No Notification LED - Google Pixel 3 Guides, News, & Discussion

No Notification LED - Google Pixel 3 Guides, News, & Discussion

The Made by Google Twitter account confirmed the P3 does not come with a notification light! That's insane and takes away one of the great advantages that Android has over iOS. I can't tell you how many times I was unaware of messages and voice mail on my work iPhone because it doesn't give any indication of a missed notification.... For hours and even days!
This is unacceptable!

This really sucks. I have it configured to give me so much information with just a glance. They probably saved $0.01 per phone leaving it off.

They probably think we all want to use AOD to see our notifications! I've never used it myself, why, BECAUSE THE LED LIGHT WORKS GREAT! Good grief!!

Hopefully they moved the "blink" functionality to the AMOLED screen. There is really no need for a separate LED if they move that functionality into the screen. And preferably add the options that lifghtflow offers.
But knowing Google they probably just removed the feature altogether. It's sad that they can't add all of the options that the Nexus 5 had 6 years ago, which launched for half the price. And then they have the nerve to call it a premium device.

arby80 said:
Hopefully they moved the "blink" functionality to the AMOLED screen. There is really no need for a separate LED if they move that functionality into the screen. And preferably add the options that lifghtflow offers.
But knowing Google they probably just removed the feature altogether. It's sad that they can't add all of the options that the Nexus 5 had 6 years ago, which launched for half the price. And then they have the nerve to call it a premium device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you remember, the Nexus 6 had one but it wasn't implemented by the factory. It took a tear down before it was found and a clever programmer figured out how to make it work!

It doesn't need one with an OLED display. You can display notification indicators on the display like you could with an led.

I am standing in front of the pixel 3 display and can confirm there is no notification led! Not even in the settings!

what happens with a missed call? does a flashing dot appear on a black screen?

djy said:
what happens with a missed call? does a flashing dot appear on a black screen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know, but it's a terrible idea to remove the only way to see missed notifications without turning on the screen.

It doesn't need one with an OLED display. You can display notification indicators on the display like you could with an led
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you see the OLED display from a distance, and its colour to tell what type of notification it is? That's the advantage of an LED

scoobiesnacks said:
Can you see the OLED display from a distance, and its colour to tell what type of notification it is? That's the advantage of an LED
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally will not use the always on feature, so walking the screen will be my only way of seeing missed notifications. Just like the iPhone, Google is forcing you to interact with your phone the way they want, and leaving us without choice.
Passive notifications are no more. ?

This sucks. Its not a game changer but I do use led to see what I got, very useful

The usual reviewers aren't helping. Focusing on how pretty the phone is instead of functionality. I'm coming from an S5 which has a multi-color notification LED, SDcard slot, removable battery with durable lightweight removable plastic back, wireless charging, IR transmitter, headphone jack, unlocked bootloader with official lineage support, water resistance, and flat display with no rounded corners. For $1000+ the reviewers and consumers should expect and demand these features plus new stuff. Unfortunately most people don't know or care enough about the hardware or software. Never felt this bitter/unexcited about a $1000 luxury purchase before.
4 GB of ram and 128 GB of storage is not on par with the competition. Not sure why consumers are making excuses for all the shortcomings? I'm buying for stock android, camera, stereo front facing speakers, IP68, wireless charging, and a much faster chip than my current phone. They could easily make it 50% fatter and stuff a massive battery in it with a removable plastic cover with an elastomeric seal but they want us to buy a new one every year or two.
I'm nervously waiting to see if it can be rooted and flashed. If not, there's much better options for the same cost.

djy said:
The usual reviewers aren't helping. Focusing on how pretty the phone is instead of functionality. I'm coming from an S5 which has a multi-color notification LED, SDcard slot, removable battery with durable lightweight removable plastic back, wireless charging, IR transmitter, headphone jack, unlocked bootloader with official lineage support, water resistance, and flat display with no rounded corners. For $1000+ the reviewers and consumers should expect and demand these features plus new stuff. Unfortunately most people don't know or care enough about the hardware or software. Never felt this bitter/unexcited about a $1000 luxury purchase before.
4 GB of ram and 128 GB of storage is not on par with the competition. Not sure why consumers are making excuses for all the shortcomings? I'm buying for stock android, camera, stereo front facing speakers, IP68, wireless charging, and a much faster chip than my current phone. They could easily make it 50% fatter and stuff a massive battery in it with a removable plastic cover with an elastomeric seal but they want us to buy a new one every year or two.
I'm nervously waiting to see if it can be rooted and flashed. If not, there's much better options for the same cost.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pixel phones purchased direct from Google can all be bootloader unlocked in developer settings. It's easier than just about any other device. Root access will be gained shortly after the phone is released into the wild, and hopefully, Magisk can be used to pass safety net for Google pay. I totally understand your other concerns, but rooting shouldn't be one of them.

No LED totally sucks. I don't use AOD because of increased battery drain and increased burn in. So no way to see if there are notifications without picking up the phone. Weak battery was already bad enough.

I understand it's probably not the biggest deal in the world or anything but for me personally if the notification led is gone, I'm probably going back to Apple.
And this isn't the be-all-end-all reason, Google just seems less and less interested in truly making their devices/software unique and if it's going to essentially be the same thing as an iPhone, then I may as well just have an iPhone.

