Please use this thread to discuss devices other than and any comparisons with other devices on or about the GS 5 in this thread and any other off-topic issues that are not needing a new thread.
Post with respect, this is a helpful community, hope we all learn from this stuff in here.
How likely is it for the T-Mobile s5 to have a locked bootloader like att and verizon s4?
(I'm worried because the Xperia Z1s from T-Mobile wasn't unlockable even though sony devices usually are... So are locked bootloaders T-Mobile's new policy?)
Anyone think there will be a chance for a GPE? It seems like the M8 will be getting one according to the HTC gallery description in the Play Store. If so, I would prefer the S5 GPE over the M8 version.
The migration begins soon
Been mostly a lurker on the S2 forums, but I've placed my order and now the long wait for Christmas morning.
Ha ha
Christmas morning in April huh?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I'm coming from a Note2... I love the device, but honestly its slightly larger then I'd like for 1 hand holding. I'm not looking forward to adjusting to a smaller screen. lol
Metro Pcs Gs5 with a T-Mobile sim? or visa versa?
hey do any of you guys know if the metro pics GS5 can be used wit a T-Mobile sim or does it need to be unlocked? I know that metro uses T-Mobile towers now I'm wondering if it will be the same model
Backordered?
Just ordered GS5 from t-mobile and got an email saying back ordered, anybody else order one and receive the email? I wonder if its just because its not available.
Yeah
All of them show up as backordered.
That is how their system handles backorder
TheArtiszan said:
Ha ha
Christmas morning in April huh?
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Christmas eve now! Mine is in the Twin Cities and will be delivered tomorrow!
I have an S5 being delivered today, but I kinda sorta want to try something new and go with the HTC One M8, but a year to a year and half of something new may be regrettable.... blah
nm
nm
hmm think I may Jump from LG G2 thanks to T-mobiles destructive kitkat recovery lockdown.
G2 is a mess after update GS5 here I come
Just upgraded from an s2 and man I'm sure glad I did this phone is so much faster!
Sent from my Galaxy S5 using Tapatalk
sikaros said:
Just upgraded from an s2 and man I'm sure glad I did this phone is so much faster!
Sent from my Galaxy S5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bet it is
I purchased a couple hours ago pretty happy with it so.
Signal . Wifi , data strength & call quality is stronger then LG G2 which is a good sign.
Hopefully battery life provides positive results....I will give it a couple charge cycles.
If all is well I will be rooting this bad boy next week & building some goodies.
Anyway good to be holding a Samsung device again.
Can anyone explain the decision to stick with 2 GB ram - same as it was going back to the SIII? The Note 3 had 3, and I realize its a faster processor- but S3 and 4 already are snappy enough which handling whatever you do on screen, its the background processes and heavy multitasking with lots of apps working where the phone starts to hang and start to feel sluggish.
~ sent from my tin can attached to a string ~
I bought the Samsung GS5 and HTC One M8. Now I have to return one. Help me decide which one!
I purchased both phones to use simultaneously for a couple weeks. I was confident that at the end of the two weeks, I’d have a clear answer about which phone was best for me – but I’m still torn.
I do think I have my mind made up about which phone is better in specific categories, and maybe some things people don’t think about when writing reviews.
Camera image quality on good shots: GS5.
Outside M8:
Outside GS5:
Auto settings. I upscaled the M8 image to 16MP. I think IMGUR might automatically downscale. My overall impression is that the M8 takes in too much light. It’s difficult to avoid, even when playing with exposure settings. Once you zoom, the GS5 16MP really comes into play. You can be the judge on which images are better, and by how much.
Camera consistency: M8. 50% my shots with the S5 end up a bit blurry. 75% of my M8 shots are in focus. That’s with still imagery.
Which is more important? Overall quality on excellent shots, or consistency?
Handfeel:
The S5 is easier to hold, especially when laying down in bed. The S5 is lighter and weighted in a way that feels like my hand is simply connected to the device. It doesn’t put strain on my wrist or make me feel concerned about dropping it at all. My confidence level holding the device without a case is extremely high. On the other hand, the S5 has a filmy/slimy feeling that makes it feel dirty. It always feels like the back of the S5 was rubbed on a slice of pizza. I feel confident holding it, but I don’t enjoy it. It’s very uninspiring.
The M8 feels amazing in the hand. I consistently want to pick it up for no other reason than to hold it. It has a nice cool temperature that is very welcoming. I don’t think the M8 is more slippery than the S5. I think it’s how the device is weighted. It’s harder to hold because it feels screen side heavy. When I’m holding it in bed, I always feel like the device is going to slip out of my hand and fall on my face. Not because the case is more slippery, but because of the weight. I am constantly reinforcing my grip on the phone out of fear of dropping it. It’s a strange mix of wanting to pick it up, and being afraid to pick it up.
I did use a GS4 and a Galaxy Nexus prior to that. I wonder how much of this is because I simply feel comfortable with Samsung devices? From a practical standpoint I feel the S5 is the better phone here. From an emotional standpoint I like how the HTC makes me feel.
Turning the device on and off:
The S5 can be turned on with the home button or power button. I’ve found hitting the home button is easier than double tapping. I’ve been able to use the fingerprint scanner with about 80% accuracy with one hand and my thumb. Accessing the camera from the lockscreen produces a second or two of lag.
The M8 is double tap or the top power button. The power button is my least favorite option, it’s recessed and actually fairly difficult to push. Double tap works when you hold the device, but not as well when the device is laying on a surface. For example, if I’m playing music and want to change a song, double tap doesn’t recognize my input 50% of the time. I have to keep double tapping or eventually pick the device up or hit the power button to turn the screen on.
On a positive side with the M8, tilting the device to the side and hitting the volume up key does instantly bring the M8 camera on. And it’s fast. Very handy.
Turning the devices off, there’s always a moment when reaching up to the power button on the M8 that I’m consciously concerned about dropping the device. Side power buttons are better.
Buttons:
Am I the only one that thinks it makes sense to have the back button on the right side like Samsung does it? I use the back button with my thumb 95% more than the current apps button. I don’t enjoy reaching across the screen on the M8. I also tend to prefer the Samsung home button, even though it’s an additional point of failure. I like being able to click a button to turn the screen on or go home. The tactile feel helps very much. I’m often hunting around on the M8 for the onscreen buttons, because the “HTC” bezel throws me off. What a waste of space.
Screen:
The S5 auto brightness is darker than the M8. With AB off, it’s easier to read text on the S5. With it on, it’s generally easier to read text on the M8. S5 is more vibrant with pictures, but the M8 has better contrast. I love the extra screen real estate due to the lack of screen buttons on the S5.
Touchwiz vs Sense: No preference.
How long will I keep the device:
I feel that the M8 will be gone in a year, because the M9 will have a better camera that make it a worthwhile upgrade. I can see myself holding onto the S5 for two years, it really is maxed out with specs and just works. On the other hand, the uninspiring nature of the S5 will probably make me want to ditch it in 2015.
crazeco said:
I bought the Samsung GS5 and HTC One M8. Now I have to return one. Help me decide which one!
I purchased both phones to use simultaneously for a couple weeks. I was confident that at the end of the two weeks, I’d have a clear answer about which phone was best for me – but I’m still torn.
I do think I have my mind made up about which phone is better in specific categories, and maybe some things people don’t think about when writing reviews.
Camera image quality on good shots: GS5.
Outside M8: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/Pk8jEUw.jpg[/IMG]
Outside GS5:
Auto settings. I upscaled the M8 image to 16MP. I think IMGUR might automatically downscale. My overall impression is that the M8 takes in too much light. It’s difficult to avoid, even when playing with exposure settings. Once you zoom, the GS5 16MP really comes into play. You can be the judge on which images are better, and by how much.
Camera consistency: M8. 50% my shots with the S5 end up a bit blurry. 75% of my M8 shots are in focus. That’s with still imagery.
Which is more important? Overall quality on excellent shots, or consistency?
Handfeel:
The S5 is easier to hold, especially when laying down in bed. The S5 is lighter and weighted in a way that feels like my hand is simply connected to the device. It doesn’t put strain on my wrist or make me feel concerned about dropping it at all. My confidence level holding the device without a case is extremely high. On the other hand, the S5 has a filmy/slimy feeling that makes it feel dirty. It always feels like the back of the S5 was rubbed on a slice of pizza. I feel confident holding it, but I don’t enjoy it. It’s very uninspiring.
The M8 feels amazing in the hand. I consistently want to pick it up for no other reason than to hold it. It has a nice cool temperature that is very welcoming. I don’t think the M8 is more slippery than the S5. I think it’s how the device is weighted. It’s harder to hold because it feels screen side heavy. When I’m holding it in bed, I always feel like the device is going to slip out of my hand and fall on my face. Not because the case is more slippery, but because of the weight. I am constantly reinforcing my grip on the phone out of fear of dropping it. It’s a strange mix of wanting to pick it up, and being afraid to pick it up.
I did use a GS4 and a Galaxy Nexus prior to that. I wonder how much of this is because I simply feel comfortable with Samsung devices? From a practical standpoint I feel the S5 is the better phone here. From an emotional standpoint I like how the HTC makes me feel.
Turning the device on and off:
The S5 can be turned on with the home button or power button. I’ve found hitting the home button is easier than double tapping. I’ve been able to use the fingerprint scanner with about 80% accuracy with one hand and my thumb. Accessing the camera from the lockscreen produces a second or two of lag.
The M8 is double tap or the top power button. The power button is my least favorite option, it’s recessed and actually fairly difficult to push. Double tap works when you hold the device, but not as well when the device is laying on a surface. For example, if I’m playing music and want to change a song, double tap doesn’t recognize my input 50% of the time. I have to keep double tapping or eventually pick the device up or hit the power button to turn the screen on.
On a positive side with the M8, tilting the device to the side and hitting the volume up key does instantly bring the M8 camera on. And it’s fast. Very handy.
Turning the devices off, there’s always a moment when reaching up to the power button on the M8 that I’m consciously concerned about dropping the device. Side power buttons are better.
Buttons:
Am I the only one that thinks it makes sense to have the back button on the right side like Samsung does it? I use the back button with my thumb 95% more than the current apps button. I don’t enjoy reaching across the screen on the M8. I also tend to prefer the Samsung home button, even though it’s an additional point of failure. I like being able to click a button to turn the screen on or go home. The tactile feel helps very much. I’m often hunting around on the M8 for the onscreen buttons, because the “HTC” bezel throws me off. What a waste of space.
