and I found out that SonyEricsson is really good at this lately (after their failure with X10)
I also knew that Neo V may have an unexpected restart problems but my operator has been pretty good with warranties, so I trust that all will be OK, unless I do something crazy with my phone.
At first some background about me and my habits. Previously I have had SE k750i, I guess, it is a legendary phone in some way. After that I got Nokia N79, also was (and still is) pretty good.
I have a vision defect since birth, so I really appreciate when phone software manufacturers put some means to increase font size. But I also am a programmer, so I can do some tweaking if needed. On my N79 I used a software called FontRouter, it helped a bit.
I know that currently Android has no ways to increase font size globally, but ICS promise to provide that, so one more reason for me to eagerly wait for ICS.
My phone usage scenarios (most used go first):
- listen to FM radio/music player a lot while walking or going home by bus;
- reading e-books (used mobipocket on N79);
- phone calls and SMS (yeah, only 3rd position);
- shooting photos, if there is something interesting happening around;
- watching movies (I had to recompress them to watch with DivX player on N79);
- taking pictures of text (when too lazy to write something down);
- using phone camera as a "zoom device": if I am at some timetable and cannot read it, I just take a picture of it and then zoom in my phone so I can read it;
- shooting videos when in a party with friends or family; we enjoy to watch those movies later; really convenient if there is no real video camera at hand;
- occasionally surfing Internet (only Wi-Fi; mobile Internet is pretty expensive in Latvia).
So, those are main points which I'll use to evaluate if Neo V was a good choice comparing to my N79.
I live 30km from a city, so the FM coverage is not great here. It was nice to see that Neo V was receiving the signal much better than N79, less noise and more signal stability while I was jogging.
But the handsfree system of Neo is not as good as N79. N79 has play/stop buttons and a volume rocker built in the headphone wire, Neo has just one button to control radio and player.
Reading and watching movies is much better on a bigger screen. The only thing that was irritating - auto brightness. It may be unnoticeable when watching movies or picture, but is annoying when reading a text on a white background. Oh, SE, fix it soon, please.
The screen size is good for me, the phone is not much bigger than N79, so I had no problems to get used to it.
I had no chance to test it in a direct sunlight yet. N79 was pretty good at this, it has some mirroring layer, so the image just loses colors but remains readable.
Phone calls - no problems yet. Seems not as loud as N79 though. But N79 has two stereo speakers, so it would not be honest to compare it to any phone out there.
SMS - not as good as I expected. Pretty small white text on a bubble with a pretty bright background, while there is lots of free space above. Hard to read. Hope ICS or SE will fix it.
Wi-Fi works fine (with ASUS WL500GP router in g mode). I had no opportunity to compare if the reception range is the same as with N79 but I will test it soon.
Build quality - N79 feels better, it has some metal parts. I wish Neo V at least had some spare back covers, preferably, rubberized. But I am a gentle phone user, N79 looks just like new after 2 years active use. So I hope my new Neo V will be with me at least for the next 2 years.
Battery life - ok for Android, almost 2 days with little use.
Now the most questionable part. I have read many complaints about not-so-good-as-expected quality of Xperia cameras, so I was prepared, especially because I chose the 5Mp version. Also my N79 has 5Mp, so I could compare.
Here are my subjective impressions about Neo V compared to N79.
I did not tweak any settings much, just left pretty much as is to see how both devices compare when used "out of the box".
I tested indoors, because this is usually where more camera problems can be discovered.
Video recording - no doubts, Neo V is a winner.
Photos:
- more noise
- less details, a bit too much blurring
- sometimes there are weird artifacts like shifted pixels and some patches of blurring (see attached pictures)
There are still some positive moments about Neo V camera compared to N79:
- more consistent colors between shots (N79 had more problems to keep the same white balance or something like that)
- more contrast
- less artifacts around sharp edges (maybe because it has blurred the edges too much? )
Now some questions.
My operator does not use any branding on the phones, just locks the phone to his GSM network. After the contract ends, I can request an unlock procedure. At least so it has been till now.
I hope, the fact that I have a network-locked phone does not mean that I will need to wait for ICS much longer? And also is this phone in any major way different from an unlocked one? After my contract ends and I unlock it, will it be like the same as a normal Neo V phone, which was never locked to any network at all?