Kinda OT, but I have to say it's weird that the only other phone i've had that did AOD really good was the OG Moto X. I'll get used it on the P3. I really don't depend on it that much on my P2.... if a notification goes off, I usually hear it or feel the vibration first anyway. Rare are the times I'm spotting a led color "from across the room" lol..

I never have my sound on, drive a truck and use the notification light exclusively for notifications. Forcing me to pick up the phone (as with any professional driver) is ridiculous. Changing colors of the light allowed you to see exactly what or who the notification was from and very private. AOD is distracting and less informative. Makes 0 sense.

I've always used the notification led with my OG Pixel, so now I'm getting used to the aod.
My question for you guys is do you have aod turned on and is there noticeable battery drain from it or any other potential downside? Or do you have it where the aod only turns on from lifting the phone or double tapping?
I'm trying to pick what's the ideal way to go with this. I realize it'll probably be a personal preference deal, I've just never had an aod phone before. Thanks!

I thought that if notification comes in, screen flashes once in a while, but it doesn't seem to do that.

Related

Switch from Focus ... Thoughts

I'd like to share my thoughts on moving to the Titan from my Focus over this past weekend.
My I was one (as most here probably) that added a 32GB microSD card to my Focus. It has performed flawlessly over the last year that I have owned it with very few exceptions.
The main reasons I switched:
(1) Size matters - The 4.7" screen
(2) The build quality (so far) - The unibody aluminum build feels great in the hand
(3) The upgraded spec's (less the reduction of memory)
I should say that I do have a peeve on why Windows Phones (or any phone) don't have a microSD slot in today's world. In a world where your phone is going to be your "one in all" device, a memory card slot should be a no brainer.
Display:I was a little weary about moving from the SAMOLED screen to the S-LCD screen. Let me give you peace of mind on this one. This screen is absolutely beautiful. It doesn't have the deep blacks like the Focus but the other colors pop and seem more realistic. Also, my impression is that the display is more crisp than the SAMOLED.
Memory:As noted above, the lack of a microSD slot is really a shame for this phone. I'm going to live with it until someone cracks this baby open to confirm that it doesn't have a slot under the cover somewhere. But, alas, I heard rumors of this being a SS memory chip instead. On the bright side, this does make it run faster if it is a memory chip.
Build
The body on this is made of solid aluminum. The feel when it is in your hand is one that makes you know it was built with care. I know they stated in press releases that they are going to minimize this type of build in the future, I just hope they just remember to have enough real substance there to "feel" like quality and not plastic.
One note on the body. When removing the back cover to access the battery and sim card slot the ENTIRE aluminum case around the screen and everything comes off, too. So, you end up with two pieces. One that includes the screen and components, the other the aluminum casing. It was odd to remove it the first time.
There are more reasons like...
- notification LED's (i missed this from my Tilt2)
- battery life (woohoo! almost all day on a charge now)
- noise cancelling mic's
- faux 4G (you can tell the speed difference) [waiting to see about this throttling bit]
Things I don't like...
- Lack of accessories (come on Otterbox)
- With the larger screen, I wish I could update the number of columns from 2 to either 3 or 4. This phone has the space to do it and it would be a great update to have. (I know, this is OS and not phone but the screen size makes it an option now)
- The headset plug doesn't fit as far into the phone jack and so it looks like it's not plugged all the way in when it actually is. (maybe this is a preference instead that it go in until the jacket hits the phone)
One last thing about the size of the phone. The phone, surprisingly, is not that much bigger that the Focus. I was thinking going from 4.0 to 4.7 that it would be huge to hold in the hand but it really is a non-issue in general.
Anyway, I'm still transfering my goodies and reinstalling apps. Will post if anyon has any questions...
Cyber
My progression:
Old Junk -> Tilt -> Tilt 2 -> Captivate -> Focus -> Titan