Screen:
The S5 auto brightness is darker than the M8. With AB off, it’s easier to read text on the S5. With it on, it’s generally easier to read text on the M8. S5 is more vibrant with pictures, but the M8 has better contrast. I love the extra screen real estate due to the lack of screen buttons on the S5.
Touchwiz vs Sense: No preference.
How long will I keep the device:
I feel that the M8 will be gone in a year, because the M9 will have a better camera that make it a worthwhile upgrade. I can see myself holding onto the S5 for two years, it really is maxed out with specs and just works. On the other hand, the uninspiring nature of the S5 will probably make me want to ditch it in 2015.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude first of all thanks a lot for a very informative post, really appreciate it.
I'm interested yo know your input about the performance of both devices. If you don't mind, can u give a detailed opinion about the performance like you did about the rest on your post above? Thanks! Want to see how the S5 does compared to the M8.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
barondebxl said:
Dude first of all thanks a lot for a very informative post, really appreciate it.
I'm interested yo know your input about the performance of both devices. If you don't mind, can u give a detailed opinion about the performance like you did about the rest on your post above? Thanks! Want to see how the S5 does compared to the M8.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I addressed some of this in the above, I made the following post in the HTC forum and thought this might answer your question on "performance":
I used the M8 and S5 side by side for over a week. I really wanted to keep the M8, but I couldn't.
Basic inputs:
It actually takes longer to use the M8 for basic inputs, turning the device on, and turning it off. The Samsung turns on a bit faster with just pushing the home button. Fingerprint scanner unlocks more quickly. Side power button is far superior.
Double tap on the M8 is NOT perfect. Neither is holding the device in landscape and hitting the volume key to activate the camera (doesn't work on the first try about 30%). Double tap takes you to the first lock screen. Then you have to slide the icon of what you want to use and input your pin. This can be mitigated by utilizing swipes instead of double tap. It's still not faster.
Buttons:
I often found myself constantly hunting for the onscreen buttons on the M8. The empty HTC bezel throws you off. It's very hard to have muscle memory when you have a big empty row where you think the buttons are. It also takes a moment for the buttons to simply appear. S5 doesn't have this issue due to the hardware home button.
Screen Off:
However often we turn the screen on, a lot of us are also turning it off. It takes longer to turn the screen off on the M8 than it does the S5. Every time I turned the M8 off with one hand it required maneuvering the device in a way that made me fear dropping it because the power button is on top and the device is long. I generally used my other hand to hit the power button just for that reason. That's not necessary on the S5.
Screen on with Music:
I LOVE the M8 speakers. I love playing music on this device around the house, while I'm in the shower, etc. If I am playing music on the M8 and have the device on the counter, and I want to change a song, it's not designed to register a doubletap when laying flat. With the S5, I hit the home button and it brings the screen up. It takes significantly longer to either find a way to hit the top power button or repeatedly tap the screen until it registers on the M8.
Speed:
In day to day use, after disabling bloat on the S5, the devices are equally as snappy. In fact, the S5 is more accessible for the reasons mentioned above. That's all that matters, because all of us here are capable of tinkering and optimizing.
Everyone wants to talk about microseconds worth of lag, what about basic functions, like turning the screen off. It's little things like that, things I do often, which should be taken into consideration when you talk about how long you have to wait for things between devices. If we are going to argue about tenths of a second, these things matter.
Related
It's been a grand old spree with my Evo, but I had to get a replacement device and decided to go with a new toy. It's been a while since I've had a Samsung phone (the first one I had was a Verizon Fascinate... which was a nightmare) and a friend had one and it admittedly looked really nice. I saw PA on it in my mind the moment I booked at the phone, and it is so nice on it.
The only real downsides to the phone I've nitpicked are:
1. The power button is where I'm used to having volume buttons, and it's a comically frustrating adjustment. I'll eventually get used to it, but I turn the screen off so many times when I'm trying to turn down the volume just by force of habit, it's silly. I can live with this.
2. The phone is so light! It's all plastic, and taking the battery cover off is terrifying. You can't just peel it off top to bottom, at least, I'm afraid to because I really think it would snap in half if I did. I have to go around the edges of the back to take it off. All the HTC's I've ever had were durable enough I could just pull the cover off with no worries. Also, I'm frequently worried that I'll fling the phone by accident when using only one hand. I'm used to something more dense and heavy, like the all the aluminum in the Evo. It's a definite difference in weight, and I miss it.
But, the screen is so nice on this that it's all worth it. Despite how bright the screen is on the Evo, I love the rich blacks in AMOLED screens. I can't see any pixels on this screen, and since green is my favorite color, I'm rocking a bright green nature background that the screen does perfect justice. The dark blacks against all the green makes me happy.
I'll certainly miss my ELTE. That kickstand is going to be missed sorely, but there's also a customizable LED notifier in the GSIII with a handful of color selections, a feature which I've yet to have on any of my devices. I like having new devices to play around with too, which was the real decision maker for me. It's been a fun ride though guys, I'll miss the option of Sense. It really is so much better looking than TouchWiz, but Mobile Odin is a perfect app for an S-Off substitute because of the Sammy boot loader.
Sayonara!
Tapatalked from my shiny-new GSIII
We have some of each in the house, and I do all the setup/tweaking on them. 6 of one, half-dozen of the other. Both great phones. Hope you enjoy the S3.
Also, in the comparsions I've seen, the HTC One variants actually are 3 grams or so lighter than the S3.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/03/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-vs-iphone-4s-htc-one-x-lumia-900/
This was a graceful exit vs others.
Good luck
This dude gave us early birds a God damn menu key during the delayed shipments with this EVO.. I remember the countless nights at the beginning testing his work to make the multitasking button become a usable menu button.
Thank you for your hard work and have fun with your new device..
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
thank you, RegnierD. have fun with your new toy.:good:
Since this thread is doing a good job of attracting trolls I've cleaned and locked it.
Thread Closed.
I would like for us to share tips on how to make using this larger device easier, especially one handed...
I will edit this post as people make suggestions. I just ask that you keep them in a list form (or otherwise organized manor) to make it easy for me to copy/paste into this post.
Ditched the stock launcher for Nova Launcher... (or other custom launcher)
Add a row and column of icons so the vast real estate of this phone can be much better utilized. How can this help with one handed use? Well now that you have more icons, closer together.. you can put them along one side of the phone to get at them more easily if you wish.
If the launcher offers gestures... set up a couple gestures. When not in an app, have a "down" gesture to open the notification panel. Prevents having to reach up and drag your thumb down to get at the panel. HUGE help!
Set up a "up" gesture to open the most recent apps list. Another shortcut allowing to reach less with the thumb.
You can set up all kinds of gestures.. use them to your one handed advantage!
We can also discuss the Note II overall/in general if you want. The pitfalls and perks... maybe even the Pro/cons of other potential high end devices that some may be interested in if they find the Note II just too large.
Why did I start this thread?
Well to get some tips for myself... and to allowed them to be shared. Plus I am very much on the fence with this device. I never really wanted a large phone. I thought my Galaxy Nexus was a little too big, but at least I was able to do most things one handed without feeling like my grip on the device was only poor at best. But my fiance wanted the Note II and wants us to have the same phone. (because if she has issues, usually after rooting and flashing custom ROMs, I know how to fix them most times, and I keep up with updates to ROMs and news better for my own device)
I love just about everything about this phone... The quad core really makes this phone run smooth, and the screen is the first AMOLED that I actually like, and the battery life is great, even if it didn't have a huge battery... but the size is proving difficult to adjust to. I went from a 3.7 inch MT4G to a Rezound with much less trouble.
So now I am looking at alternatives to the Note II and I see slim options. (on Verizon anyway)
The Droid DNA: Very nice screen... S4 Pro CPU thermal issues and battery life issues... and Sense... ugh Sense... I learned quickly when I switched to Verizon that Sense is a pain to get rid of, due to not being able to directly compile RIL from source like GSM. Not that I mind Sense as an overlay, its reasonably responsive... it just kills battery life compared to stock Android. Plus I just prefer AOSP based.
Droid Razr M: I would say it is about as close to the perfect sized phone there could be. (for me at least) Plenty of useful screen for a phone without the bulk... But the Pentile screen... ew... AMOLED has enough issues with colors being wrong or whites getting yellowed at lower brightness... don't make it worse with Pentile! The resolution may not be "high end" 720p or better, but qHD isn't bad on a phone. With pentile the graininess makes my eyes bleed. Its only dual core, but its still a decent CPU... but its dual core... A problem most other Android devices share right now.
Droid Razr HD (and Maxx): Pentile... once again... Even with the HD display, I still see it... I seen it on my GNex as well. (If you haven't noticed, I don't like Pentile displays)
The only viable Non-Android options...
HTC 8X: Very nice size and handy feeling phone... Windows Phone 8... its not as customizable as Android but not as limiting as iOS... and the interface is pretty slick. The aesthetics are a little odd, but the OS is fluid and smooth... The jury is still out on battery life... it has no built in turn by turn navigation, and the options to get it are limited in the market right now. The whole market is limited ATM... Some things do not feel as refined as they could be (like the keyboard) So it could be like an exciting beginning like Android was back in the day, or I could be spoiled by Android's current refinement level and be wholly annoyed... Dual core, but not limiting on a Windows phone really, it runs very smooth as I said. Its the little things that add up to me not really liking the phone, like navigation and keyboard I mentioned earlier.
iPhone 5: (hiss spit) The dreaded iPhone! Despite the general dislike of iPhones by Android users, it is a competent device... limiting... but competent. My multitasking is limited anyway, so that may not prove an issue... its the lack of customizing that gets me... Its is a really good size though... the 4 inch screen works well for one handed use, like the very similarly overall sized Razr M and its 4.3 inch screen. Compared to the prior iPhones, the size is an improvement... I just find the iPhone (mostly iOS it runs on) boring, very bland and boring. (the physical device itself is nice though) The only real benefit to switching to the iPhone 5 would be that if I chose to sell it in a few months because an Android device came along I really like on Verizon, I can sell it to someone wanting to upgrade but still in contract, and make enough to almost pay for the new phone.
So... there it is... the options as i see them. Feel free to comment and share your tips on using the Note II.