And look at two pictures from Neo V. The first one:
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk308/progmars/DSC_0009.jpg
Zoom closely to N79 box at the right bottom where it says 4GB. Notice there is a block right in the middle of the 4GB text with some pixel shifting to the left.
Now look at the other picture with some text:
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk308/progmars/DSC_0012.jpg
It is a pretty weak shot, I made a much better with the next attempt using a "Text document" mode. But this shot demonstrates some weird blocky blurring. It seems like the jpeg compressor is processing not the entire picture but only parts of it, so there are some detailed areas with visible letters and some blurred areas.
Are these both problems just a result of a bad compression or there is something more serious going on?
Anyway, for now the phone seems good. I hope ICS update will bring something new to it and fix some issues (especially camera issues and font size adjustments).
midix said:
Now some questions.
My operator does not use any branding on the phones, just locks the phone to his GSM network. After the contract ends, I can request an unlock procedure. At least so it has been till now.
I hope, the fact that I have a network-locked phone does not mean that I will need to wait for ICS much longer? And also is this phone in any major way different from an unlocked one? After my contract ends and I unlock it, will it be like the same as a normal Neo V phone, which was never locked to any network at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you will most-likely have to wait a bit longer to get the upgrade.
As for the unlocking it has to be done via a special method which costs 15 bucks (SETool2) but after that (and flashing stock ROM if your operator provides special ROM) your phone will be like an unbranded one.
midix said:
And look at two pictures from Neo V. The first one:
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk308/progmars/DSC_0009.jpg
Zoom closely to N79 box at the right bottom where it says 4GB. Notice there is a block right in the middle of the 4GB text with some pixel shifting to the left.
Now look at the other picture with some text:
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk308/progmars/DSC_0012.jpg
It is a pretty weak shot, I made a much better with the next attempt using a "Text document" mode. But this shot demonstrates some weird blocky blurring. It seems like the jpeg compressor is processing not the entire picture but only parts of it, so there are some detailed areas with visible letters and some blurred areas.
Are these both problems just a result of a bad compression or there is something more serious going on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See this.
I know that currently Android has no ways to increase font size globally, but ICS promise to provide that, so one more reason for me to eagerly wait for ICS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can edit the dpi setting in the build.prop file which is located at ROOT/system/build.prop.txt or download an app for it like this. Lower values make the font larger. But changing the settings will likely misalign some texts. Here's a demonstration of the effect:
The only thing that was irritating - auto brightness. It may be unnoticeable when watching movies or picture, but is annoying when reading a text on a white background.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this app. Another advantage is that your screen can be set much brighter than on stock settings.
Both apps I mentioned are ROOT only.
Thanks for those links.
I found in some other threads that now it is possible to root Neo V without unlocking the bootloader, so I guess, I can root and try those two apps without a risk of losing warranty.
Hello there,
After much inquiry, I've become undecided about this phone. I have been looking for a 4.7-5in phone with a good and snappy camera, battery, USA bands, and micro sd support, and the z5 compact seems to fit the bill. However, I keep reading problems about this device mainly concerning its software and camera. I really like the device given all it has to offer but I'm just not inclined to dish out $500+ on a device that has a problematic camera i.e. blurred edges caused by software or hardware, no warranty (here in the USA), over-heating, sony ui, etc. I currently have an LG G4 which absolutely meets my needs but like I said, I'm looking for a smaller phone for traveling and one hand handling.
So my question for those who own the Z5c, is it really THAT bad and will the firmware update fix the purported problems of this device? I'm concerned about the blurry edges being a hardware issue and perhaps Sony is just covering their tracks by saying that an "update" will fix that problem. If you have updated your device, could you post a sample of the fixed camera or at least let us know here?
Really appreciate your time and input!
Coming from the z1 compact and z3 compact, although I loved those phones I did find the camera sub par, and the external speaker volume too low and muffled, the front and back screens were finger print magnets and easily scratched.
But I love the compact series and put my hope and money back into the z5-compact.