cyberstrategist said:
I'd like to share my thoughts on moving to the Titan from my Focus over this past weekend.
My I was one (as most here probably) that added a 32GB microSD card to my Focus. It has performed flawlessly over the last year that I have owned it with very few exceptions.
The main reasons I switch:
(1) Size matters - The 4.7" screen
(2) The build quality (so far) - The unibody aluminum build feels great in the hand
(3) The upgraded spec's (less the reduction of memory)
I should say that I do have a peeve on why Windows Phones (or any phone) don't have a microSD slot in today's world. In a world where your phone is going to be your "one in all" device, a memory card slot should be a no brainer.
Display:I was a little weary about moving from the SAMOLED screen to the S-LCD screen. Let me give you peace of mind on this one. This screen is absolutely beautiful. It doesn't have the deep blacks like the Focus but the other colors pop and seem more realistic. Also, my impression is that the display is more crisp than the SAMOLED.
Memory:As noted above, the lack of a microSD slot is really a shame for this phone. I'm going to live with it until someone cracks this baby open to confirm that it doesn't have a slot under the cover somewhere. But, alas, I heard rumors of this being a SS memory chip instead. On the bright side, this does make it run faster if it is a memory chip.
Build
The body on this is made of solid aluminum. The feel when it is in your hand is one that makes you know it was built with care. I know they stated in press releases that they are going to minimize this type of build in the future, I just hope they just remember to have enough real substance there to "feel" like quality and not plastic.
One note on the body. When removing the back cover to access the battery and sim card slot the ENTIRE aluminum case around the screen and everything comes off, too. So, you end up with two pieces. One that includes the screen and components, the other the aluminum casing. It was odd to remove it the first time.
There are more reasons like...
- notification LED's (i missed this from my Tilt2)
- battery life (woohoo! almost all day on a charge now)
- noice cancelling mic's
- faux 4G (you can tell the speed difference) [waiting to see about this throttling bit]
Things I don't like...
- Lack of accessories (come on Otterbox)
- With the larger screen, I wish I could update the number of columns from 2 to either 3 or 4. This phone has the space to do it and it would be a great update to have. (I know, this is OS and not phone but the screen size makes it an option now)
- The headset jack doesn't fit as far into the phone and so it looks like it's not plugged all the way in when it actually is. (maybe this is a preference instead that it go in until the jacket hits the phone)
One last thing about the size of the phone. The phone, surprisingly, is not that much bigger that the Focus. I was thinking going from 4.0 to 4.7 that it would be huge to hold in the hand but it really is a non-issue in general.
Anyway, I'm still transfering my goodies and reinstalling apps. Will post if anyon has any questions...
Cyber
My progression:
Old Junk -> Tilt -> Tilt 2 -> Captivate -> Focus -> Titan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats on your new phone
Have you noticed any ghosting on the screen or any lag in the OS/games ?

I have not noticed any ghosting or lag at this point. I've had it only a couple days now and will add some more apps tonight to test it some more. So far, though, I have been pleased with the phone.

Storage
You said you had a 32GB card in your Focus. What are you doing about your music/videos. I have a bunch of music that isn't in Zune Pass. Tried the Sky Drive option, but it isn't that great.

bennyj71 said:
You said you had a 32GB card in your Focus. What are you doing about your music/videos. I have a bunch of music that isn't in Zune Pass. Tried the Sky Drive option, but it isn't that great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't yet decided on this. I'm not one to put my personal items in the cloud knowing it's not all that secure just yet (if it ever will be). So I'm manually manipulating what's on the phone vs not. It's tedious at times but until I know my data is secured enough [military encryption maybe?] then I may start doing it...

I switched too. I am missing my dark blue I used on my Focus. Can't unlock yet since Chevron has no tokens right now. If I can get screen capture, my color blue and unlock the internet sharing without that annoying AT&T notice I will be a happy camper.

MaziarAmiri said:
Congrats on your new phone
Have you noticed any ghosting on the screen or any lag in the OS/games ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I notice ghosting.
OP: Sounds like we have similar experiences making the same switch from Focus > Titan!

drokkon said:
I notice ghosting.
OP: Sounds like we have similar experiences making the same switch from Focus > Titan!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a specific ghosting scenario that makes it stand out most? I can tet it on my Titan and see what I come up with...

cyberstrategist said:
Do you have a specific ghosting scenario that makes it stand out most? I can tet it on my Titan and see what I come up with...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's actually quite simple: the full program list on a black theme should do it. When you scroll, the words quite clearly "stretch" or blur slightly, and they blur in the opposite direction (eg - downward blur when the font is moving up), which leads me to agree with those who call it "ghosting." It's subtle enough that someone could easily convince me that this is an "effect" and intended by the UI.
That said, I don't notice it one bit. I also don't notice any pixellation on the large screen and prefer the natural (eg - less saturated) colors of the screen as compared to the Focus.
All in all, the screen is beautiful and I have zero complaints.

drokkon said:
It's actually quite simple: the full program list on a black theme should do it. When you scroll, the words quite clearly "stretch" or blur slightly, and they blur in the opposite direction (eg - downward blur when the font is moving up), which leads me to agree with those who call it "ghosting." It's subtle enough that someone could easily convince me that this is an "effect" and intended by the UI.
That said, I don't notice it one bit. I also don't notice any pixellation on the large screen and prefer the natural (eg - less saturated) colors of the screen as compared to the Focus.
All in all, the screen is beautiful and I have zero complaints.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will +1 that!

I also upgraded from a Focus to a Titan.
I like everything about the phone (finally got LED notifications again, large screen, beautiful build, slim design, light weight, GREAT call quality, better reception so far, no more fingerprint smudges all over the back, love the sound-enhancer, and over-all faster).
The only thing that really gets me so far is the lack of an Super AMOLED screen. Putting it next to my Focus, the difference is so obvious. If this phone had a Super AMOLED it would be perfect...

hg23 said:
I also upgraded from a Focus to a Titan.
I like everything about the phone (finally got LED notifications again, large screen, beautiful build, slim design, light weight, GREAT call quality, better reception so far, no more fingerprint smudges all over the back, love the sound-enhancer, and over-all faster).
The only thing that really gets me so far is the lack of an Super AMOLED screen. Putting it next to my Focus, the difference is so obvious. If this phone had a Super AMOLED it would be perfect...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DO you get led notifcations for sms? Thats what im missing from my titan

meandu229 said:
DO you get led notifcations for sms? Thats what im missing from my titan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll post about it once I get a text, still haven't gotten one yet

meandu229 said:
DO you get led notifcations for sms? Thats what im missing from my titan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hg23 said:
I'll post about it once I get a text, still haven't gotten one yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LED notification for SMS and emails - isn't built in for WP7 yet. There are no apps either that can do it.
However, this is a requested and highly voted feature for next update. I think you guys should vote for it too!

