*Д Device specific reviews Д* Alcatel Onetouch Idol 3 - Onetouch Idol 3 General

Welcome to the home of the Alcatel Onetouch Idol 3
Device Reviews Thread​
In this thread please post the following:
Your personal reviews
Written reviews found online
Any and all
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videos can be posted in this thread (no need for 30 different YT threads)
:good:
Lets enjoy the input of others regarding their point of view.
Not all points of view may represent your thoughts, so please do not disrespect the views of others​

PhoneArena's video review:

My quick 2-cents on this device thus far....
Pros:
- Build quality is ecstatic for such a low price. Very sturdy and no creaks.
- The screen is absolutely gorgeous. I've been using a G2 and I've enjoyed it's IPS display, but I think this Idol 3's trumps it. It's brighter and colors seem to pop out more. Can't rave enough about the screen.
- The external speakers are absolutely loud and crisp. I honestly think it's really close to the quality the HTC M series have... If the M9's speakers are a 10/10, I'd have to give the Idol 3's an 8/10. They're that good.
- Speed wise, things seem fast. I don't game much on my phone, and if I do it's those simple mobile games, but everyday tasks will fare just fine on this device.
- Love the almost stock Android feel!
Cons:
- While I love the build quality, the back plate has a very cheap feel/look to it. Though it's not really a complaint since I expected it. Granted, I'm not really the type to care about build materials but I know it matters to a lot of people. As long as the phone is sturdy, I'm happy. (My dream would be if dbrand made skins for this phone)
- Not a fan of the Alcatel Launcher or it's icon pack. (Nova FTW)
- Camera is so-so. Seems to be on par with my G2's camera, which isn't bad by any means, just not the best.... but then again, for the $199 that I paid for it, how can this be a con... right?
- For the life of me I can't get the double tap to wake feature to work... Does anyone know if it's something I have to enable in settings? I've tried to look and can't find anything. Thanks
- Can't think of any other con at the moment... I'll edit this if I find more.
So far this device is an absolute steal at at $199! What have you guys thought so far?

Double tap to wake, go to settings and it's the first setting under "device" enable slider to double to wake.

Double Tap
I have Nova Launcher installed and double tap does not work. Double tap does however work on the stock Alcatel skin. In the Nova Launcher settings you have to pay for the premium to get the double tap feature.

Don_GT said:
I have Nova Launcher installed and double tap does not work. Double tap does however work on the stock Alcatel skin. In the Nova Launcher settings you have to pay for the premium to get the double tap feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got nova prime running with double tap to wake and sleep working. You could always pin a "screen off/sleep" app to your home and tap it to sleep.

redeyss said:
I've got nova prime running with double tap to wake and sleep working. You could always pin a "screen off/sleep" app to your home and tap it to sleep.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you apply double tap to wake and sleep via Nova? I don't see it in the Gesture settings within the app.

mackster248 said:
How do you apply double tap to wake and sleep via Nova? I don't see it in the Gesture settings within the app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming you have the paid version, nova prime. Download "screen off and lock" app from play store first. After installed, nova settings, gestures, assign screen off app to double tap gesture. Alternately, just double tap empty portion of screen while running nova as home and you will be prompted to allow screen off app to assume that gesture. Let me know if you get it, good luck!

redeyss said:
Assuming you have the paid version, nova prime. Download "screen off and lock" app from play store first. After installed, nova settings, gestures, assign screen off app to double tap gesture. Alternately, just double tap empty portion of screen while running nova as home and you will be prompted to allow screen off app to assume that gesture. Let me know if you get it, good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perfect. Thanks man! Works great.