Had mine for 2 weeks now (Arctic white) and I love the new design, the no finger print frosted rear glass and the front screen also just doesn't seem to attract finger prints either!, improved and much louder external speakers, the camera has improved dramatically. I have none of the reported issues of blurred edges, slow camera opening etc it's all good. Oh and the fingerprint scanner is awesome!
I love this phone to death it's perfect in my eyes. It will be hard to part with this when it comes time to upgrade to the z6 compact ☺
Woza72 said:
Coming from the z1 compact and z3 compact, although I loved those phones I did find the camera sub par, and the external speaker volume too low and muffled, the front and back screens were finger print magnets and easily scratched.
But I love the compact series and put my hope and money back into the z5-compact.
Had mine for 2 weeks now (Arctic white) and I love the new design, the no finger print frosted rear glass and the front screen also just doesn't seem to attract finger prints either!, improved and much louder external speakers, the camera has improved dramatically. I have none of the reported issues of blurred edges, slow camera opening etc it's all good. Oh and the fingerprint scanner is awesome!
I love this phone to death it's perfect in my eyes. It will be hard to part with this when it comes time to upgrade to the z6 compact ☺
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the software seem good and fast? No stutters or lag?
Thanks
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
Notchr302 said:
Does the software seem good and fast? No stutters or lag?
Thanks
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There were stutters and lags, but since the last update they all are gone.
Drakorcarnis0 said:
There were stutters and lags, but since the last update they all are gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm so confused because some say there is still lag after the update. Ugh lol
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
I am one of those who would say that the lags are gone after the update. And whatever that guy said, I agree wholeheartedly. This phone is a beast. I also come from a Z3 Compact and I am loving the Z5c. Especially the camera
It was a little stuttery straight out of the box but I downloaded Sony PC companion (just googled it) and then downloaded the latest firmware 32.0.A.6.152 (it took a couple of hours, which by all reports is normal) then updated my phone.
Happy to report it is buttery smooth with no stutters or lags all super fast.
Interesting to see that the pre installed photo analyzer app (Sony) which was reportedly causing some lag, had disappeared in the latest firmware.
I hope this has helped you with your decision.
Cheers
Do you still have the blurry edges or has it been fixed?
moist_line said:
Do you still have the blurry edges or has it been fixed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
99% sure it's good. You be the judge. Just a quick picture, tried to place items on every edge/corner.
I'm sitting at the park, it's dusk and a little cloudy. No flash, superior auto, 8mp.
I've had the Z5C for a week now and I can't comment too much on certain details because this is my very first Android phone - I am coming straight from a Nokia 808. The phone is compact, slick-looking, seems incredibly fast to me and I am liking the Android experience as a whole, although a few things Symbian had were simpler and more elegant (changing phone profiles, searching for contacts under phone, for instance).
The one issue I have, and that is a big one and it is so big of an issue that I registered today on XDA to ask for help, is the extremely poor photo/camera quality. I cannot understand what is going on here. This is a $600 2015 brand new release phone. Something must be wrong either with the software or hardware on my phone, which sucks since I purchased it for US operation (no warranty). I do not know how to express in words how disappointed I am with the camera. Let's just say that my 2012 Nokia 808 takes photos comparable to my SLR system. I was expecting at least equivalent photo quality from a modern/newer phone.
OldSkewler said:
I've had the Z5C for a week now and I can't comment too much on certain details because this is my very first Android phone - I am coming straight from a Nokia 808. The phone is compact, slick-looking, seems incredibly fast to me and I am liking the Android experience as a whole, although a few things Symbian had were simpler and more elegant (changing phone profiles, searching for contacts under phone, for instance).
The one issue I have, and that is a big one and it is so big of an issue that I registered today on XDA to ask for help, is the extremely poor photo/camera quality. I cannot understand what is going on here. This is a $600 2015 brand new release phone. Something must be wrong either with the software or hardware on my phone, which sucks since I purchased it for US operation (no warranty). I do not know how to express in words how disappointed I am with the camera. Let's just say that my 2012 Nokia 808 takes photos comparable to my SLR system. I was expecting at least equivalent photo quality from a modern/newer phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are your thoughts on the quick photo I posted? All standard settings in quite average light? Do you see any of the issues you are experiencing on your phone?