Seems to me that you've already decided to get a different phone rather than give this one a chance.
I have large hands so I dont have any trouble.
/sent from my Gnote2 using tapacrap\
Gnex is an amoled screen not pen tile. I just came from a gnex..at first I thought my gnex was big...then I got an extended battery for grip and the phone was perfect...now ive given my wife the 4.2.1 gnex and got the note 2 for myself...well seidio hasnt come out with a convert extended case or battery yet so I can agree that the phone is cumbersome to hold and I dare not hold it upto my ear like a brick lol. Blue tooth only. But I am adjusting I've had the phone for four days lol. If any thing there needs to be a case with finger perches smack dab in the back middle of the phone so you can grip it and still articulate your thumb acroas the screen one handed without the phone being pushed all the way up in your palm
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app
Battery life on DNA is fine...I had it for 2weeks.
I have normal sized hands I would say I don't really have any issues when I'm not texting I hold the phone in the middle so I can reach the whole device and I use the one hand keyboard for texting so that's not a big deal
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
If I had given up on it... I would have already taken it back... I was at the Verizon store today returning the flip cover as I didn't care for it. Asked about the proccess to swap devices... didn't.
To be honest... the limited number of good options available, and the thought of "possibly" getting an iPhone made me physically ill... Ugh nausea over a phone... something is wrong with me.
Deckoz2302 said:
Gnex is an amoled screen not pen tile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is AMOLED with Pentile... Anandtech confirms Gnex pentile (plus I can see the pixels... as I have very good eyes)
Dude, get a flygrip and call it a day
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium
sleevasteve said:
Dude, get a flygrip and call it a day
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting... but I think I would dislike it overall. It sticks to the back of the phone and looks cumbersome. Anything that I have to manipulate to make it work will not be useful when I am stuffed under an instrument panel of an airplane. LOL
I think as your post illustrates, there are just so many different phones for different use situations now. There's no reason to try to force one to be everything to everyone (yourself). It's a big phone. No one can make it seem like it's not, that's it's feature if you will. It's a notepad and a powerful mobile computing platform. It stands in for anyone who wants a multi use device to bridge the gap between a tablet/pc/phone.
I went from the iPhone to a much larger S3 and I never looked back. It was way larger, but I adjusted such that I couldn't look at a smaller screen and feel comfortable. It was large enough where I imagined using a phone just a bit larger that would take away some of that time I was wishing I had my tablet with me for reading and writing. Amazingly, that device exists and it looks like a larger version of the best phone I ever used, the S3. Hooray.
My point is this, think only of how you use the phone or how you want to use it. If comfort in the hand is primary, don't buy the Note 2. It's an amazing phone, but all those phones you listed are good. You have the option to break it down however you like. I considered the DNA for the beautiful screen, but I want expandable storage and battery, I wanted the option of the stylus. If it were about fitting in my pocket or hand most of all, I would never have left the S3.
Yeah, other than size its got the features I wanted. I am hoping I can adapt... if anyone has some tips to help that along. I also have a TPU case coming in the mail sometime that may add some texture and keep the phone from feeling too slick.
The screen is very important to me... the quality anyway. If the screen is poor, then I am unhappy with the phone. Which is why I eliminated many options, including the SIII.
here is an unboxing/preview of the flygrip.
http://www.examiner.com/article/unboxing-flygrip-kickstand-and-one-handed-phone-grip
Looks great, works great.
In and out of pocket isn't an issue.
Deckoz2302 said:
Gnex is an amoled screen not pen tile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The GNEX is an Super Amoled screen that uses pentile technology.
First.. the Nexus DOES use a Pentile display. That has been beaten to death in various forums.
Second.. Flygrip? Really? I looked at their website and to me that thing is aweful. I do NOT want some big bulky thing protruding off the back of my phone. What is the purpose of it? To "hang" the phone off your fingers? Is this because you don't have a strong enough grip to hold the phone while manipulating it? Just seems very big and clunky to me.. and a nightmare to use with pants pockets.
I bought the standard shell case at Verizion that comes with a little fold out kick stand. If you are worried about the phone falling out of your hand and want the "hanging" thing that the flygrip offers, I verified that you can extend the kickstand on my verizon case and then slid a finger in the triangular gap.. so the weight is supported and the grip feels secure. Works pretty good! Not bad for a $15 case.
As for my Note 2. I'm a big guy (6'8") so this phone is PERFECT for me, proportionally speaking.
My wife has the Rezound (4.3" display).. it was funny to test our phones by putting it in our palm and reaching across with our thumbs. Her thumb extended past the edge of the screen a fraction of an inch farther than me.. so really, my GIANT note is really no bigger than her Rezound, when in the hand.
It's a big phone. Period.
I have done a few things to help when it comes to one handed use. There aren't many frustrations for me, but one of them is getting at the notifications, via the pull down menu.
I ditched the stock Sense launcher for Nova Launcher.. MUCH more customizable.
In Nova, I added a row and column of icons so the vast real estate of this phone can be much better utilized. How can this help with one handed use? Well now that you have more icons, closer together.. you can put them along one side of the phone to get at them more easily if you wish.
In Nova, I set up a couple gestures. When not in an app, I have an "down" gesture to open the notification panel. That right there solved my biggest frustration.. having to reach up and drag my thumb down to get at the panel. HUGE help!
The other gesture I set up was a "up" gesture to open the most recent apps list. Another shortcut allowing me to reach less with the thumb.
With Nova Launcher, you can set up all kinds of gestures.. use them to your one handed advantage!
I think having a case is a huge help. I don't really like the glossy back that Sammy chose for the phone. I highly suggest a case that has a soft or rubbery feel. I can't stand silicone cases as they stick in my pockets.. but most of the hard shell type cases the phone snaps into seem great. There are some really low profile cases out there that add almost no bulk.
I also, sadly, ditched the stock keyboard for swift key. I LOOVVVEEED the stock keyboard at first with the dedicated number row. But seriously.. no autocorrect?? WTF? I need that. so I went to swift key and have really enjoyed it so far.
That's about all I have for now..
After 5 days with this phone you couldn't pry it from my average size hands!
Sent from my rooted SGH-1605
Some good suggestions Gnome.
Not sure if they will solve all my issues, but they may help some.
I don't normally have to use this device one handed... but what advice can I give? Use Nova Launcher and Swipepad.
Nova gives you many one handed and two handed gestures. This helps a lot for the hard to reach areas like notifications.
Swipepad gives you 12 shortcuts (and an add on you can buy for more) to any app you want as well as shortcuts with the swipe of your finger from whatever edge of the screen you would like. I set it on the mid right edge and swipe in with my thumb and tada!
Hope this helps!
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app
I prefer having things larger across the screen, but there are one hand settings that make the dialer, stock keyboard, etc stay to one side that you choose. If your thumb can't make it all the way over, turn this on.
Typing in landscape with both thumbs is MUCH faster anyways though. Two fingers is going to be faster than one.
Even with one handed mode it can be difficult.
I am getting better at it, but still not sure.
A case that has a good grippiness to it or a ridge/groove in the middle would allow some grip when using one handed where your hand can't wrap around the phone.
gnome_sayin said:
Is this because you don't have a strong enough grip to hold the phone while manipulating it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not about strength at all. My fingers are stupid short and if I'm holding the phone securely in my palm, I can just BARELY reach the middle of this beast. I almost got a flygrip but, like you, I opted for the rubberized case from Verizon with the kickstand, and I have found that to be a perfectly viable, AND FLAT when not in use, flygrip alternative.
I hold my phone with other my 4 fingers, not my palm. This is more comfortable and just as secure.
whats the better phone... pros and cons? IM gonna ask this in the htc one forum as well
I own both right now. I'm done with HTC after this phone. Terrible battery life, mediocre RF performance, and to top it off, phone is JUST getting 4.2.2. At this rate, we won't see KLP on the One until next year. Samsung released the S4 with the newest version of Android. To top it off, they saddle it with a crappy camera.
The only pros to the One are the build quality (even then, mine has gaps on the side) and the stereo speakers
Pros to the S4:
- better battery life (lasts a day easily)
- expandable memory, removable battery
- more vivid screen (if you watch videos/movies on your phone, the S4 won't disappoint)
- superior RF performance
- larger dev community
- better button placement (power button on the top is stupid on the One)
- better future resale (I only bought the One because I picked one up for cheap. The S4s are still going for $500+ on CL. The One is at $350-400 here on CL)
- software updates (Samsung already released this phone with the newest version of Android and have already pledged KLP. Plus the 4.3 rom has already been leaked)
HTC is too hung up on appearances to make a fundamentally good phone. Skip the One, save yourself the headache, get the better Samsung. There's a reason why they are #1.
It was a very easy choice for me.
Pros to Samsung:
Better company support
Much larger developer network
Shipped with latest software
Removable battery :good:
Expandable memory :good:
Samsung's momentum coming off of 2 amazing phone platforms
Cons to Samsung:
Battery door could use some structural rigidity
I personally don't care for the hidden menu layout and CSC but that is probably not even considered when comparing the two.
Pro to HTC:
Better audio processing
Better speaker placement
Aesthetically prettier
Con to HTC:
HTC was supposed to implement the One series flagship support with the release of their OneX which was a turd. It didn't get it's JB update until literally every other phone released within it's generation and the generation prior got theirs.
Carrier specific status is never good, and harms the overall growth of user development.
I believe 4.2.2 was just released for the One, I stopped caring a while ago though
Non-Removable battery
Non-Expandable memory :good:
Severe LACK of momentum coming off the slew of carrier specific OneX, OneS, OneSV, OneV, OneX+, OneSV+, One___, and all other variants within said carriers which all made the firmwares non-interchangeable
HTC's history with sporadic issues. Rezound generation had touch response issues. One___ generation(including dna) had SIM connection issues rendering the device an expensive mp3 player until reboot.
Stock UI is completely personal choice and changeable so it's neither a con or a pro.
I was in your position a few weeks ago. The only thing the one has over the s4 is the loudspeaker. I don't care about that because wear headphones when I listen to music or watch movies. The one has retarded button placement. I think I'd feel lost without a menu button. I don't even thin the build is better at all. I don't think it's possible to get a better looking phone when you put the neo hybrid case on the s4.
Sent from my Verizon Galaxy S4
Samsung's button placement is horrible. Htc's power button on top prevents from accidental wake ups. And considering right handed people are the majority, the volume rocker on the s4 is on the wrong side. It's going to take me forever to stop turning the screen off when I wasn't the volume louder!