So far I'll mirror mackster's review, spot on! Nice phone and quick with great screen. I crushed it while installing my apps but it didn't get hot, just a little warm, which impressed me.
I'm worried about the camera. I took about 8 shots and so far not so good. Let me play with it for a couple days and I'll get back to you. I too was using a G2 the last few weeks after selling my G3. G2 camera has ois and was pretty decent. Idol 3 reminds me of nexus 5 cam, decent but only under ideal light, which is what all the pre release reviews said. G2 seems to get a sharper image in good light.
This really looks, feels, and behaves like a $600 phone from late 2013/early 2014 IMHO. I paid $199 and I'm worried about scratching or dropping it, then have to remind myself it cost a third of a flagship phone and I'm going to use and abuse it without all the anxiety that comes with a huge price tag. Probably slap a glass screen protector on it and a skin if available but that's it!

redeyss said:
So far I'll mirror mackster's review, spot on! Nice phone and quick with great screen. I crushed it while installing my apps but it didn't get hot, just a little warm, which impressed me.
I'm worried about the camera. I took about 8 shots and so far not so good. Let me play with it for a couple days and I'll get back to you. I too was using a G2 the last few weeks after selling my G3. G2 camera has ois and was pretty decent. Idol 3 reminds me of nexus 5 cam, decent but only under ideal light, which is what all the pre release reviews said. G2 seems to get a sharper image in good light.
This really looks, feels, and behaves like a $600 phone from late 2013/early 2014 IMHO. I paid $199 and I'm worried about scratching or dropping it, then have to remind myself it cost a third of a flagship phone and I'm going to use and abuse it without all the anxiety that comes with a huge price tag. Probably slap a glass screen protector on it and a skin if available but that's it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here! I planned on not using a case on this thing... but it's so damn thin that I may have to lol. It's just hard to hold due to how thin it is. I asked dbrand if they would make skins for this phone, and their reply was "maybe". So I'm holding out for dear hope that they are. Yeah, camera does seem a little bad. And you're right about the G2's camera in great lighting conditions, it really is well above average in that aspect.
As much as I love this phone (so far), Alcatel really blew it with the name lol. I hate the "idol" name and that font at the back of the phone. If dbrand makes skins for this, I'll be fully happy.

redeyss said:
So far I'll mirror mackster's review, spot on! Nice phone and quick with great screen. I crushed it while installing my apps but it didn't get hot, just a little warm, which impressed me. !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here as well.No major issues using apps. Installed and used phone for awhile didn't get hot at all. Only performance issue I saw was closing many recent apps from recent app screen. Screen is nice and very bright. Blindingly bright. The speakers a loud and sound good. Also the sound out of the audio jack is very loud too which I'm happy about. I tried to use the stock launcher but I missed some features from Nova so I had to install Nova Prime. That's not a knock against Alcatel tho. Today I'm happy with it. We'll have to play around with it for awhile.

Guys, I'm struggling with this camera! Just did a series of comparison photos with my G2, one M8, and the idol 3. Indoor shots of my son with overcast light coming in windows behind me. Colors washed out and details soft and muddy. M8 had best color reproduction and G2 had best detail and sharpness. I switched to Google camera and results improved noticeably but not dramatically, with truer color and crisper images. I tried with and without "eis" electronic image stabilization enabled and didn't seem to make a difference. This could be a deal breaker for me but I'll keep trying, please post your results.
PS, t. Stark perhaps a photo thread is in order.

can u try camera mx or some others from appstore? been using it for sometime.
the sensor itself shouldnt be that much of a difference since its the same widely used i guess.
Sent from my LG-D838 using XDA Free mobile app

gavolo said:
can u try camera mx or some others from appstore? been using it for sometime.
the sensor itself shouldnt be that much of a difference since its the same widely used i guess.
Sent from my LG-D838 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will try camera MX but hope to hear from others so I know it is or isn't a defect in my particular phone. Yes its that bad....

redeyss said:
I will try camera MX but hope to hear from others so I know it is or isn't a defect in my particular phone. Yes its that bad....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you set it to 13 megapixels? I haven't done a comparison with my g2 yet. From the little pics I took. It seems okay.

guapinoy said:
Did you set it to 13 megapixels? I haven't done a comparison with my g2 yet. From the little pics I took. It seems okay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep 13mp and played with settings. G2 has Xcam mod but still miles better. Will try and post pics later from PC.