Woza72 said:
What are your thoughts on the quick photo I posted? All standard settings in quite average light? Do you see any of the issues you are experiencing on your phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the resolution posted, I dont see any issues. What I see on my photos is some sort of sharpening which causes details to be lost when zooming in. And believe me, I am not even remotely pixel-peeking, just basic cropping for creative purposes.
I'll try to post some sample photos to illustrate what I am facing here.
Cheers,
BB
OldSkewler said:
The one issue I have, and that is a big one and it is so big of an issue that I registered today on XDA to ask for help, is the extremely poor photo/camera quality. I cannot understand what is going on here. This is a $600 2015 brand new release phone. Something must be wrong either with the software or hardware on my phone, which sucks since I purchased it for US operation (no warranty). I do not know how to express in words how disappointed I am with the camera. Let's just say that my 2012 Nokia 808 takes photos comparable to my SLR system. I was expecting at least equivalent photo quality from a modern/newer phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you haven't already, you might want to check the main Xperia Z5 subforum about this issue, specifically this thread where they talk about the camera, and the best settings for particular lighting. It could be you have a defective camera though, and if so, I feel for ya since I also imported my device.
Adrift98 said:
If you haven't already, you might want to check the main Xperia Z5 subforum about this issue, specifically this thread where they talk about the camera, and the best settings for particular lighting. It could be you have a defective camera though, and if so, I feel for ya since I also imported my device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly how my photos look like! Thanks for linking me to this thread, even though what I learned from it is not exactly great news!
OldSkewler said:
Exactly how my photos look like! Thanks for linking me to this thread, even though what I learned from it is not exactly great news!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same problem for me. It's a very expansive phone and you have to read pages of forums to understand how to make the most of it.
But still, the camera to me is a complete disaster. The app is cheap, very laggy, menus are terrible and the most improtant part, it takes poor photos.
Oversharpened and zooming in a tiny bit on a 23Mp pictures is just horrible.
The photo shared a few post back in the park is just awful too, sorry bro no offense, but it's not a defective camera it's just what is sold.
When you come from other brands, you are automatically disapointed.
P.S. videos are quite amazing though, especially in 60fps and the management of the edit app of videos is very good too.
I just switched to the nexus 5X, and there are no comparaison. Much much simpler, you don't need to test every little setting to take a good pic and zooming in is incredible, the best.
Yet I really loved the compact shape and overall build quality of the z5 device.
Comments non related to the camera is : the system is quite good as it is very similar to stock android but a little disappointed too by the performance.
I don't speak about lags and everything as it is quite fluid, but it just takes time to open or reload apps compared to my other devices.
I am still keeping the device to see if there will be improvement (there should be a major camera app update this month) but i don't believe in miracles, i don't think that will solve the pictures quality.
If you know how to use it (8mp at SA for darker scenarios, 23mp manual for bright daylight) it's been reviewed in a number of places as the best camera currently on the market. It's interesting to me how polarizing the camera is for people though. People either think it's the second coming, or the antichrist. I imagine that the improvements to the software promised with the Marshmallow update will go a long way to getting a lot of naysayers to give it a second look.
Adrift98 said:
If you know how to use it (8mp at SA for darker scenarios, 23mp manual for bright daylight) it's been reviewed in a number of places as the best camera currently on the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a very interesting perspective on the topic; so basically it boils down to misuse by users! And I suspect this is from someone that has never even tried the phone!
Let me propose the exact opposite, and I suspect a portion (if not majority) of people complaining about the imaging performance on these Z5 phones are actually far from amateur photographers and do understand what is achievable and should be expected in terms o quality. There is no way to slice this or put a twist on it, and I don't care about DXO ratings.
OldSkewler said:
That is a very interesting perspective on the topic; so basically it boils down to misuse by users! And I suspect this is from someone that has never even tried the phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's certainly been by those who've tried the phone. By the looks of it you didn't get too far into that thread I previously recommended, but Timaustin2000 and a few others in that thread really turned the tone around with their investigations on the ability of the camera, and comparison shots. They've even had an influential effect on reviewers. So for instance, it wasn't till TimAustin pointed out to the reviewers at Android Authority that they were crippling the phone by using the 23mp in low light scenarios that they took into consideration the supersampling of the 8mp default settings. From there a number of other reviewers, bloggers, vloggers, and the like took a second look at the camera in the phone and tested appropriately with often very very positive results (many of these reviews and videos are also mentioned in that thread).