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app
I should also mention that this guy on my Facebook has a One and the other day he uploaded a few pics of him at a beach and I couldn't believe how horrible they were. I had heard the camera wasn't very good but wow I never imagined it to be that lousy. On the other hand, the S4 camera is amazing, especially outside during the day.
Sent from my Verizon Galaxy S4
mario182005 said:
Samsung's button placement is horrible. Htc's power button on top prevents from accidental wake ups. And considering right handed people are the majority, the volume rocker on the s4 is on the wrong side. It's going to take me forever to stop turning the screen off when I wasn't the volume louder!
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is it that pretty much every other phone on the market (LG, Motorola, Nokia) all have the power button on the right? HTC messed up on the fundamentals. Phone is too big for the button to be on the top
- sent from Galaxy S4
---------- Post added at 03:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:26 PM ----------
Chadly said:
I was in your position a few weeks ago. The only thing the one has over the s4 is the loudspeaker. I don't care about that because wear headphones when I listen to music or watch movies. The one has retarded button placement. I think I'd feel lost without a menu button. I don't even thin the build is better at all. I don't think it's possible to get a better looking phone when you put the neo hybrid case on the s4.
Sent from my Verizon Galaxy S4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome looking case! I'll have to buy it when I'm sick of my S View cover
- sent from Galaxy S4
It's a matter of track record
At the end of the day, unless the One's superior speakers and build quality are the deciding factors for you, I recommend the GS4.
Both are flagship phones. Both are top of their class. Instead of comparing the phones, I compared the companies because this gave me a better indicator of reliability and continued support. At the end of the day, the physical differences between the HTC One and Samsung S4 are negligible and almost entirely down to personal preference. However, the difference between HTC and Samsung is major.
Dubbsy does a good job breaking down the differences in support in his comment so I won't rehash it all, but I do encourage you to take a look at it. HTC is in trouble. They have lost a lot of leadership recently, which means that they have to bring new leadership in. This always presents a problem for continuinity. This could be a very good thing for HTC going forward considering the lackluster success of their previous products. Furthermore, with the failure of the HTC First, HTC has now placed all of their eggs in one basket with the HTC One. This could in turn bode well for consumers because HTC cannot afford to abandon them. Time will tell, but until then, it is a gamble. In comparison, Samsung has a proven track record with the success of the GSIII.
Dubbsy said:
It was a very easy choice for me.
Pros to Samsung:
Better company support
Much larger developer network
Shipped with latest software
Removable battery :good:
Expandable memory :good:
Samsung's momentum coming off of 2 amazing phone platforms
Cons to Samsung:
Battery door could use some structural rigidity
I personally don't care for the hidden menu layout and CSC but that is probably not even considered when comparing the two.
Pro to HTC:
Better audio processing
Better speaker placement
Aesthetically prettier
Con to HTC:
HTC was supposed to implement the One series flagship support with the release of their OneX which was a turd. It didn't get it's JB update until literally every other phone released within it's generation and the generation prior got theirs.
Carrier specific status is never good, and harms the overall growth of user development.
I believe 4.2.2 was just released for the One, I stopped caring a while ago though
Non-Removable battery
Non-Expandable memory :good:
Severe LACK of momentum coming off the slew of carrier specific OneX, OneS, OneSV, OneV, OneX+, OneSV+, One___, and all other variants within said carriers which all made the firmwares non-interchangeable
HTC's history with sporadic issues. Rezound generation had touch response issues. One___ generation(including dna) had SIM connection issues rendering the device an expensive mp3 player until reboot.
Stock UI is completely personal choice and changeable so it's neither a con or a pro.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wtf?
mario182005 said:
Samsung's button placement is horrible. Htc's power button on top prevents from accidental wake ups. And considering right handed people are the majority, the volume rocker on the s4 is on the wrong side. It's going to take me forever to stop turning the screen off when I wasn't the volume louder!
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having the power button on top means I'm accidentally hitting it when i pull it out of my pocket and it is harder to reach when I really want to push it.
Having the power button on the right side means it is right there for my thumb to press. Always available and extremely easy to push. Having the volume rocker on the left side means my middle and pointer fingers have easy access to change the volume when I'm casually holding my phone.
You could train a dog to use these buttons, but you seriously can't remember that your volume rocker is on the left? Sounds like personal problem more than an issue with the phone in my opinion.
This is coming from someone who previously was using an HTC device to the S4. Buttons are better on the S 4 than HTC devices.
I can't help but agree on the button issues. The side buttons make sense on my right hand.. I can manipulate all three buttons without looking.. much better than my Rezound.
My rezound was my last HTC phone. I have no desire to move to a phone where I can't change the battery, or storage... and have to hope for software updates. If HTC changes in the future ..OK. but right now, they just aren't an attractive option.
Button placement making your choice of phones is pretty crazy IMO. I've had my buttons all sorts of ways and none of them ever bothered me to the point I looked in the mirror and said "you jackass if you only would have bought the one with the other button configuration your life would be soo much better." I think people who are accidentally pressing buttons need to retrain their meathooks to pull their phones out of wherever they happen to be residing at the time. I do miss the dedicated camera button from my old motorolas. But again, I'll live.
More rediculous reasons from my friend who is gettings a nokia windows phone next time because of his poor user experience with the HTC OneX he got over the GS3 because he didn't like samsung at all:
"they(samsung) are getting too much like apple"
"samsung people will blindly buy anything samsung puts out"
"feels cheap" <mind you his phone's sim card daily would stop working and to fix it he had to put a piece of tape on the back of it so the contacts would actually make reliable contact. And his 8month old was able to shift his screen up so that a line of light could be seen on the bottom side. Feeling cheap and actually being a POS are totally different. :good:
"every hipster has one(gs3 and gs4)"
"they are the apple in android's eye" <was being clever when I pointed out facts
"people need to accept change and understand that non-removable batteries and cloud storage are the future"
mario182005 said:
Samsung's button placement is horrible. Htc's power button on top prevents from accidental wake ups. And considering right handed people are the majority, the volume rocker on the s4 is on the wrong side. It's going to take me forever to stop turning the screen off when I wasn't the volume louder!
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only if you do not use a case, which is a tad dangerous due to glass taking up most of the surface. All cases have recess areas for the buttons.
I have both and as soon as VZW gets the One I am going back to it. The S4 is a great phone with a ton of features but I seriously miss my One that I had on Sprint.
For me, the cons were better (front!) speakers, screen, and overall aesthetics. I will miss the battery life from the S4 most of all though. I had finally gotten used to the newest Sense UI too after years of going back and forth from TouchWiz and Sense devices.
Hours, days, and numerous reviews and arguments between the two as an ex-HTC"Fanboy" and absolutely despising Samsung... I have a Samsung Galaxy S4. Enough said. Lol. HTC got on my last nerve with the EVO LTE. I checked out the HTC One which was my 100% set choice when going in for a purchase until I picked it up and checked it out. Sure the OS is kind of cool and there's no lag but I don't want to cut my fingers on its horrible build or have a smaller screen after checking out the GS4 and Note II. HTC won't get my cash in the future unless they release another EVO.
I love my s4 and the only reason I would consider the one is because I prefer a smaller device and the stealth black one looks da** good. The removable battery and SD expansion won me over. I'm sure the one will have great battery life initially... But the inability to swap in a new battery in 9 or 10 months when the battery naturally starts to degrade made my decision a no brainer
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
Most HTC phones are returned due to dead pixels
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda premium
New updates on review are in the 2nd post. Thanks for reading!
Hey everyone! Many of you know me from other threads or some Q&A, but I wanted to share my experience with the Nexus 6P. I do have a thread where you can ask me anything to try or test out on the device, to help answer some questions. I am a front end developer, UX/UI designer, and business owner. This review is based on how I use the phone and where the phone either shines or fails to perform to my needs. The #hype is real on this device and I am hoping to provide you some feedback that removes the bias of #hype and focuses on the device. Hope you find this helpful and thanks for reading!
Introduction
The Nexus 6P is probably the one device I was so excited to get since the iPhone 4. From reading every possible hands on review, watching every YouTube video, and being on the forums trying to calculate shipping dates. This phone has generated so much buzz that I finally felt so excited to get a device. Compared to last year, nothing was "omfg must have". The Nexus 6P filled that hope.
Ergonomics & Hardware
There is no need for me to get into the specs, we all know them or they are easily available elsewhere. This review is about how the specs of the phone play to the hardware and software to make OUR experience the best. The Nexus 6P has some amazing hardware. I got the 32gb Aluminum (long live #aluminati!) version. It is such a delight to hold. The device feels fantastic in my hands, and I have average size hands for a 5'10" individual. I am coming from a Moto X Pure, Note 5, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone 6, and Nexus 6 over the past year. Yes, I change phones frequently...mostly for entertainment or variety. Unlike the iPhones, Note 5, and Nexus 6 - The 6P feels stable in my hands, easy to hold, my thumb can reach across the screen without slipping and the weight of the device does help me balance it for one handed use. Where iPhones were so light and thin, the ergonomics sucked to hold; the 6P thickness actually helps in one handed use. The width of the device is not so wide, like the 2014 N6, that one handed use is easy and 2 handed use works just fine as well.
Slippery - Or should I say, lack thereof? The metal on the phone has a slight grip to it. Similar to that of the Moto X Pure (minus the rubber), but it stays in my hand. Those of you worried about the metal frame and possibly being slippery like the iPhones or even Nexus 6; have no fear.
Metal & Screen - Every version (color) will probably differ. I can only speak for the aluminum version. I have barely put the device down and I have zero fingerprints on the back. Oils do not absorb into the metal to look dirty. The only area where fingerprints are obvious is where they should be...on the screen. Which brings me to the glass of the screen. The glass, in the first hours, felt good but over the ongoing use it has been a little tough for me to slide my fingers over. Could be me or maybe I just need to put the damn phone down. The glass is beautiful and seems strong, but I ordered a glass screen protector to help with fingerprints and always feeling smooth to the touch.
There is a lip around the edge. The metal lip seems to be that of 0.2mm, give or take. It's extremely subtle, but obvious it is there to the touch. If that is something that would bother you, the glass screen protectors seem to hit the correct dimensions in thickness to flatten the surface out entirely. I can imagine the lip probably makes applying a glass screen protector even easier due to form fitting vs aligning.