Moved

my impressions after 2 days:
positives:
1. awesome battery life. i would guess 6+ hours screen time easy.
2. speakers are absolutely awesome.
3. the screen is very bright. wish we could reduce it (might give longer battery life to boot!).
4. no problems with wifi or other things like heat etc.
5. user experience is fast enough - better than nexus 4.
6. excellent build quality.
negatives:
1. camera (ok for the money)
2. need root desperately. to change DPI.
3. biggest negative - tmobile reception is like 10dB lower than nexus 4. at my work, where signal is poor, i used to get LTE with that phone, but now I can't. seriously thinking on returning this .
antutu 64bit score is 33000.

deepasadish said:
3. biggest negative - tmobile reception is like 10dB lower than nexus 4. at my work, where signal is poor, i used to get LTE with that phone, but now I can't. seriously thinking on returning this .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, I've noticed my reception has decreased significantly coming from my HTC One M7 and even the ZMAX is getting better LTE reception. I usually get full bars at home and work but i'm down to 2.
considering returning the phone also and trying out the zenfone 2 since i'm in an area where band 12 is being used by a public tv network and wont benefit me at all.

Related

My Note 3 is here (ask me anything)

First impressions:
1. The display is much more beautiful and improved (than the Note2)
2. I didn’t see the ugly effect of Pentile (grainy, bad text edges) that used to be in my Note1
3. It’s feel good in the hand (lighter than the Note2), although the corners are less rounded (a little bit less ergonomic, it thinness helps to compensate the effect)
4. It’s look good (front and back), better than what the photos shows
5. I can play 4K videos smoothly (I enjoyed the full 48 Minutes of TimeScapes without any issues)
6. It took me a while to locate the microSD slot (it’s stacked on top of the microSIM slot)
7. The front panel edges is raised a little above the display level, that makes any touch gestures from the edge a little bit less ergonomic (i still didn’t get used to it), although the raised edges may help better protect the display .
8. The new S Pen is good, writing and drawing with the pen much improved (more smooth)
9. The speaker is not loud enough as i like,the sound quility not the best in a smartphone (still good though), the speaker new postion (on the bottom) have it pros and cons.
10. The new MicroUSB 3.0 is not as ugly as it looks in the pictures, but still it’s weird looking and add level of complexity and difficulty when you want to plug your cable.
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+
BTW: Moga Pro+Note3= Awesome experiences
Nova?
Would you mind installing Nova Launcher or any other launcher and seeing what features no longer work?
I believe on the N2, TW widgets don't work, but I'm curious if any of the new or updated features are App based or TW based and if any functionality will be lost using another launcher. I haven't owned a Note before, so I'm not sure what features are App or TW when it comes to all the gestures, S-pen, and all the dragging and dropping of items from one window to another.
If by chance root doesn't come quickly or at all, I'm hoping at least with Nova, I could get the look I'd like, but don't want to lose many things that make the Note such a great device.
can you run like 5 apps and tell us how much available ram there is, and then switch between all the apps and tell us if any pages reload
supers2k said:
can you run like 5 apps and tell us how much available ram there is, and then switch between all the apps and tell us if any pages reload
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes this! It's always annoying to "alt-tab" back to a page that you were looking at on Chrome and it reloads it
How are the radios?
AFAIK Samsung hasn't had any problems since the Nexus (which I had, and it sucked) but call quality is #1 for me.
Is it easier to hold and talk on than the N2?
When you say speaker not loud enough - the external speaker or the ear speaker?
TIA
For use as a phone
How is the phone for calls and signal strength?
How much internal memory does it have new? I know it's 32GB but when formatted with the stock software what is it? Thanks! I'm still waiting on my Note 3 from Verizon!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
I need to ask about the pentile display. I see that you said it is improved and cant see the grainy text but i have a question about horizontal areas. I got rid of my s3 in 2 days because I could actually see the blue pixels on any high contrast area that was horizontal, such as the image for the gmail app or play store. I am near sighted and I could see those pixels to the point where i gave up and upgraded to the note 2 (ended up being the best phone i ever used) but I was glad that they got rid of the pentile display on the note 2. Then the s4 and note 3 come out with a pentile display again. And once again I look at my girlfriends s4 and even though it has a great pixel density I can see the damn blue pixels on horizontal, high contrast areas. Please, oh please tell me if it is better on the note 3 because it would be a HUGE deal breaker to the point where I would cancel my pre-order.
Allein8 said:
Would you mind installing Nova Launcher or any other launcher and seeing what features no longer work?