Let me propose the exact opposite, and I suspect a portion (if not majority) of people complaining about the imaging performance on these Z5 phones are actually far from amateur photographers and do understand what is achievable and should be expected in terms o quality. There is no way to slice this or put a twist on it, and I don't care about DXO ratings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the recent reviews that I've been reading and watching, that doesn't appear to be the case, but of course, you're free to come to your own conclusions.
Haven't had much experience with the Z5C camera yet, only had it for a week.
But one thing, it takes so long to open. This is my 1St Android phone, been an ios user for around 4.5 years & the iPhones were just easier to access their camera. Slide up, click camera & it opened. On the Z5C, you press & hold the camera button, feel it vibrate, let it go... & wait.
After a second or so, the screen goes black, then the camera opens, then the screen starts to set itself up.
Just tried then & it was around 4 seconds.
I love the phone so far, but it seems to really struggle with normal usage.
By normal usage, for me, I mean it lags. Playing YouTube videos, it lags, I'm in Oz & we have an online streaming movie/TV service called Stan.... It doesn't work on the Z5.
Switching between tasks can give the phone a heart attack. For example, I was playing Clash Of Clans & some one tried to call me, the box popped down, I clicked answer & nothing happened.
I clicked answer two or three more times, before clicking back to the home screen, the phone call went to message bank while my phone locked up, went black & I had to wait around 30 seconds for it to sort itself out.
Even typing this it lags every now & then.
8 Ball Pool is laggy... If messages pop while playing, it gets even worse.
I do love the phone, I am enjoying Android (I miss a few ios advantages), but I just wish that the phone didn't feel like it was made with enough Ram to run the OS & one app at a time.
Oh... The audio is quiet, it doesn't go as loud as my iPhone 4 did, with my Bose head set & it lacks the same bass, but does sound alright.
The included Sony ear plugs are uncomfortable, have no sound advantages, have annoying different length ear cords & no volume control.
No supplied quick charger.
The back of the phone tends to get quite hot.
Sid3wayz said:
Haven't had much experience with the Z5C camera yet, only had it for a week.
But one thing, it takes so long to open. This is my 1St Android phone, been an ios user for around 4.5 years & the iPhones were just easier to access their camera. Slide up, click camera & it opened. On the Z5C, you press & hold the camera button, feel it vibrate, let it go... & wait.
After a second or so, the screen goes black, then the camera opens, then the screen starts to set itself up.
Just tried then & it was around 4 seconds.
I love the phone so far, but it seems to really struggle with normal usage.
By normal usage, for me, I mean it lags. Playing YouTube videos, it lags, I'm in Oz & we have an online streaming movie/TV service called Stan.... It doesn't work on the Z5.
Switching between tasks can give the phone a heart attack. For example, I was playing Clash Of Clans & some one tried to call me, the box popped down, I clicked answer & nothing happened.
I clicked answer two or three more times, before clicking back to the home screen, the phone call went to message bank while my phone locked up, went black & I had to wait around 30 seconds for it to sort itself out.
Even typing this it lags every now & then.
8 Ball Pool is laggy... If messages pop while playing, it gets even worse.
I do love the phone, I am enjoying Android (I miss a few ios advantages), but I just wish that the phone didn't feel like it was made with enough Ram to run the OS & one app at a time.
Oh... The audio is quiet, it doesn't go as loud as my iPhone 4 did, with my Bose head set & it lacks the same bass, but does sound alright.
The included Sony ear plugs are uncomfortable, have no sound advantages, have annoying different length ear cords & no volume control.
No supplied quick charger.
The back of the phone tends to get quite hot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Previous iPhone only user here too. Have you updated to the latest firmware? My camera takes about 2 seconds to come up pressing the side button since the update. Further improvements are expected with the Marshmallow update.
Also, I have no lag since the latest firmware, but I'm also using the Nova Launcher which you can get for free in the Play Store (not sure if that makes any difference or not).