Got my Titan yesterday. Wow. I haven't thought about touching my Focus since I powered up the Titan. I synced my apps and music and now I have 600megs free. :[ I'm really gonna have to trim some fat as that is just music and apps. Other than that the phone is awesome.
On a side note, there is a big difference in performance using older SIM cards. I have two Titans. I have a two month old SIM in mine. My nephew has a 1 year old SIM. His phone keep losing signal, and was unable to connect websites on multiple tries. I thought it was his phone, so I swap my SIM and everything was blazing. I'm getting another as the newest ones are slightly slimmer than mine.
Hope this helps you guys out.
Sent from my PI39100 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

I can confirm the LED appears to only indicate power charging. Interesting about the SIM card. I'll see if my old one makes a difference.
Sent from my TITAN

I also upgraded from a focus to a titan. But on my titan the camera button stopped working after <24 hours of use and I have to send it in to HTC for repairs. But even with the short amount of usage time (I used the phone almost exclusively as the power in my area had been out for four days) the build quality and speed were phenomenal. I was also surprised at how well the titan fit into various pockets and how the nice the screen was.

hg23 said:
I can confirm the LED appears to only indicate power charging. Interesting about the SIM card. I'll see if my old one makes a difference.
Sent from my TITAN
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LED also blinks on missed calls.

OnePlus 2 Review & Why I'm Dissapointed

I have to start with a disclaimer that a) I'm not a professional reviewer and this is probably my first and longest review I've done and b) I'm an avid OnePlus supported, I think what they've done is amazing and I truly hope they keep working on getting us top notch devices in such a great prices, I got the One on September last year and I got the Two a week ago and have been using it full time just a few days.
The Pros or Neutral:
The OnePlus Two feels more like an improved version of the One, thank like a brand new device, in terms of size and weight is pretty much the same, except that the Two is a better looking one, I think removing the aluminum gloss was a hit and the more magnesium surrounding gives it a very elegant highlight.
The styleswaps gives the phone a sens of personalization that I love, I got the Kevlar one and I really love the look and the feel of it.
Talking about the phone, I've had just a few days of use, but I certainly feel the power of the new processor where every action and app is super smooth, gaming, browsing, reading emails, I can truly see the difference
Also I can see the difference in the camera, though it has the same megapixels as the One, I certainly can see the effect of both the laser focus and the 1.3µm light-collecting pixels, plus the speed of taking the picture is really great. Please understand I cannot consider myself even an amateur photographer, all I know about pictures is if I like them or not.
I love being able to turn on the screen and unlock it with the fingerprint reader, this gives it a sens of security and speed without needing to type your password / pin / pattern every time you need to do something in the phone
The notification toggle is a really nice feature where you have a physical toggle to turn on/off the notifications. Even more, I love that they introduced "Alarms Only" as one of the toggle positions allowing you a true usable "Silent Mode" with it.
The battery life seems to be really good, a bit better than the One's which was already pretty good.
Cons or Not so Neutral
OxygenOS. I mean seriously, one of the great features of the One was it's tight integration with CM, where we could get a special build of CM powering our great phone. OxygenOS limits the posibilities you had with CM. Some of the things I miss (with just a couple of days of use) from the One / don't like from OxygenOS are:
Ringtones, seriously? I mean I understand you will get different tones but OxygenOs has a VERY limited number of ringtones
Camera App. The one with OxygenOS is VERY bad, with not as many features / configurations as the one provided in CM for the One
No way to switch from notification profiles OS level (without the physical toggle). I like the physical toggle, but I also want to be able to change these in the OS
All volume controles grouped together. I mean, I need to be able to move the volume of media without there needing to be media playing, in CM I could expand the control when using the volume rocker and change Notifications / Media / Alarms volume in the same place
Impossibility to change ROMs. I know there are a few ROMs out there, including CM, however to be honest, moving to any ROM, at this point, is like going back to the One. For me, besides the CPU power, the two main features are the fingerprint reader and the laser focus, both which there is no support, yet, in any other ROM.
USB Type C. I love the fact that OnePlus is on the edge of technology, and maybe in the future this would be a simply required feature, however at this point, using USB Type C requires me to either buy a whole bunch of cables or buy a whole bunch of addapters, since I have a cable everywhere in my house/office
The phone gets warm. It's a fact, no matter how much reviewers, OnePlus and even Qualcomm, have tried to convince us this is not an issue, THIS IS AN ISSUE. The one would get warm if I'm charging the phone and at the same time I'm doing intensive actions (gaming, playing multimedia, etc), however if I'm just doing regular use to the phone, and even playing, it would not get warm (or not that much that starts getting uncomfortable). The Two, even if you are just browsing, facebook, twitter, it gets warm and as soon as you start doing intensive tasks, it starts getting uncomfortable
Quality of the phone: I love the new looks (as explained in the Pros), however I have to say that I dropped it ONCE and the edges are now pretty damaged. This might have been a bad luck on how the phone felt, but my One had similar drops and I can barely notice them in the outside.
Volume: It seems to be that the general volume of the device is WAY less than it was on the One, I got used to have my notifications in the lowest possible and still listen to it almost anywhere, and now, I need to have the two way up in the volume to have similar results.
The fingerprint reader is not what I was sold by. It is certainly not fast (I have never used the Iphone nor any other reader, this is just my opinion on how I feel it when I'm using it) and it constantly fails to the point that I have to unlock it with my pin and the next time it would work ok.
Placement of the rockers. I really loved, and got used to, having the volume rockers on the left and the on/off on the right, it really doesn't make sense to have the rockers on the right.
All and all, it is a great device, and if you did not get the One and are coming from an old device, it truly make sense to get it and I'm sure you will enjoy it a lot, but I have to say I'm very disappointing at this point for the simple reason that I feel that I got a very few improvements from the One, but mostly it doesn't provide enough new features improvements to make it worth spending the money just a year after I got the one, plus it has some problems that really make it worst than the One.