I believe on the N2, TW widgets don't work, but I'm curious if any of the new or updated features are App based or TW based and if any functionality will be lost using another launcher. I haven't owned a Note before, so I'm not sure what features are App or TW when it comes to all the gestures, S-pen, and all the dragging and dropping of items from one window to another.
If by chance root doesn't come quickly or at all, I'm hoping at least with Nova, I could get the look I'd like, but don't want to lose many things that make the Note such a great device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using action launcher at the moment but have also set-up nova as well. I haven't noticed any problems other than not being able to use some of the Samsung widgets.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk 2
Allein8 said:
Would you mind installing Nova Launcher or any other launcher and seeing what features no longer work?
I believe on the N2, TW widgets don't work, but I'm curious if any of the new or updated features are App based or TW based and if any functionality will be lost using another launcher. I haven't owned a Note before, so I'm not sure what features are App or TW when it comes to all the gestures, S-pen, and all the dragging and dropping of items from one window to another.
If by chance root doesn't come quickly or at all, I'm hoping at least with Nova, I could get the look I'd like, but don't want to lose many things that make the Note such a great device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Apex and all widget works.
supers2k said:
can you run like 5 apps and tell us how much available ram there is, and then switch between all the apps and tell us if any pages reload
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(random 5 apps) 1.1 of 2.38GB , pages didn't reload when switch back to chrome
TrojanDroid said:
How are the radios?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
droidobsessed said:
How is the phone for calls and signal strength?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5 bars and fast HSDPA+ (still didn't activated the 4G on my network), the same i get with the Note2
TrojanDroid said:
Is it easier to hold and talk on than the N2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Same
TrojanDroid said:
When you say speaker not loud enough - the external speaker or the ear speaker?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the external speaker
harosxcomp170 said:
How much internal memory does it have new? I know it's 32GB but when formatted with the stock software what is it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
about 25 GB if i recall correctly.
monkey10120 said:
I need to ask about the pentile display. I see that you said it is improved and cant see the grainy text but i have a question about horizontal areas. I got rid of my s3 in 2 days because I could actually see the blue pixels on any high contrast area that was horizontal, such as the image for the gmail app or play store. I am near sighted and I could see those pixels to the point where i gave up and upgraded to the note 2 (ended up being the best phone i ever used) but I was glad that they got rid of the pentile display on the note 2. Then the s4 and note 3 come out with a pentile display again. And once again I look at my girlfriends s4 and even though it has a great pixel density I can see the damn blue pixels on horizontal, high contrast areas. Please, oh please tell me if it is better on the note 3 because it would be a HUGE deal breaker to the point where I would cancel my pre-order.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't notice any issues with blue pixels horizontal, high contrast areas, your mileage may be different though
can i have it? LOL you said ask me anything
Hi. Please post some results of brightness comparison with S4 if possible. If not possible, then atleast please let us know how the screen holds up in direct sunlight, compared to your older note(s).
Also, please tell us about the flash light brightness and picutre difference due to flash light.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app
Can we see how the sd and sim stack?
Hi, I was wondering if you could test to see if the Note 3 suffers from the same audio drop-out problem as the Note 1 does (described at the link below). Basically, if you listen to any audio at very low volume (3 or less) and the audio goes very quiet, then the audio just drops completely as if the device were muted. It's best to test this using headphones. Thanks!
Code:
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=35861
Can I have it?
Hi, I was wondering about the "space" where you write text with the s-pen. is it possible to change the background from a white space to black? also what color is the keyboard? - black letters on white keys or white letters on black keys? my impaired vision make it difficult to see black text on bright white backgrounds. thanks.
Did you notice any lag while browsing, scrolling or using the phone? how's the battery with heavy usage?
and did you notice any frame rate drop?
last one, how's the screen responsiveness?
thnx..
blu ray rips, uncompressed?
Can you see if it will playback a 20+GB uncompressed bluray rip made using makemkv.com?
I have a thread here on the topic, but no confirmation:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2453368
Will it blend?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Could u see if you can use the internet while on a phone call on 3g? Thats my biggest pet peeve of the otherwise awesome note2
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app