I also have a problem with the volume, especially from the front speakers. Thought having two speakers instead of one, as I did on my iPhone 2G, 3G, 4S. and 6S would make it louder, but it's not. Still, honestly, I don't find it much quieter than those devices either. the 6S was maybe a tick louder, but not by much. I still want more punch from the front speakers, and I'm hoping that's something I can fix by doing some sort of ROM tweak. If not, I suppose I can live with it, but its the biggest disappointment about the device for me, not because its so much quieter than my iPhone devices, but because it doesn't stand head and shoulders above them.
I don't know about you, but my Sony ear plugs are way way wayyyyy more comfortable than my iPhone headphones. In fact, they're the most comfortable in-ear headphones I've ever worn. The different length on the cords I don't really have much issue with, since I usually drape the longest cord behind my head to my right ear (which is how I'm assuming they're meant to be worn). I will admit that they seem slightly cheap-ish, and I was hoping that where the volume button was (which I DO have on my pair) also had a mic so I could answer in-coming calls, but overall, I think they're pretty okay. Again, they're much more comfortable than the headphones that came with my iPhones. As far as loudness in the headphones is concerned, they're loud enough, but I definitely wouldn't mind if they were louder. I'll probably end up getting some sort of thin amp/dac like the dragonfly or the Aqua to boost the volume. Shame I have to do that, but oh well.
Again, its interesting to me how varied people's reactions are to this device. I'm FAR more happier with this device than I am my previous iPhones. Its not perfect, but it hits so many of the checkboxes for me that its hard to complain.
Edit: Oh, also, I got a quick charger with my device, but I bought the Taiwan version, so maybe that accounts for the difference in headphones and charger.
Lastly, after the initial setup, and especially after the update, my phone doesn't get very hot. Maybe I'm not using the same intensive programs that you are, though. The phone gets a little warm with Candy Crush and Asphalt 8, but my iPhone 6S also got pretty hot just using the camera (which is something my mother noticed when I handed her the phone to see some pictures).
Are there any owners of the G5 SE here who would be able to share impressions/thoughts on the phone, specifically battery life and also general performance.
There are plenty of video reviews on YouTube but they all seem to be non-English, which makes things a little hard to understand. I've found a few foreign language reviews which I have run through Google Translate but none seem to have any 'scientific' battery life impressions and figures.
G5 SE is on Amazon UK for £288 and specs wise its probably better than anything else under £300. But lack of English reviews makes it a bit of an unknown quantity.
Thanks for any help.
I have it for 4 months now (silver color), i would definitively suggest it. The only major drawback is a little weak battery, with medium usage you can go from morning till evening without recharging it. I like how sleek and super slim its designed. It feels nice in hand, i cant say its finishing metal or not. I didn't have any major heating issues. G5 se is a real boss between all major brands.
Thanks for those impressions. The battery is what most concerns me the most, at the moment I have a Galaxy Note 5 which barely makes it through the day, and that's with power saver mode permanently on so I'm running the phone at 70% of what its capable of. :/
I use 2G network and my battery two days without recharging.
I've had mine since December, and it's been pretty good. Only a few niggles, which I will highlight after the positives:
Positives
1) The image quality from the camera is REALLY good; very sharp in some cases. On a par with the Note 4, which I previously owned, but with more natural colours. The widescreen mode is also very handy and cab make for some stunning photos, if a bit low in resolution. Just a shame the focusing performance isn't better (see below).
2) The OS itself is fine; Nougat has really helped it out in terms of split-screen for all apps. This means you can free up a home button for another task.
3) It feels really nice to hold and isn't too big
4) It can take a drop or two without waving a white flag - take note, Samsung: your screens suck.
5) Double-tap to unlock!
6) Fingerprint sensor is second nature once you get used to it, and you wonder why it isn't in the same place on other phones
7) Screen is very nice for watching movies on, especially for an LCD, but does suffer a bit in strong sunlight; a bit too reflective at times
8) Sound on the B & O plugin is lovely, but standard sound still very competent (especially speaker)
Niggles
1) Battery life isn't that great, but probably par for most android phones nowadays; morning to early evening before needing a top-up, which, thanks to the fast-charging, it does pretty quickly.
2) The USB socket on the standard plugin is already starting to feel flaky; not quite holding the cable in place, so can come out. This is rectified by using the B & O play plugin, but this has it's own issue.