Buttons and Fingerprint Sensors
The buttons are metal and solid. They don't wiggle around, which drove me insane on my iPhone and Moto X Pure. You can tell they were built well. The home button has a texture to identify easily and works quite well. The click in on volume and home buttons have a easily identifying feedback so you know you are pushing them. As silly as it may sound, the Moto X Pure failed in that area. Where the buttons were so easy to push and lack of feedback on press, there were nights where I would watch a YouTube clip and accidentally click the volume in and piss off the lady.
The fingerprint sensor is like every other reviewer has put it. Extremely fast and reliable. I programmed my index and middle fingers on both hands to the fingerprint sensor. I love that I can pull my phone out of my pocket and its ready to go without awkward thumb bending on the front to reach. Only gripe here on the UX is the inability to unlock the device with my fingerprint when it's laying on my desk. It's not a huge deal to some, but I am at a desk non stop. There is a solution, in Android Marshmallow for this though. I setup certain areas as my "trusted" areas. My car, for example, is a trusted connection and the phone does not require to unlock. I did the same for the bluetooth on my work desk. Solves the issue, but leaves the phone open to access if that worries you.
Notification Light
I love notification lights. This one is simple and great. Not buried into the speaker. Obvious pulsing and colors. Just make sure you turn it on! My phone had it disabled. To enable, go to settings > Notifications > Pulse Notification Light. This is one of my favorite features, for as simple and dumb as it may sound.
Speed and Battery
This phone is lightning fast for me. It was built to work fluidly with Android M and it does exactly that. I haven't ran into any hiccups, crashing, issues and everything just...works! Not sure when I was last able to say that about an Android device. This is the first Android I don't have the "want or need" to begin installing greenify, sleep, and other apps that help chill the phone out and not drain the battery. App switching is smooth, RAM usage has stayed consistently at 1.5gb and the camera opens without stutter or lag for me. I frequently find something I wish to take a picture of and it just opens without delay. More on the camera further down.
The battery is great. The synergy with Android M, Doze, and the Nexus 6p - the battery life for me has been phenomenal. It's too early to reveal screenshots, but just in my general use today I have only used 9% of my battery. I have sent numerous emails, taken some pictures, showed off the device, used Google Maps for navigation, and listened to a Play Music Radio Station on the drive to work. I am happy to say that I am sure battery life won't be a big complaint amongst users. If you use your device so intensively, the rapid charging is rapid. Not as fast as my Moto X Pure, but pretty darn fast. It won't let you down.
Battery life screenshots attached in this post. I am impressed by the battery on this device.
Camera
I ****ing love this camera. The pictures are beautiful, detailed, and vibrant with colors. I take a lot of pictures with my devices and generally, my family will ask me to use my phone (whatever it may be at the time) to take those perfect shots. The focus, ISO, exposure and color has not let me down at all. I was able to get some amazing night shots, with the improved camera here. Lack of OIS isn't missed much on pictures, but at 4k video recording it would have been very helpful. In general, the camera is reliable and great quality. The pictures you may want to take at a bar or night environment will probably come out better than that of any other phone...with or without a flash. Samples attached of a couple night shots I posted elsewhere.
I did install a camera app called FV-5. It gives you far more control over the camera and has made some pictures really incredible. I have to tinker with it more and learn about some settings, but the face detection, focus and more on the app really allows the hardware to shine. Hopefully they update it quickly with more support for the 6P camera hardware features.
Connectivity
The most important part of the phone. I have Verizon and some areas in my house or office will be weaker than others. Where my Moto X Pure wasn't getting the best signal, I do see a slight stronger signal on the 6P. Nothing much though and wouldn't bank on it improving your past experiences substantially. WiFi speeds are great. I attached a screenshot of my speeds at home, on WiFi, with the 6P.
Bluetooth and Car
I use my phone in the car all the time. If this one aspect of a phone is flawed, then it goes back. I was concerned at first, because the phone and car would not connect. I was worried it was related to Android M. After I turned off bluetooth and turned it back on - it connected and paired, finally. I was most worried at this point.
Since then, I have gotten in and out of my car and the transition and connection to bluetooth has been seamless and quick. Where my Moto X Pure and iPhones took about 30 seconds to finally connect to the car and have a 3s gap where I miss conversation; The 6P seems to connect and transition the audio instantly. I hope it stays that way!
In the End?
I love this phone. It does live up to the #hype. Without any bias to my excitement to have it, this phone has pretty much hit every aspect of feature I would want out of a mobile device. The best part is IT JUST WORKS. That used to be my argument for Apple devices, but I can now say the same for Android. Sorry if that disappoints some of you... This is also the first android device where I don't feel the need to unlock or root. I will unlock and root because it's a Nexus and I like to develop/test ROMS out. However, those of you who felt you had to rely on unlocking and rooting to tinker settings, you may find that you won't have that urge to do so anymore. If anything, I'll do it for TWRP.
Where I would normally plan on switching devices every few months or 6 months, I can see myself keeping this device for a year to 2 years. Just won't tell the lady that or else I'll hear it when I want to upgrade to next years Nexus line...
Lastly, in the day using it, I have had many people ask me, "Hey, what phone is that?". While I don't care for being known to have the latest and greatest, it's fun showing it off. I can't wait to see some Frosties or Graphites in the wild, but for you folks with #aluminati...stand proud and shine. I hope this helped provide some honest insight and answer some questions.
Thanks folks!
Note: The only changes I made to the pictures was reduce the size of them. They were too large to upload, but no post edits were done for enhancements.
***UPDATES***
Blue Tint / Hue: I got our second device today and first thing I looked for was the blue tint/hue. I am surprised to say that there really isn't much of one on the second device. It's the exact same 32gb aluminum. That being said, I still never notice it on the first device and personally don't find it worth the effort to replace.
Bluetooth Issues: Some bluetooth connectivity issues have began to show their faces. I think it has to do with Android 6.0 and NOT the 6P, but we'll see.
Car: Mazda3 2014 Grand Touring, updated to most recent software
Symptoms: "Google Now" isn't working when connected. It seems that the device is depending on the vehicles microphone for any input and the vehicle microphone only triggers on button press. My other devices in the past year did not have this problem, including iPhone's "Hey Siri".
Resolution: Pending
Speakers: This is purely based on opinion, but I love the speakers on the 6P. I find them to sound rich and some great tones for a phone. I DO prefer them to my Moto X Pure, don't shoot me. Really though, speakers are great. I watched a movie last night from the device, for about 30 minutes, and no pops, crackles, stutters at all. Was pleased.
I did notice on speakers, that the volume range is a bit wonky. The low to mid setting for speakers in media playback was quite hard to hear. At 75% it was what I expect at medium. At 100% it was too loud. Food for thought, but hopefully this is addressed in software updates or use Viper.
What accessories are you using?
I love to accessorize my devices. I usually run my phone naked, to display all of it's beauty and engineering. Project Fi did send me a 50% off the ADOPTED case, which I ordered. Can't beat $10.81 with free shipping on a Google official case.
Screen Protectors:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016XZLFD6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014UNPYEE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01
These haven't arrived yet. One gets in Tuesday. I will test it out to make sure it does not block any sensors along with making the lip feel flush. Will report back on these.
Car Charger:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0146FK3G0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01
There is a great thread, somewhere in accessories about Car Chargers. If you have lots of questions about it or need specifics, most have been answered there. I will say that RAPID CHARGING from this charger DOES WORK. Confirmed. I was able to charge up from 60% to 100% on a short drive home. It works great and the spare USB slot is appreciated.
Extra USB-C Cable:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010VFFSL4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
Braided, heavy duty and feels very solid/premium. Length is great and I am using it with a Moto X Pure charging block. Rapid charging works and it's a great cable.
Car Mount:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VEAF6SG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00
This is the first car mount I have tried. I am picky about how things are in my car and I like it clean. Since my CD slot is at the bottom of the front dash, this fits quite well. It doesn't shake much and gets the job done.
Con: The piece that holds the phone expands and snaps back to default when you remove the device. It's not the easiest to use. You also can't center your device because the "arms" that hold the phone will press the volume/power key. This thing looks like it was built for an iPhone or LG G3+ type phone. Food for thought.
SPEAKERS VOLUME VIDEO:
***UPDATE TO OP 11/03***
Hey everyone! So after a week of use, I have some updates to the review. I have pasted the updates below, so you don't have to jump back to OP.
Battery
This seems to be one of the most discussed topics and quite a sensitive one! Some users are experiencing incredible SoT while others are not. Ultimately, it will boil down to what apps you have installed along with your connectivity. If your LTE connection is weak, your phone's battery will reflect that. There are many factors to take into consideration with battery, so please understand it is literally per individual basis!
Disclaimer: I haven't received any OTA updates yet. There have been 3 thus far and probably address some of the issues I have.
Over the weekend, I noticed my battery life not lasting as long as I would like. Almost seemed that every 5 minutes I was on the phone, I would lose roughly 3%-5%. This raised some questions so I started diving into the possible issues.
Symptoms:
Phone near fingerprint sensor would get warm during phone calls
Bluetooth constantly scanning
WiFi active during Doze/Sleep
WiFi scanning
GPS on
Solution:
Disabled Bluetooth and WiFi scanning passively
WiFi Advanced settings, disabled WiFi on during sleep
GPS was set to battery saving, but wasn't working. Simply turn off GPS, turn it back on, and check battery saving (this was an odd one)
With those adjustments, I have now noticed my battery in DOZE would lose roughly 2% over 4 hours. I'll get some screenshots and update the OP when they are available. Still testing. Battery life after the fixes are substantially better, however, my device is still getting warm while on calls where our second 6P does NOT. Due to this, a replacement has been overnighted to me. When that arrives, I will be unlocking/rooting to have some more fun with reporting to everyone.
VEHICLE BLUETOOTH
So, either this is new in Android M or my car is losing it's AI mind (or lack thereof), but I have figured out what it's doing. When placing a call through the device or the car, the phone will go into a "dialing" status. While it's in "dialing" status, the car will continue to play my music. When someone on the other end of the call picks up, the audio will switch to the phone. It hasn't been easy adjusting to this and I do wish I would just hear the dial tone, but everything else works great in car.