Moto X Pros/Cons IMO

Moto X Cons/Pros IMO
Hi, this can be a base for new Moto X users coming from other smartphones.
Pros
1. Moto X has one of the smoothest and fastest Android experience you'll have with any smartphone today.
If you're coming from a non-nexus smartphone, you'll definitely feel that. Everything just works in Moto X. It's the smartphone with the nearest experience of an iPhone in terms of speed and smoothness.
2. Moto X feels great in hand. It has the perfect size for a smartphone.
3. Screen size is perfect, you can reach every corner without a hassle.
Although some users might feel the difference coming from a bigger screen, you'll definately get used to it in no time.
4. Good materials, it feels like you're holding a really well made product. Not just plastic stuff.
5. Twist to fast access to camera is great.
I'm still getting used to it, but accessing the camera without even touching the screen is very handy. I thought it would be too much of a hassle to do that movement every time, but it turns out you get used to it very fast, and that's pretty easy.
6. Touchless Control.
Although it's almost useless here in Brazil, I'll include that because is it's really useful for the main languages that it includes. I still use it to showoff though. :victory:
7. The speaker is one of the best I've listened so far.
It's one of the loudest, its quality is pretty good. Basses are good too.
8. Battery life is superb.
It lasts for your entire day and even a little bit more. Compared to my last phone, a S3, I can really feel the difference.
9. Battery charges really fast.
Within 2 hours or so, my Moto X charges from 0% to 100% with stock wall charger. Considering its battery time, it's an amazingly fast charge: 2 hours charge for a 24h+ usage. My S3 used to charge in 5h+
10. Fast updates.
This is not something that will certainly happen, but it seems Motorola is committed to bring us Android OS updates and improvements updates really quickly. Although it has not been released for my Moto X here in Brazil yet, it's been released for the Moto X faster than the Nexus devices. Let's hope they keep it like that for some years, and not just because it's the momentum smartphone.
11. Active Notifications.
The best thing invented after the wheel, don't have to say anything about this.
Cons
1. Onscreen buttons takes too much space.
Although Moto X screen size is perfect, its virtual buttons takes a lot of that space, and you might feel a big hit when coming from a 4.8/5" phone that has its entire dedicated screen.
2. Camera is terrible.
Coming from a S3, I definitely felt a big hit here. Camera takes a big time to shoot photos; it takes too long to focus; it takes pics with different tonality every time, it's even hard to shoot 2 similar photos from 2 different angles. Below is an example of that.
Camera software is not the best aswell. We don't have night mode, quality/px choice, effects, and so on.
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Those 2 pics are not edited and were shot with the Moto X camera in practically the same moment.
3. Touchless Control doesn't work everywhere.
For example in Brazil, not all the commands are available and it's just useful to call for someone and check weather predictions. Despite using it to call for someone, we don't get audio feedback for any of the commands.
4. Too thin for 2 hands usage?
That's a real real personal thought, but although Moto X has the perfect size for a one-hand feel, I'm really having a hard time typing in the keyboard and I wouldn't blame if it was a little wider. The phone is thinner than the S3, that I used to rest both hands and type, and wider than a smartphone that we can rest one hand and use the other sidewards.
But I'm really sure it's something I'll get used to within some time.
5. No sdcard slot.
I'm yet to see if this will be really a down vote to me on Moto X, but at least in my old S3, I had to use a 16gb sdcard to store some extra musics and pics. The default 16gb was not sufficient.
Well, that's it. It's a really great phone and it was for sure a great improvement coming from a S3. I do miss S3's camera and physical buttons, but despite that and the listed above, there's nothing else I can blame this phone for.
Feel free to add your own opinions, cons and pros.
I plan on getting this phone ?
Did you update your phone already? I've heard it does improve the camera picture quality drastically!
Sent from my Nexus 7
Royalfox said:
I plan on getting this phone ?
Did you update your phone already? I've heard it does improve the camera picture quality drastically!
Sent from my Nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm using the lastest Jelly Bean OTA update and the lastest camera update from the Play Store.
I've added 1 item to the con and 1 to the pros that I forgot to mention.
Royalfox said:
I plan on getting this phone ?
Did you update your phone already? I've heard it does improve the camera picture quality drastically!
Sent from my Nexus 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used a demo at the store (one had kitkat and one didn't), and the kitkat one was SO much better. I think this camera really competes with the other flagships now.
dicarli said:
Yes, I'm using the lastest Jelly Bean OTA update and the lastest camera update from the Play Store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He means Kitkat i think.
@op great pros and cons list.
My pros:
- active display
- great feel in hand
- touchless control is really impressive (even works when the phone is in your pocket and you have headphones plugged in)
- battery life
- speaker
- performance
- call quality
- twist to launcher the camera
Cons:
- display is way too over saturated
- phone is heavier than I thought
- The camera is probably the worst I have used from all the other flagship phones this year, it really is a joke.