3) The B & O play plugin sounds great, but doesn't sit flush with the phone when connected. The USB port also craps out when transferring files to the PC, whereas the standard plugin doesn't.
4) System process used to crash on startup; turned out to only happen when SD-Card connected. Doesn't happen now Nougat update has been applied
5) Camera autofocus is crap in bright sunlight or busy areas; the laser component isn't as efficient as it is made out to be, which can mean lots of missed shots
Hope that helps!
2pintsofinsulin said:
I've had mine since December, and it's been pretty good. Only a few niggles, which I will highlight after the positives:
*snip*
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Thanks, very thorough impressions. :good:
Bit worrying to hear about the battery, but I suspected as much.
The G5 and SE model are both solid phones, I just don't know why LG cheaped out on a 2800mah battery, especially paired with that QHD screen.
Hi everyone,
I recently acquired P20 Lite thru my carrier. While i think photo quality is pretty decent despite nof having Leica lens of its older brothers, colour saturation is too exaggerated in my opinion. Sharpness and dynamic range are pretty good for a mid-range phone but colours are too saturated. Any way to change that setting on camera app before taking pics (rather than post-processing)? Do u recommend any other other camera app? I've tried Open Camera and results are very similar and a Gcam app I found on a Spanish website that doesn't require root, HDR+ doesn't work (so pretty much useless). Another thing I realized is that the phone doesn't have optical image stabilization but doesn't accept it digitally either (option is not even present on Open Camera or Gcam app I mentioned). Or does it have digital stabil?
All replies much appreciated.
Yeah um no one...?
Oh come off it, of all the P20 Lite users on this forum, NO ONE has noticed colour saturation with camera??
So yeah, my wife got a p20 lite couple of weeks ago, and we noticed some oversaturated colors too while taking pictures of some of her colorations. But I didn't found a solution or workaround yet. I tried some other camera apps, which allow to choose the scene mode manually, but it doesn't make a real difference. So yes, I noticed the problem too, but I can't provide a solution.
And yes, it is not just imagination, my Honor 6x in comparison does a better job under the same conditions. And it doesn't depend on the display either, sending one of the pictures from my Honor 6x to the p20 lite, and they look more realistic on the p20 lite display then the one taken with the camera of the p20 lite itself.
Thanx for replying, yeah it's a pity that a capable camera with good sharpness and dynamic range has such off white balancing. And as u say, toggling pic parameters (like u can do on FV-5 Camera app) like contrast and saturation seems to have no effect, camera is hardcoded that way (i can't explain how or why). Seems like the only solution would be getting root access and editing camera line in internal Build Prop but frankly i just can't be arsed (I got enough of that with Xiaomi) LOL
Hope someone can share some light on this coz even thou phone is great, i feel i should've gone for the P20.
Dont't mix things up, I think, the white balance is quite good. You can fiddle with that in pro mode, but I never have the need to do so, white is white as it should be. But that's not color saturation, and I didn't find a way to fiddle with saturation.
But I tried on thing: raw mode. Only possible in pro mode, and the raw picture is placed on internal storage in a special directory, in addition to the regular jpg, which is also stored in the same place as always (for me, on sd card). And I think, the colors in the raw image are more realistic. Maybe just imagination, give it a try, I would like to hear your opinion on that. Thankfully, the internal picture viewer can show them, but they are a little bit heavy (32MB each).
HeiWo said:
Dont't mix things up, I think, the white balance is quite good. You can fiddle with that in pro mode, but I never have the need to do so, white is white as it should be. But that's not color saturation, and I didn't find a way to fiddle with saturation.
But I tried on thing: raw mode. Only possible in pro mode, and the raw picture is placed on internal storage in a special directory, in addition to the regular jpg, which is also stored in the same place as always (for me, on sd card). And I think, the colors in the raw image are more realistic. Maybe just imagination, give it a try, I would like to hear your opinion on that. Thankfully, the internal picture viewer can show them, but they are a little bit heavy (32MB each).