90% of your cons are software based. itll take many months as with all phones for software to become even slightly mature. see this as a positive, itll get much better over time. although with new chips n gadgets coming soon its probably not worth the wait.
I got mine 2 weeks ago and still havent used it yet - just got latest 2.1 and the new kernal which i must say does improve greatly everything. it has been and will be fun tweaking as time goes by, but those where my expectations. Yours, along with many others have higher "immediate" expectations, probably brought about by chinese marketing

Alot of what you don't like is majority software indeed. Now am I'm saying the opt is perfect? No, but neither is any phone. But I will say after a week of use. I haven't went back to my opo and decided to sell it whenever it gets sold. One thing I don't like about this phone is really the fact that the USB type c. For what they were trying to do I would have been fine with micro usb with fast charging.

Can't agree more with you, as I said, this is a great phone, and hopefully in short time we get those improvements in SW that my cons disappear. I did have great expectations because of the great impact the One had and all the marketing around the launch of the Two
Sent from my ONE A2005 using XDA Free mobile app

There is a thread for such posts... No need for separate threads.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-2/general/oneplus-2-user-opinion-reviews-t3177299
Thanks! Thread closed.
Darth
Forum Moderator

My Nexus 6P Review - Honest & Real World Use

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?
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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.

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...

z5 compact or Nexus 5x ?

really torn between these two devices ,
am talking about AOSP or CM on z5c , is AOSP working well on it ?
the 5x display is not that great , is the z5c display any better ?
any suggestion is appreciated .

I have just been evaluating the two side my side for the past fortnight trying to decide which to keep.
Hightlights of the z5c have been its size, speaker quality, and overall build quality. Micro SD slot is handy and waterproofness is nice to have. However I have found the camera to be very disappointing and slow to use and the results average. Also the smaller screen size can make operating Xperia keyboard and text input frustrating at times.. I dont htink the screen is as good as the one the Nexus but maybe thats just me. Excellent battery life. I have only tried Sony factory ROM and was not aware that others such as CM are available yet?
Highights of the Nexus 5x have been the crisp clean Marshmallow interface, good screen and excellent point and shoot camera. Screen is not as repsonsive as x5c when it needs to dim in a dark environment. It has a Terrific keyboard that is really accurate and easy to use. along with best fingerprint reader I have used. Downsides to it are its plasticy design with protruding lens which makes me reluctant to put it down on its back on a desk. even though I know the lens will not contact the desk. A Google Adopted TPU case fixed this though. But as soon as you encase it no-one will have any idea it is a google phone. Speaker is crappy and poor sound quality compered to z5c. USB C power cables are orphans and mean you cannot use existing A cables existing devices most people have. Couple this with a mediocre battery life can be problematic. Biggest downside for me though is its size. Too big too put into from jeans pocket and protrudes an inch or so out the top of shirt pocket.
So I ended up selling my 5x and keeping the z5c. My hope is that Sony will do something in the marshmallow update to improve the point and shoot usabilty of the camera. Hope this helps.

logger said:
I have just been evaluating the two side my side for the past fortnight trying to decide which to keep.
Hightlights of the z5c have been its size, speaker quality, and overall build quality. Micro SD slot is handy and waterproofness is nice to have. However I have found the camera to be very disappointing and slow to use and the results average. Also the smaller screen size can make operating Xperia keyboard and text input frustrating at times.. I dont htink the screen is as good as the one the Nexus but maybe thats just me. Excellent battery life. I have only tried Sony factory ROM and was not aware that others such as CM are available yet?
Highights of the Nexus 5x have been the crisp clean Marshmallow interface, good screen and excellent point and shoot camera. Screen is not as repsonsive as x5c when it needs to dim in a dark environment. It has a Terrific keyboard that is really accurate and easy to use. along with best fingerprint reader I have used. Downsides to it are its plasticy design with protruding lens which makes me reluctant to put it down on its back on a desk. even though I know the lens will not contact the desk. A Google Adopted TPU case fixed this though. But as soon as you encase it no-one will have any idea it is a google phone. Speaker is crappy and poor sound quality compered to z5c. USB C power cables are orphans and mean you cannot use existing A cables existing devices most people have. Couple this with a mediocre battery life can be problematic. Biggest downside for me though is its size. Too big too put into from jeans pocket and protrudes an inch or so out the top of shirt pocket.
So I ended up selling my 5x and keeping the z5c. My hope is that Sony will do something in the marshmallow update to improve the point and shoot usabilty of the camera. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks a lot , very helpful ,
and yes there is an AOSP 5.1.1 rom available for the z5c , no CM yet ( can't imagine it will be long before a release , given sony has released the binaries ) ,
here you go :
http://fxpblog.co/aosp/aosp-5-1/
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z5-compact/orig-development/aosp-builds-z5c-t3226266