- locked boot loader.
This phone does the phone functionalities extremely well though I must say.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Please explain how are you cooking those hot dogs. They look delicious.
Sent from my XT1056 using xda app-developers app
barondebxl said:
@op great pros and cons list.
My pros:
- active display
- great feel in hand
- touchless control is really impressive (even works when the phone is in your pocket and you have headphones plugged in)
- battery life
- speaker
- performance
- call quality
- twist to launcher the camera
Cons:
- display is way too over saturated
- phone is heavier than I thought
- The camera is probably the worst I have used from all the other flagship phones this year, it really is a joke.
- locked boot loader.
This phone does the phone functionalities extremely well though I must say.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if the S3 boot loader is locked aswell, but we had a lot more hacks, mods and roms to use/test on the S3 than o the Moto X.
EVOSerb said:
Please explain how are you cooking those hot dogs. They look delicious.
Sent from my XT1056 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was my GF actually. I shall ask to her how she cooked that
Please do ask. Now just to find the one for my self that will cook like that LOL.
Sent from my XT1056 using xda app-developers app
Tottaly agree! Mostly in the voice commands, in Brasil is not useful like in the US
Sent from my XT1058 using xda app-developers app
Thanks OP for sharing your experience. I'd just like to elaborate on the design.
I don't really quite know how to summarize my idea, but the emphasis on user experience is so great, it's borderline criminal, and it's easily the most understated feature of the Moto X. The texture of the back feels extremely wonderful to hold that doesn't feel like cheap plastic nor cold hard aluminium. The contours (?) of the phone is curved in such a way that feels absolutely comfortable - I wouldn't be surprised if Motorola took the palm/hand profiles of many people and designed the back with it. In conjunction with that, the buttons are positioned well enough to allow me to reach for them whenever I need it. And that dent on the back cover! My finger now gravitates to that point to get a solid grab on the phone. _Finally_ I have a phone that doesn't have to depend on aluminium for that premium feel, or worse still, give UX design a middle finger and design a pile of manure (*coughsamsungcough*) for use.
I was really pleasantly surprised to find out for myself how good the speaker was. It's loud, but distortion is hardly noticeable at maximum volume. (Coming from a Galaxy Nexus, I suppose I get a bit too excited. heh) The camera's been improving steadily, thankfully, but it could use more repairs. I would appreciate it very much if I could take photos faster - the idea of twist-to-camera is kinda wasted on a slow-responding camera like this.
I have friends using the Nexus 5 beside me, and in all honesty I don't feel like I'm missing out on much. Then again, I paid a bloody premium for the phone . But seriously speaking, no regrets. At all. If I had to make the decision all over again, I'd still shoot for the Moto X. Never mind that there's no support for LTE in Malaysia or Singapore (I alternate between these two countries most frequently), or that the SD card slot is missing. I have not been so contented with a purchase in a very, very long time.
For me the biggest thing missing is wireless charging inbuilt.. the port for charging is terrible.. tests my patience every time i try to plugin charger
sravanz said:
For me the biggest thing missing is wireless charging inbuilt.. the port for charging is terrible.. tests my patience every time i try to plugin charger
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Coming from the Galaxy Nexus, the plug doesn't seem to go in as firmly as the GNex did. I would have loved wireless charging, as well.
sravanz said:
For me the biggest thing missing is wireless charging inbuilt.. the port for charging is terrible.. tests my patience every time i try to plugin charger
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TheKaz said:
I agree. Coming from the Galaxy Nexus, the plug doesn't seem to go in as firmly as the GNex did. I would have loved wireless charging, as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe a member is working on making it work on his in the accessories section.
What are the chances of a QI case being released? I would be all for that.
Cannot believe incipio decided to make a powermat charging case... WHO USES POWERMAT!?
My biggest and only real complaint about the Moto X is the camera. It does not feel like it matches up to even some 2011 phone cameras.
Nice Article.
I'm loving my Moto X 'Argentina Edition' (no root yet ).
On the 'Cons 4' section I swipe a lot, and never again hold my phoine with 2 hands
While driving I can text with the mic, not sure on portuguese, but spanish works great!
OK Google Now
is so much more sensitive in 4.4. I'm using the nexus 5 gel and my phone is constantly beeping and googling my last few words. Kinda strange
I'm still on 4.2.2 but I would have to say the camera, the smaller screen size, and the color saturation of the screen.
I bought a nexus 5 earlier this month and switch between the two phones all the time. {Google apps sync everything} and those would be my main complaints. Obviously the screen size is completely subjective, but I much prefer the n5 screen. I do like the battery life, but I usually have a charger at work and at home, and both phones seem to give me more than acceptable battery life.
The biggest complaint I have is the lack of accessories, cases and screen protectors for it.
I also would like our Canadian carriers to hurry up with the 4.4 updates.
Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