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Thanks for the info HeiWo, you are right about white balance (a little 'cold' in my opinion) not to be mistaken with colour saturation in which this camera is a little, shall we say, 'strong'. Thank you for the raw pic info, I will try it for the sake of testing as 32mb file size sounds ridiculous for storing a gallery of those dimensions, lol. What i don't get is how/why can camera be hardcoded on firmware that u can't even fiddle with saturation/contrast/sharpness like on FV-5 Camera app where toggling these settings makes no difference whatsoever... (?!)
Btw, any link to a clear and concise thread on how to root P20 Lite?
Cheers!
HeiWo said:
Dont't mix things up, I think, the white balance is quite good. You can fiddle with that in pro mode, but I never have the need to do so, white is white as it should be. But that's not color saturation, and I didn't find a way to fiddle with saturation.
But I tried on thing: raw mode. Only possible in pro mode, and the raw picture is placed on internal storage in a special directory, in addition to the regular jpg, which is also stored in the same place as always (for me, on sd card). And I think, the colors in the raw image are more realistic. Maybe just imagination, give it a try, I would like to hear your opinion on that. Thankfully, the internal picture viewer can show them, but they are a little bit heavy (32MB each).
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Hi again HeiWo,
Sorry friend, tried shooting in raw and I saw no difference in colour saturation from shooting in jpeg. I still think this camera would be so much better if we could somehow toggle colour saturation. If anyone knows a camera app that allows it, please post it here! I opened a thread regarding One-Click Root app that has our phone on the compatibility list but I don't trust something going awry.
A small update and a small heads up on the colours of our P20 Lite (which no one on this sub-forum seems to give a s**t about) lol
I recently took some day pics and transferred them to 10.1" tablet. On my tablet's screen, photos have much more natural colours (of everything you capture than when those pics are viewed on phone, so basically it's the phone's lcd display that's a liittle off (toggling between warm and cold colours make no difference, objects are still captured with unreal colours but view ok when u send them to tablet or tv. Don't know if anyone has noticed or tried it, but anyway there's my 2 cents.
Cheers
The screen, not the camera
I think you have already figured this out for yourself, but the camera in P20 lite is not the problem. It's the cooor rendition of the screen that's at fault here, namely the terrible shift and oversaturation of the reds. I'm not sure why they went this way -whether it's a poor choice of the lcd manufacturer or an attempt to mimic the even more horrid colours of super amoled screens, but the reds on this phone look so wrong...
Being a photographer, it physically hurts me every time I look at my phone's screen. There's no getting used to it...
Why have I not seen it at the store?!
Have a good one!
Vadko80 said:
I think you have already figured this out for yourself, but the camera in P20 lite is not the problem. It's the cooor rendition of the screen that's at fault here, namely the terrible shift and oversaturation of the reds. I'm not sure why they went this way -whether it's a poor choice of the lcd manufacturer or an attempt to mimic the even more horrid colours of super amoled screens, but the reds on this phone look so wrong...
Being a photographer, it physically hurts me every time I look at my phone's screen. There's no getting used to it...
Why have I not seen it at the store?!
Have a good one!
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Click to collapse
I notice the same with the saturation of the reds. I have used several Huawei and in all of them the colors are precise and bright. It's a shame that in this P20 lite the red tones are so saturated and the blues so little.
Hi again guys, thanx for replying. I'm glad other people have noticed the horrid colour calibration on both screen and camera because i have still sent pics taken with phine to tablet and tv and they look the same. We need a fix for colour calibration! What i can't understand for the life of me is how on earth camera settings can be hard-coded and impossible to tweak with third - party cam apps (?!?)
Cheers
hello. I'm from Italy and I've noticed this problem of colour... the gree is terrible in some pics!
any solution?
P20 Lite Camera is Crap!
Every photo saturates colours, reds are terrible, meaning photos of people look garbage. Not buying another Huawei phone if they can't get the basics right.
WHERE'S THE FIX FROM HUAWEI ?????
I have P20, not lure, not Pro. The screen is calibrated in my phone, almost like my pc.
The camera oversatured with orange. So I take raw files, edit with Lightroom and decrease 15-35 the saturation of reds and Orange. Later I adjust the rest parameters and the picture is amazing realistic.
The only problem is that you need 2 weeks to learn how to use Lightroom.
A easier solution is just take the regular jpg and edit then decreasing a little saturation. Not the same but you can get by.