I haven't tested the 5x yet, but have the z5c for about two weeks now and in my opinion there are two main issues with the z5c:
First the display colors really seem to be washed out, the black is more a really dark grey than a black (I don't know if this is due to a defect screen or if this is the case for all z5c's), also the display resolution of 720p isn't really enough for me as I clearly can see the edges of round app icons for example even when I'm farther away from the screen.
Also the increase of the phone temperature during prolonged use really bothers me, but that's a known issue of the Snapdragon 810. The camera is just okay, I honestly expected more, especially in low light conditions. But as far as is understand this is rather a post-processing issue than an hardware issue, I hope this improves with Marshmallow.
Two plus points are good battery live (maybe also due to the relatively low res screen) and the overall speed of the phone, which really has improved since the last firmware update.

I had both phones at the same time. Here are my thoughts:
Z5 Compact
+ I prefer the phone size much better
+ I play ingress, so prefer the better battery life and single handed use
+ I have a couple of external battery packs, which quick charge the Z5C
+ Waterproof
+ Really like that Sony went with regular micro-USB connector unlike the Z3C
+ Expandable memory. This can become expanded internal memory in Marshmallow
+ I love Tap to Wake
+ It is a sexy looking device
- Thicker than the N5X
- Not thrilled that the volume rocker is below the power button
- Surely majority of folks don't use the wrist strap feature?! It's a dust collector for me.
- Typing an issue on a smaller keyboard
- Voice recognition is iffy
- I hate that I don't have the option to turn off the notification light at when charging at night (always have to remember to place the phone facedown)
- Run hot under heavy use, but I use a case to avoid the slipper glass on the back anyway
Nexus 5X
+ Clean UI
+ Fast updates
+ Better fingerprint sensor
+ Thin and light
+ Better typing experience
+ Ambient display
- Too large for single-handed use
- Camera pops out like a nipple - could be seen as a positive
- USB-C means new expense on cables and charger (consider the added expenses here)
- My external chargers will work with N5X, but will not charge as quick as a licensed Qualcomm Quickcharge phone
- The vibration motor is a lot harsher than the Z5C. Not a fan.
- The mono speaker seems to be facing the back, but there is no opening on the back, so sound is kinda muffled.
- What's the deal with the giant bezel?!
- No expanded memory support
- The internal specs are lower (808 vs 810 in Z5C, and Adreno 418 vs 430 in Z5C). The Z5C guts are actually in the Nexus 6P, but with 3GB RAM.
I ended up returning the Nexus 5X primarily because of the size and having to make sure I have a USB-C cable handy in case I run through the battery. Even when I had the phone charging while I was playing ingress, the phone battery was discharging faster than recharging.
The Z5C is very comfortable to use. I do have an itch for a completely bloat free UI, with Marshmallow. Once unlock and root processes eventually get released/cleaned-up, the Z5C will be take a bigger bite into the Nexus 5X's main selling point.

N5X advantages:
- Camera (for photos) is in another league, look at the camera samples, the photos are very sharp compared to all Sony Z cameras.
- Fast updates.
- Stock clean Android (only Google apps that can be disabled) / Camera2 API / probably…not sure: Google Now Always ON / etc
Z5C adv:
- Battery life (If N5X battery life is less than 50% better than N5 battery, then it still really sux).
- Size (subjective)
- SoC 810 is much better.
- Long battery life when gaming.
- Some General hardware~ (mic quality / screen quality / etc).
Sent from my E5823

Finally i bought the 5x due to no AOSP roms available yet on z5c ,
thanks everyone .