SCREEN PROTECTOR
I just received one of my screen protectors. I will apply it this evening, record it and share the link here for everyone to see. First impressions are that it misses the "edge to edge" by a slight amount. There is a lip on the edge of the device. My hope was the glass would extend from lip to lip. Not the case here, but still worth a shot. The glass DOES protrude above the lip. Glass thickness is slightly thicker than the other posted above, according to specs. That one arrives today, hopefully!
If something like that will bother you, I don't recommend the Yoozon glass. Video will come soon and you can see for yourself and decide which may be best for you, if any.
FINGERPRINT SENSOR
Still works like a charm. I hope they have an update that allows you to use a little more of the edge of your fingers, similar to Sammies or Apple. Other than that, it's reliable and fast even if your finger has moisture. Good stuff Huawei.
More to come soon, but hope this provides you more info and helps!
Thank you for the excellent review.
Excellent review and agree with everything you have said this is one of the best phones I have owned and I have owned a lot of them.
Thanks for the review! I'm currently test-driving a Moto X Pure, and have a week or so left to return it, which means if I want to get the Nexus 6P I'll have to go back to my old LG G2 for several weeks until Huawei gets its butt in gear and starts pumping out more 64gb models. What's your take on the 6P vs. the X Pure?
Chief85 said:
Thanks for the review! I'm currently test-driving a Moto X Pure, and have a week or so left to return it, which means if I want to get the Nexus 6P I'll have to go back to my old LG G2 for several weeks until Huawei gets its butt in gear and starts pumping out more 64gb models. What's your take on the 6P vs. the X Pure?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! Seeing that I literally just came from the Moto X Pure to the 6P, I can say that I have not looked back or regret doing so. I gave my X Pure to my business partner (he was on a 2014 model still). There is a noticeable height difference, but I like it. It actually places the volume rocker and power button in the right spot for my thumb. Unless you did Moto Maker and like that super unique look, I'd pick the 6P hands down.
Great review! Thanks for sharing.
tehpud said:
Hey everyone! Many of you know me from other threads or some Q&A, but I wanted to share my experience with the Nexus 6P. I do have a thread where you can ask me anything to try or test out on the device, to help answer some questions. I am a front end developer, UX/UI designer, and business owner. This review is based on how I use the phone and where the phone either shines or fails to perform to my needs. The #hype is real on this device and I am hoping to provide you some feedback that removes the bias of #hype and focuses on the device. Hope you find this helpful and thanks for reading!
Introduction
The Nexus 6P is probably the one device I was so excited to get since the iPhone 4. From reading every possible hands on review, watching every YouTube video, and being on the forums trying to calculate shipping dates. This phone has generated so much buzz that I finally felt so excited to get a device. Compared to last year, nothing was "omfg must have". The Nexus 6P filled that hope.
Ergonomics & Hardware
There is no need for me to get into the specs, we all know them or they are easily available elsewhere. This review is about how the specs of the phone play to the hardware and software to make OUR experience the best. The Nexus 6P has some amazing hardware. I got the 32gb Aluminum (long live #aluminati!) version. It is such a delight to hold. The device feels fantastic in my hands, and I have average size hands for a 5'10" individual. I am coming from a Moto X Pure, Note 5, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone 6, and Nexus 6 over the past year. Yes, I change phones frequently...mostly for entertainment or variety. Unlike the iPhones, Note 5, and Nexus 6 - The 6P feels stable in my hands, easy to hold, my thumb can reach across the screen without slipping and the weight of the device does help me balance it for one handed use. Where iPhones were so light and thin, the ergonomics sucked to hold; the 6P thickness actually helps in one handed use. The width of the device is not so wide, like the 2014 N6, that one handed use is easy and 2 handed use works just fine as well.
Slippery - Or should I say, lack thereof? The metal on the phone has a slight grip to it. Similar to that of the Moto X Pure (minus the rubber), but it stays in my hand. Those of you worried about the metal frame and possibly being slippery like the iPhones or even Nexus 6; have no fear.
Metal & Screen - Every version (color) will probably differ. I can only speak for the aluminum version. I have barely put the device down and I have zero fingerprints on the back. Oils do not absorb into the metal to look dirty. The only area where fingerprints are obvious is where they should be...on the screen. Which brings me to the glass of the screen. The glass, in the first hours, felt good but over the ongoing use it has been a little tough for me to slide my fingers over. Could be me or maybe I just need to put the damn phone down. The glass is beautiful and seems strong, but I ordered a glass screen protector to help with fingerprints and always feeling smooth to the touch.
There is a lip around the edge. The metal lip seems to be that of 0.2mm, give or take. It's extremely subtle, but obvious it is there to the touch. If that is something that would bother you, the glass screen protectors seem to hit the correct dimensions in thickness to flatten the surface out entirely. I can imagine the lip probably makes applying a glass screen protector even easier due to form fitting vs aligning.
Buttons and Fingerprint Sensors
The buttons are metal and solid. They don't wiggle around, which drove me insane on my iPhone and Moto X Pure. You can tell they were built well. The home button has a texture to identify easily and works quite well. The click in on volume and home buttons have a easily identifying feedback so you know you are pushing them. As silly as it may sound, the Moto X Pure failed in that area. Where the buttons were so easy to push and lack of feedback on press, there were nights where I would watch a YouTube clip and accidentally click the volume in and piss off the lady.
The fingerprint sensor is like every other reviewer has put it. Extremely fast and reliable. I programmed my index and middle fingers on both hands to the fingerprint sensor. I love that I can pull my phone out of my pocket and its ready to go without awkward thumb bending on the front to reach. Only gripe here on the UX is the inability to unlock the device with my fingerprint when it's laying on my desk. It's not a huge deal to some, but I am at a desk non stop. There is a solution, in Android Marshmallow for this though. I setup certain areas as my "trusted" areas. My car, for example, is a trusted connection and the phone does not require to unlock. I did the same for the bluetooth on my work desk. Solves the issue, but leaves the phone open to access if that worries you.
Notification Light
I love notification lights. This one is simple and great. Not buried into the speaker. Obvious pulsing and colors. Just make sure you turn it on! My phone had it disabled. To enable, go to settings > Notifications > Pulse Notification Light. This is one of my favorite features, for as simple and dumb as it may sound.
Speed and Battery
This phone is lightning fast for me. It was built to work fluidly with Android M and it does exactly that. I haven't ran into any hiccups, crashing, issues and everything just...works! Not sure when I was last able to say that about an Android device. This is the first Android I don't have the "want or need" to begin installing greenify, sleep, and other apps that help chill the phone out and not drain the battery. App switching is smooth, RAM usage has stayed consistently at 1.5gb and the camera opens without stutter or lag for me. I frequently find something I wish to take a picture of and it just opens without delay. More on the camera further down.
The battery is great. The synergy with Android M, Doze, and the Nexus 6p - the battery life for me has been phenomenal. It's too early to reveal screenshots, but just in my general use today I have only used 9% of my battery. I have sent numerous emails, taken some pictures, showed off the device, used Google Maps for navigation, and listened to a Play Music Radio Station on the drive to work. I am happy to say that I am sure battery life won't be a big complaint amongst users. If you use your device so intensively, the rapid charging is rapid. Not as fast as my Moto X Pure, but pretty darn fast. It won't let you down.
Camera
I ****ing love this camera. The pictures are beautiful, detailed, and vibrant with colors. I take a lot of pictures with my devices and generally, my family will ask me to use my phone (whatever it may be at the time) to take those perfect shots. The focus, ISO, exposure and color has not let me down at all. I was able to get some amazing night shots, with the improved camera here. Lack of OIS isn't missed much on pictures, but at 4k video recording it would have been very helpful. In general, the camera is reliable and great quality. The pictures you may want to take at a bar or night environment will probably come out better than that of any other phone...with or without a flash. Samples attached of a couple night shots I posted elsewhere.
I did install a camera app called FV-5. It gives you far more control over the camera and has made some pictures really incredible. I have to tinker with it more and learn about some settings, but the face detection, focus and more on the app really allows the hardware to shine. Hopefully they update it quickly with more support for the 6P camera hardware features.
Connectivity
The most important part of the phone. I have Verizon and some areas in my house or office will be weaker than others. Where my Moto X Pure wasn't getting the best signal, I do see a slight stronger signal on the 6P. Nothing much though and wouldn't bank on it improving your past experiences substantially. WiFi speeds are great. I attached a screenshot of my speeds at home, on WiFi, with the 6P.
Bluetooth and Car
I use my phone in the car all the time. If this one aspect of a phone is flawed, then it goes back. I was concerned at first, because the phone and car would not connect. I was worried it was related to Android M. After I turned off bluetooth and turned it back on - it connected and paired, finally. I was most worried at this point.
Since then, I have gotten in and out of my car and the transition and connection to bluetooth has been seamless and quick. Where my Moto X Pure and iPhones took about 30 seconds to finally connect to the car and have a 3s gap where I miss conversation; The 6P seems to connect and transition the audio instantly. I hope it stays that way!
In the End?
I love this phone. It does live up to the #hype. Without any bias to my excitement to have it, this phone has pretty much hit every aspect of feature I would want out of a mobile device. The best part is IT JUST WORKS. That used to be my argument for Apple devices, but I can now say the same for Android. Sorry if that disappoints some of you... This is also the first android device where I don't feel the need to unlock or root. I will unlock and root because it's a Nexus and I like to develop/test ROMS out. However, those of you who felt you had to rely on unlocking and rooting to tinker settings, you may find that you won't have that urge to do so anymore. If anything, I'll do it for TWRP.
Where I would normally plan on switching devices every few months or 6 months, I can see myself keeping this device for a year to 2 years. Just won't tell the lady that or else I'll hear it when I want to upgrade to next years Nexus line...
Lastly, in the day using it, I have had many people ask me, "Hey, what phone is that?". While I don't care for being known to have the latest and greatest, it's fun showing it off. I can't wait to see some Frosties or Graphites in the wild, but for you folks with #aluminati...stand proud and shine. I hope this helped provide some honest insight and answer some questions.
Thanks folks!
Note: The only changes I made to the pictures was reduce the size of them. They were too large to upload, but no post edits were done for enhancements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have a fantastic cat sir
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
I think it is a very good review. Granted, I have only had my phone for just now 24 hours and only completed full set up early this AM.
Can't speak about the battery yet as it is too early to tell and it has been on and off charger. I anticipate tonight forward I can get a better read.