So, I had nexus 5x for 1.5 month, got 5x after beloved Sony z5c international with fingerprint reader and wrist strap due to switching to verizon from ATT and it was cheapest of the semi-decent phones. I regret both.
1. While its compatible, and verizon sim works, i barely get signal 3G LTE to none while my other friends right next to me with iphones and samsung phones get high speed full bars 4g lte, so must be poor antenna or not fully compatible with verizon as claimed. And mind you its after hours on the phone with verizon i got it to even work. When i try send emails most times it flashes message every 1-2 seconds "no connection" "retry" then "connected", that creates multiple drafts when im trying to send email, nuisance to say the least. Or messages I thought were sent stuck in limbo, shown sent on device, but when login to email account from pc it isnt sent or even in drafts, so its on a device stuck, not sent even when connected while shown as sent on device.
2. giant phone not one handed. And no wrist strap hook!
3. Poor photo quality, no depth, poor resolution, only way to focus camera is to take 1 shot only then it tries to focus, any other way it would normally work on z5c with green to red focus window is not available. I tweaked it a bit using camera MX but even so, mediocre original software & hardware.
3. Pricy and no expansion memory, i got 32gb, and OS + apps already took over 20gb, and mind you i only have very few brain games and productivity apps like docsToGo that do not take much space, rest is android os itself upfront.
4. Not waterproof or resistant. Even when water droplet hits center of screen it acts out thinking its my finger, z5c did not react same way to water at all, it ignored it mostly, only responding to finger.
5. google keyboard is horrible, not even arrows to move coursor right or left within text, and gokeyboard became commercialized with adds so.. i didnt find better alternative, and you have to be precise getting it into right spot to insert extra words in between especially at the beginning of paragraph.
6. New Android version lost too many good features gaining none. Like little menu on the bottom right to close all open apps at once, gone! Now you have to manually close each app. specific to z5c mini apps like calculator, browser that can be used simultaneously with other apps window in window, shown both at once of course not included, and nothing similar available.
7. Battery life poor. I had about 5hours browsing no video out of it before it hits 20% mark from 100%, with video even faster. While usb c helps charge faster, true, but it doesnt help battery life , and no wireless charging, adapters just came to market, i do not think ill keep phone long enough to try if it works.
8. Back to memory expansion, so forget microsd, but even usb wont work. I have samsung duo usb3 to micro usb, so attempt 1 was to use anker adapter with my samsung usbduo drive and it didnt even register the drive. So i went ahead and bought an app to register usb c drive, didnt work. attempt 2 after shelling out for the nexus 5x compatible app, bought usb c flash drive guess what, only registers with that app, and even then cant just browse folders and files, open, work with file, save, ..no. you would have to copy to phone then work with file, save to phone only, and only then copy or move back to usb c drive. Really! So i scrapped that plan, went cloud, and got rid of usb c drive.
9. When plug in to pc have to manually each time select transfer files or it will only charge by default, havent found way to change that either.
10. Camera and fingerprint reader so close, guess where your fingerprint lands most times? Yup, keep wiping the camera lense.
11. Cherry on top, doesnt come with usb c to usb 2.0 or usb 3.0 cable, google store omitted that just saying charger and usb c cable, so as you discover that fact and jumping to look for a cable thats never seems available in google store site, your return time slot is closing down on you ..14 days..and you cant even test it with pc plugged in..
So, good stuff..fingerprint scanner works, usb c charge faster by 2x time.. that is about it.
Contacted google store and since its over 14 days = nonrefundable.
Conclusion, I am going back to AT&T and my beloved z5c! Yes, it doesnt have usb c and older (better version of android).. but guess what small, waterproof, has wriststrap to phone not just case, faster, better camera, better photos album layout, keyboard, LTE 4G without hangs and drops, same fingerprint scanner, and if i left out anything else, its there, on that sweet small device.
Perhaps someone else might find 5x mediocre good enough and cheap enough but for me I am ok going back to proven to be better for same price!

Edit: I didn't read the dates or the whole tread. I need sleep.

Hello,
I'm facing the same thing for a few days now; I'm hesitating between picking up a Nexus 5X or a Z5C, the first one has the advantage of frequent updates and clean Android experience but a relatively big screen while the second one has an ideal screen but I've heard about lots of overheating problems related to it.
So since it's 2016 and both phones are running Marshmallow, can you guys give me a quick update on your experiences now ? Thanks

Mephistorium said:
Hello,
I'm facing the same thing for a few days now; I'm hesitating between picking up a Nexus 5X or a Z5C, the first one has the advantage of frequent updates and clean Android experience but a relatively big screen while the second one has an ideal screen but I've heard about lots of overheating problems related to it.
So since it's 2016 and both phones are running Marshmallow, can you guys give me a quick update on your experiences now ? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Sony ui is still full of bugs but marshmallow performs at a decent level. Still nothing to compete with it in its size class.

Mephistorium said:
Hello,
I'm facing the same thing for a few days now; I'm hesitating between picking up a Nexus 5X or a Z5C, the first one has the advantage of frequent updates and clean Android experience but a relatively big screen while the second one has an ideal screen but I've heard about lots of overheating problems related to it.
So since it's 2016 and both phones are running Marshmallow, can you guys give me a quick update on your experiences now ? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The z5c is a great phone, its just the battery life isn't the best in my opinion......you ever consider thinking of the Z3C? Im sure its a no since its been 2 years passed.

Thanks a lot for your feedback, As you said: the thing is that the Z5C has nothing to compete against in the small flagship category, if the battery lasts for a day on average use then I'm fine also the phone doesn't overheat from normal use as I've been reading all over the internet.
Regarding the Z3C, I think I can consider it if it's not too far from the Z5C performance, any feedback on that could be helpful!

Mephistorium said:
Thanks a lot for your feedback, As you said: the thing is that the Z5C has nothing to compete against in the small flagship category, if the battery lasts for a day on average use then I'm fine also the phone doesn't overheat from normal use as I've been reading all over the internet.
Regarding the Z3C, I think I can consider it if it's not too far from the Z5C performance, any feedback on that could be helpful!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Z3c edges out slightly better in performance and dev support. BUT it has side charging port and flaps, not the most practical. It's all about your price range really.