Camera is one of the best and I REALLY like the Moto X 2015 Pure. I think N6P may trump it as a few low light pics came out great. At very least is on par with Apple 6S Plus which I also own.
Fingerprint scanner is phenomenal and IS faster than Apple 6S Plus, which I thought was fast. N6P trumps it.
Now, I don't necessarily agree with connectivity on LTE: I STILL think MOTO has better radios and at work I have very sketchy connectivity. I do notice my Nexus 6 and even when I owned the Moto X 2015 Pure, it would grab a weaker signal and have faster data connections moreso than the Nexus 6P. I had to keep toggling airplane mode on the Nexus 6P to get signals. So, I think it is OK but MOTO still has better radios IMHO.
Furthermore, I also think the processor is a "tad" slower than Nexus 6. The Nexus 6 seems to fly and is speedier (both Nexus 6 and N6P are decrypted as well). Granted, I perceive no lag on the N6P, but I definitely feel a controlled movement.
Good review, but my thoughts differ from yours a bit.
My Nexus 6P just arrived. Initial impression? The screen on my Moto X Pure is better (brighter, better whites, less graininess up close). Also, the speakers on the Moto X Pure are better. The Moto X Pure is also a little smaller and easier to grip with the rubber back. My Moto X Pure has very clicky and solid buttons, so maybe that's just a flaw in your particular Moto X.
I'm actually shocked because I fully expected to fall in love with the 6P immediately and ditch the Moto X Pure based on the stellar reviews I have been seeing, but now I'm thinking this is going to be a tougher decision than I thought, and I might actually end up returning the 6P!
Chief85 said:
Thanks for the review! I'm currently test-driving a Moto X Pure, and have a week or so left to return it, which means if I want to get the Nexus 6P I'll have to go back to my old LG G2 for several weeks until Huawei gets its butt in gear and starts pumping out more 64gb models. What's your take on the 6P vs. the X Pure?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in exactly same boat. Have till Nov. 13. Great review OP. You make me really want one and if they were readily available I probably would have it.
tehpud said:
Hey everyone! Many of you know me from other threads or some Q&A, but I wanted to share my experience with the Nexus 6P. I do have a thread where you can ask me anything to try or test out on the device, to help answer some questions. I am a front end developer, UX/UI designer, and business owner. This review is based on how I use the phone and where the phone either shines or fails to perform to my needs. The #hype is real on this device and I am hoping to provide you some feedback that removes the bias of #hype and focuses on the device. Hope you find this helpful and thanks for reading!
Introduction
The Nexus 6P is probably the one device I was so excited to get since the iPhone 4. From reading every possible hands on review, watching every YouTube video, and being on the forums trying to calculate shipping dates. This phone has generated so much buzz that I finally felt so excited to get a device. Compared to last year, nothing was "omfg must have". The Nexus 6P filled that hope.
Ergonomics & Hardware
There is no need for me to get into the specs, we all know them or they are easily available elsewhere. This review is about how the specs of the phone play to the hardware and software to make OUR experience the best. The Nexus 6P has some amazing hardware. I got the 32gb Aluminum (long live #aluminati!) version. It is such a delight to hold. The device feels fantastic in my hands, and I have average size hands for a 5'10" individual. I am coming from a Moto X Pure, Note 5, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone 6, and Nexus 6 over the past year. Yes, I change phones frequently...mostly for entertainment or variety. Unlike the iPhones, Note 5, and Nexus 6 - The 6P feels stable in my hands, easy to hold, my thumb can reach across the screen without slipping and the weight of the device does help me balance it for one handed use. Where iPhones were so light and thin, the ergonomics sucked to hold; the 6P thickness actually helps in one handed use. The width of the device is not so wide, like the 2014 N6, that one handed use is easy and 2 handed use works just fine as well.
Slippery - Or should I say, lack thereof? The metal on the phone has a slight grip to it. Similar to that of the Moto X Pure (minus the rubber), but it stays in my hand. Those of you worried about the metal frame and possibly being slippery like the iPhones or even Nexus 6; have no fear.
Metal & Screen - Every version (color) will probably differ. I can only speak for the aluminum version. I have barely put the device down and I have zero fingerprints on the back. Oils do not absorb into the metal to look dirty. The only area where fingerprints are obvious is where they should be...on the screen. Which brings me to the glass of the screen. The glass, in the first hours, felt good but over the ongoing use it has been a little tough for me to slide my fingers over. Could be me or maybe I just need to put the damn phone down. The glass is beautiful and seems strong, but I ordered a glass screen protector to help with fingerprints and always feeling smooth to the touch.
There is a lip around the edge. The metal lip seems to be that of 0.2mm, give or take. It's extremely subtle, but obvious it is there to the touch. If that is something that would bother you, the glass screen protectors seem to hit the correct dimensions in thickness to flatten the surface out entirely. I can imagine the lip probably makes applying a glass screen protector even easier due to form fitting vs aligning.
Buttons and Fingerprint Sensors
The buttons are metal and solid. They don't wiggle around, which drove me insane on my iPhone and Moto X Pure. You can tell they were built well. The home button has a texture to identify easily and works quite well. The click in on volume and home buttons have a easily identifying feedback so you know you are pushing them. As silly as it may sound, the Moto X Pure failed in that area. Where the buttons were so easy to push and lack of feedback on press, there were nights where I would watch a YouTube clip and accidentally click the volume in and piss off the lady.
The fingerprint sensor is like every other reviewer has put it. Extremely fast and reliable. I programmed my index and middle fingers on both hands to the fingerprint sensor. I love that I can pull my phone out of my pocket and its ready to go without awkward thumb bending on the front to reach. Only gripe here on the UX is the inability to unlock the device with my fingerprint when it's laying on my desk. It's not a huge deal to some, but I am at a desk non stop. There is a solution, in Android Marshmallow for this though. I setup certain areas as my "trusted" areas. My car, for example, is a trusted connection and the phone does not require to unlock. I did the same for the bluetooth on my work desk. Solves the issue, but leaves the phone open to access if that worries you.
Notification Light
I love notification lights. This one is simple and great. Not buried into the speaker. Obvious pulsing and colors. Just make sure you turn it on! My phone had it disabled. To enable, go to settings > Notifications > Pulse Notification Light. This is one of my favorite features, for as simple and dumb as it may sound.
Speed and Battery
This phone is lightning fast for me. It was built to work fluidly with Android M and it does exactly that. I haven't ran into any hiccups, crashing, issues and everything just...works! Not sure when I was last able to say that about an Android device. This is the first Android I don't have the "want or need" to begin installing greenify, sleep, and other apps that help chill the phone out and not drain the battery. App switching is smooth, RAM usage has stayed consistently at 1.5gb and the camera opens without stutter or lag for me. I frequently find something I wish to take a picture of and it just opens without delay. More on the camera further down.
The battery is great. The synergy with Android M, Doze, and the Nexus 6p - the battery life for me has been phenomenal. It's too early to reveal screenshots, but just in my general use today I have only used 9% of my battery. I have sent numerous emails, taken some pictures, showed off the device, used Google Maps for navigation, and listened to a Play Music Radio Station on the drive to work. I am happy to say that I am sure battery life won't be a big complaint amongst users. If you use your device so intensively, the rapid charging is rapid. Not as fast as my Moto X Pure, but pretty darn fast. It won't let you down.
Camera
I ****ing love this camera. The pictures are beautiful, detailed, and vibrant with colors. I take a lot of pictures with my devices and generally, my family will ask me to use my phone (whatever it may be at the time) to take those perfect shots. The focus, ISO, exposure and color has not let me down at all. I was able to get some amazing night shots, with the improved camera here. Lack of OIS isn't missed much on pictures, but at 4k video recording it would have been very helpful. In general, the camera is reliable and great quality. The pictures you may want to take at a bar or night environment will probably come out better than that of any other phone...with or without a flash. Samples attached of a couple night shots I posted elsewhere.
I did install a camera app called FV-5. It gives you far more control over the camera and has made some pictures really incredible. I have to tinker with it more and learn about some settings, but the face detection, focus and more on the app really allows the hardware to shine. Hopefully they update it quickly with more support for the 6P camera hardware features.
Connectivity
The most important part of the phone. I have Verizon and some areas in my house or office will be weaker than others. Where my Moto X Pure wasn't getting the best signal, I do see a slight stronger signal on the 6P. Nothing much though and wouldn't bank on it improving your past experiences substantially. WiFi speeds are great. I attached a screenshot of my speeds at home, on WiFi, with the 6P.
Bluetooth and Car
I use my phone in the car all the time. If this one aspect of a phone is flawed, then it goes back. I was concerned at first, because the phone and car would not connect. I was worried it was related to Android M. After I turned off bluetooth and turned it back on - it connected and paired, finally. I was most worried at this point.
Since then, I have gotten in and out of my car and the transition and connection to bluetooth has been seamless and quick. Where my Moto X Pure and iPhones took about 30 seconds to finally connect to the car and have a 3s gap where I miss conversation; The 6P seems to connect and transition the audio instantly. I hope it stays that way!
In the End?
I love this phone. It does live up to the #hype. Without any bias to my excitement to have it, this phone has pretty much hit every aspect of feature I would want out of a mobile device. The best part is IT JUST WORKS. That used to be my argument for Apple devices, but I can now say the same for Android. Sorry if that disappoints some of you... This is also the first android device where I don't feel the need to unlock or root. I will unlock and root because it's a Nexus and I like to develop/test ROMS out. However, those of you who felt you had to rely on unlocking and rooting to tinker settings, you may find that you won't have that urge to do so anymore. If anything, I'll do it for TWRP.
Where I would normally plan on switching devices every few months or 6 months, I can see myself keeping this device for a year to 2 years. Just won't tell the lady that or else I'll hear it when I want to upgrade to next years Nexus line...
Lastly, in the day using it, I have had many people ask me, "Hey, what phone is that?". While I don't care for being known to have the latest and greatest, it's fun showing it off. I can't wait to see some Frosties or Graphites in the wild, but for you folks with #aluminati...stand proud and shine. I hope this helped provide some honest insight and answer some questions.
Thanks folks!
Note: The only changes I made to the pictures was reduce the size of them. They were too large to upload, but no post edits were done for enhancements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that a Huawei watch?
bullshark888 said:
Is that a Huawei watch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup!
tehpud said:
Yup!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am still debating this or the 360, maybe wait for the black Friday.
bullshark888 said:
I am still debating this or the 360, maybe wait for the black Friday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would wait for Black Friday tbh. I am probably going to return it and wait for the Moto 360 Sport. I already have a nice watch, but need something that I can use while I work out.
Was there really a need to start a new thread about reviews?
Now that is what I call a fantastic review
Very nice review. Thank you for taking the time and sharing. I think I know my next device after mapping this against the Moto X Pure.
Does VoLTE work on Verizon with the 6p? If not, does it have dual radios to let you call on CDMA and still use LTE data?
jmileti said:
I am in exactly same boat. Have till Nov. 13. Great review OP. You make me really want one and if they were readily available I probably would have it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very frustrating! If only I could hold both at the same time...
Here's a light review of the phone from Clove:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbFeUoVyT9Q&feature=youtu.be
Preorders up today as well.
Unboxing vid. Looks like they went with a nicer packaging this time.
VS. an iPhone 6 vid
VS. the Z5 Compact vid
i have bought yesterday the white x compact. unfortunately its a bit larger than the z3c. well im a bit disappointed but not because of the sd 650. the performance is quite good. its definately responsive and quick for a compact. but the bezel on the bottom is bigger than at the top. looks like a design fail. vibration motor is veeery strange imo. at start you dont feel him when typing but the faster you type the more the motor is vibrating. this behavior is very hard to accept. maybe for some people a minor thing but for me when i got used to my z3c this not ok. the whole left side beside the display has a gap between display and frame. on the right side there is no gap. dust and dirt wil again find a nice place there. this was the reason why i have replaced my white z3c with a black one after the motherboard was dead on the white one. it seems sony has not learned from their mistakes. fingerprint button has also gaps and looks like a bit deplaced but works very well. on the back side there you have gaps on top and bottom. i really do not understand sony. this phone costs 450€ and it seems they have no QA before packaging. camerawise i can see some improvements. focus is much faster than z3c. but the camera quality nowhere comparable to a galaxy s7. its ok but not that i would say wow. front cam is better than z3c. no softskin blur effect more but when it gets dark the front cam is not very good. generally i was expecting more from sonys camera system.
the best thing at this phone is the display. the black values and color reproduction is very good. looks like amoled but is probably a very good ips. but i think its displaying to much red. adjusting whitebalance helps. generally much better than z3c. due to the 2D glass curves it seems that display is almost printed regardless the 720p.
but there is also somehting that is causing me headache with the display. it seems that due to the curved glas the letter "P" is sometimes not very responsive. especially if you are trying to hit the letter from the right side throught the curved area of the display. from top no prob but from the side its sometimes not reacting. tested with google keyboard.
loudspeakers are a bit louder probably due to the lack of water resistance. they sound better.
the phone goes back as i have got massively used to have root. i'm still on kitkat with root and xposed and several changes through xposed. loosing all this to a non perfect phone makes no sense for 450€.
the biggest problem is that there are no smartphones at 4,6inch with good quality anymore. i was even thinking about iphone but no thanks. i dont want to be a slave of itunes and pay more than 750€ for a phone. SE is too small. z5c is overheating, bulky & too rectangle. A3 2016 is 4,7inch and therefor longer. could be ok. BUT it has no fuc*** notification LED. major fail by samsung as this is inacceptable in 2016. but generally the build quality by samsung has raised. the galaxy s7 in a size of 4,6inch would be perfect. im remembering the times with my galaxy s1. fantastic phone and it was undestroyable. well if you have any questions you can ask me until i have still the phone. currently im thinking of testing an s7. but i hate to to do strange things with my thumb just to be able to reach the back button on the bottom of the phone. the s4 mini was perfect size.
So you are returning the phone?
I will give this phone a try but your build quality comments concern me. I should have it this week, so I'm hoping I get a good one. Does the plastic, glossy shell feel as cheap as it looks?
True, it's sad that these phones are the only game in the 4.6" size. I kinda don't consider the 4.6" iPhone in this size class because its just as big as a 5" screen phone because of the home button. I'm hoping Samsung comes out with an S7 mini which I would get in a heartbeat.
uchosen said:
So you are returning the phone?
I will give this phone a try but your build quality comments concern me. I should have it this week, so I'm hoping I get a good one. Does the plastic, glossy shell feel as cheap as it looks?
True, it's sad that these phones are the only game in the 4.6" size. I kinda don't consider the 4.6" iPhone in this size class because its just as big as a 5" screen phone because of the home button. I'm hoping Samsung comes out with an S7 mini which I would get in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try it. the plastic glossy shell is not the problem. its nice to look at, looks a bit like ceramic and not so slippery as i thought but the build quality is again not the best. i hate the unsymetric gaps between frame. they just cant place the display equally into the frame. on the black (which is not true black, its more dark blue) you wont see them so much as on the white one.
i was hoping for a s7mini but it seems that samsung has changed the mini series into the A3 line which is really sad unfortunately in the stores theres always the anti thief thing on the back which prevents to get true feeling of the normal S7. i need to test if a S7 would somehow be operational with one hand for me. but i dont think so. :/
the display of my z3c is peeling of on the top left edge which was the reason iw as looking for a different phone. i need to repair this. sony would need to much time for this.
x10isrooted said:
..vibration motor is veeery strange imo. at start you dont feel him when typing but the faster you type the more the motor is vibrating. this behavior is very hard to accept...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i didn't realize that with swift key. but you are right. if you set to system vibration you have that issue. but me, i am using swift key where you can set you individual vibration duration and that works like a charm.
x10isrooted said:
the whole left side beside the display has a gap between display and frame. on the right side there is no gap...
fingerprint button has also gaps and looks like a bit deplaced...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on my xxc the gaps are all the same size and nothing is deplaced.
x10isrooted said:
..but there is also somehting that is causing me headache with the display. it seems that due to the curved glas the letter "P" is sometimes not very responsive. especially if you are trying to hit the letter from the right side throught the curved area of the display. from top no prob but from the side its sometimes not reacting. tested with google keyboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can't confirm that too.
the 'p' works just fine. (swift key)
x10isrooted said:
the phone goes back as i have got massively used to have root. i'm still on kitkat with root and xposed and several changes through xposed. loosing all this to a non perfect phone makes no sense for 450€.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i hope, root is just a question of time. i hope very soon. can't wait for it to make all my customisations i am used to.
i found a way posted here but its written so weird. i dont know if its reliable.
http://www.sadroid.com/root-sony-xperia-x-compact-5-minutes/
the individual vibration is the same. the often and quicker you are pressing a button the more the motor of the vibrator gets crazy. sound like a bee on Speed.
You must try to press the letter p probably from the right side. a bit through the curved glass. the galaxy s7 and z3 compact touchscreen is much more responsive and sensitive. for me it was often not reacting when i was not thinking to touch more precisely in the middle of the letter P. maybe a defect on my device but i think the whole touchscreen production will be affected by this. i have tested the Xperia X and it has the same behavior. i will have to test another device in store if this is the case there as well.
this website is untrusted. dont download anything from that. you will get a virus. nothing else. when a root is availbale someone will for sure post it here first. but i doubt that it will be soon. x compact has not the best specs. all the famous and talented devs have other phones currently. xxz0o was the person that developed a root for z3c after half a year i think.
ok. now i found the issue with the vibration. your duration seems to be set pretty long. i set it to 35ms and that works absolutely fine. but if you set it to f.e. 60ms you have that issue. but why would you like to have it that long?
i mean its obvious that it can be a prob. if your next press is in the range of the 60ms there is no other way for the phone to vibrate permanently. are other phones adjusting the vibration if you press faster than the setted duration?
but i am a slow writer. maybe i will never understand that problem. i just found that issue while pressing complete randomly on the keyboard. i could never write that fast.
jeah, as i thaught. the page is very weird. i would also only try a root from a page i know pretty good.
ohh. half a year? thats sad. but hope never dies.
i like the phone. maybe there are some others
x10isrooted said:
try it. the plastic glossy shell is not the problem. its nice to look at, looks a bit like ceramic and not so slippery as i thought but the build quality is again not the best. i hate the unsymetric gaps between frame. they just cant place the display equally into the frame. on the black (which is not true black, its more dark blue) you wont see them so much as on the white one.
i was hoping for a s7mini but it seems that samsung has changed the mini series into the A3 line which is really sad unfortunately in the stores theres always the anti thief thing on the back which prevents to get true feeling of the normal S7. i need to test if a S7 would somehow be operational with one hand for me. but i dont think so. :/
the display of my z3c is peeling of on the top left edge which was the reason iw as looking for a different phone. i need to repair this. sony would need to much time for this.
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The S7 mini would be perfect, but it will never be created. The S7 is about the same size as the iPhone 6, so if any of your friends have one, just try using it and you'll quickly realize how much harder it is to reach the top of the phone with your thumb. I'm sticking with my Z3C for another year to see if anyone (not just Sony) releases a 4.5-4.7" flagship device. The XC just doesn't meet my expectations for an "upgrade".
Phone Arena review:
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Sony-Xperia-X-Compact-Review_id4256
The AndroidCentral Review is up, one note the lack of a fingerprint scanner is US only, the rest of the world has the fingerprint scanner available!
http://m.androidcentral.com/sony-xperia-x-compact
All of these first reviews to be released seem to be very shallow in depth. They don't go into any real analysis of the phone and use very general statements to describe the user experience. In fact, these read more like unboxings than actual reviews. There's a lot of talk about what the phone looks like, the specs it comes with, and way too much of it sounds like they're reading a press release. If I was in the market for a new device. I'd wait another month for real reviews to be released.
Android Authority review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uullDQFq5W0
I sure do not have those build quality issues. gaps?! display is dead flush, heck everything is. I am very impressed with the build quality, very sturdy. I do not have trouble with coming in from the right and typing 'p' either, but if you display is not flush it would probably influence it. I am more than sure you were unlucky and got a bad apple (heh). as for the key vibration issue; if you type faster than the vibration delay is set, you are of cause going to have it vibrate all the time while typing, odd btw that you guys was set to 60ms mine was set to 25ms as default.
Hey everyone, just wanted some feedback regarding an issue I began having this week with my X Compact.
Issue: The phone is not as responsive during the unlocking process as it once was. I used to simply swipe to unlock and the phone would immediately unlock with a simple swiping motion. Now, the phone requires a harder swipe before it unlocks.
Any ideas?