Thanks a lot! Actually I have a bit of money on the side so I can get the Z5C, and in Europe the difference between the Z5C and the Z3C is like 60 dollars, the nexus 5x is the cheapest of all three phones

Mephistorium said:
Thanks a lot! Actually I have a bit of money on the side so I can get the Z5C, and in Europe the difference between the Z5C and the Z3C is like 60 dollars, the nexus 5x is the cheapest of all three phones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just like guy from above said, its all about your price/how much you can afford, ppl mainly go for nexus 5x for fast updates (pretty much it). If you not picky on the year, Z3C is your best bet if you want performance and best battery life and plus theres a unique developer at the Z3C forum that has been making the Z3C a perfect phone for anyone. The reason I got the Z5C is because I had screen issues on the Z3C and plus i was still in love of the compact series of the xperia. Z5C is doing fine for me

uchechris said:
Just like guy from above said, its all about your price/how much you can afford, ppl mainly go for nexus 5x for fast updates (pretty much it). If you not picky on the year, Z3C is your best bet if you want performance and best battery life and plus theres a unique developer at the Z3C forum that has been making the Z3C a perfect phone for anyone. The reason I got the Z5C is because I had screen issues on the Z3C and plus i was still in love of the compact series of the xperia. Z5C is doing fine for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well thanks a lot, I do trust your ways around phones, so I've ordered a Z3C with a magnetic charger ( to avoid trouble with slot flaps ) think it's my best bet as you said.
Thanks again

Mephistorium said:
Well thanks a lot, I do trust your ways around phones, so I've ordered a Z3C with a magnetic charger ( to avoid trouble with slot flaps ) think it's my best bet as you said.
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your welcome, be sure to go to the Z3C forum if you have additional questions, its really a good phone. I recommend flashing this rom to make your phone very unique but before doing that, you need root and recovery, thank God its easier to do it without unlocking the boot loader, just zoom in that forum for all of your questions, I wish you the best of luck!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/development/rom-slimm-t3359831

Mephistorium said:
Well thanks a lot, I do trust your ways around phones, so I've ordered a Z3C with a magnetic charger ( to avoid trouble with slot flaps ) think it's my best bet as you said.
Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suggest you cancel the z3c order. The Z3/Z3c is easy to has touch issue after 12~16 months, the touch panel life cycle is short, my friend Z3 got screen problem right after his warranty expired a few days(exactly 12 months passed) and he fuxked up and switched to Iphone, he was a Sony fans with only SE/Sony phones used in his life.
I admit Z3c got better software development, battery and thermal control. However, the camera on Z3c is worse than Z1c/Z5c. But if you only want a cheap compact and don't care buy another one after 1~2 years then Z3c is still a good choice.

TheEndHK said:
I suggest you cancel the z3c order. The Z3/Z3c is easy to has touch issue after 12~16 months, the touch panel life cycle is short, my friend Z3 got screen problem right after his warranty expired a few days(exactly 12 months passed) and he fuxked up and switched to Iphone, he was a Sony fans with only SE/Sony phones used in his life.
I admit Z3c got better software development, battery and thermal control. However, the camera on Z3c is worse than Z1c/Z5c. But if you only want a cheap compact and don't care buy another one after 1~2 years then Z3c is still a good choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello and sorry I was on vacation )
Thank you very much though as (un)lucky as I am, I've returned the z3c via amazon but then I'm back looking, maybe I only have the z5c or something like htc m8 to go after.

Notification LED

Hello,
the notification led is very weak/dark on my Honor 10.. It is nearly impossible to notice. Is there any way to make it brighter?
Thanks!
Gerrit

buy fitness band or pebble, no workaround unless you wanna replace LED by yourself

Grimlock42G1 said:
Hello,
the notification led is very weak/dark on my Honor 10.. It is nearly impossible to notice. Is there any way to make it brighter?
Thanks!
Gerrit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm surprised no reviewers mentioned this. It's absolutely useless. It's the smallest they could possibly add to get it ticked off on the spec sheet. One of a few reasons that I've returned mine.

That and the lazy fingerprint reader...i suppose i'm gonna to return mine too

I just ordered one without any review mentioning this. I'm mostly in slightly dark environments, even being so small, can you still see it in the dark? The fingerprint should be fixed with updates but the led won't, só I hope it won't be a deal breaker.

In a dark room, I could see it, but only if I was looking at the phone almost face on. With it in the bedside table I couldn't notice it. It's unbelievably small.

pusc1f3r said:
I just ordered one without any review mentioning this. I'm mostly in slightly dark environments, even being so small, can you still see it in the dark? The fingerprint should be fixed with updates but the led won't, só I hope it won't be a deal breaker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hardly visible even in compete darkness, no chance in any brighter environment

A minor workaround to check for notification quickly that I've found is to enable the option "Pick up to wake up device". Hidden under Smart assistance > motion control > pickup.
This should make us less reliant on the notification led. instead, we just lift the phone up to have the lockscreen light up to show us the notifications.

Tried using light flow or light manager to control the led color. When I test in light manager it uses the selected color but otherwise it doesn't. Hope it gets fixed on the July update. GPU turbo!

Unfortunately the new firmware that brings the gpu turbo "thing" didn't change anything on the led. Not brighter nor visible... What a flaw

i just bought Amazfit Bip, the battery life it's insane, if you don't use GPS it can last easily one month without charging with 24/7 notifications and heart rate reading every ten minutes plus pedometer
if you don't intend to wear anything on wrist and need notifications, don't buy this phone

Better Mobile App

welcome