My brief first impressions

Got my device yesterday, played with it most of the day. Overall very impressed!
Build quality feels good, got around 7hrs screen on time out of the first charge with variety of browsing, music, app installing etc etc Screen is very good with punchy contrast (much better than my Nexus 4) Loud speaker is plenty loud enough (again, louder than Nexus 4 IMO), vibration is strong so no missed notifications when silent. Only made one call on it so far, quality seemed fine, and no complaints on the other end about not being able to hear me clearly. Performance is great as expected, no slow downs when browsing and such.
There are plenty of reviews on the camera over in the Z1 section, so without repeating what's already been said: avoid the "superior auto" mode and spend a few seconds configuring the manual mode for the shot you want to take, and you get some great results. The superior mode seems to suffer particularly badly in poor light as it drives the ISO up sky high and produces horrible grainy photos.
Only negative comment I have is the screen protection, or lack-thereof. The screen its self is "scratch resistant" but there is a cheapy plastic film on top which I grazed within minutes, I'm told this can't be replaced or removed without losing the warranty. Sony do include a screen protector of sort that you can apply on top of this in the box, unfortunately its one of the god-awful 10 for £2 type plastic things. I'd suggest buyers budget an extra £20 for a good quality film or tempered glass protector to go on top. This is for me the biggest disappointment with this phone; having had my Nexus 4 "naked" most of its life, and suffering no damage, I'm very frustrated that my new £450 phone has to be covered with a cheapy plastic sheet to protect the screen - not good.
Any questions fire away and I'll do my best to answer.
Thank for review. What about led notification? Can you share photo for it?
Sent from my MI 2S using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
dtosun said:
Thank for review. What about led notification? Can you share photo for it?
Sent from my MI 2S using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LED notification is nice and bright, I've set up "light flow lite" to customize the colours / blink rate etc and all is well. I've tried to take a quick photo here, but it doesn't really do it justice. (excuse the terrible screen protector fitting, I threw it on in a bit of a huff. Waiting on a better one to arrive)
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Side by side with Nexus 4
XDA home page vs Nexus 4. (Note nexus 4 is using SlimRom with custom colour profiles etc. Have its set quite cold ad my preference)
does it feel better in hand than nexus 4? it looks like nexus 4 is almost the same size as z1c... I thought z1c will be more of a compact phone.
progosu said:
does it feel better in hand than nexus 4? it looks like nexus 4 is almost the same size as z1c... I thought z1c will be more of a compact phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has to. It's much more narrow and the screen is definitely smaller.
Thank you for your insightful input! One thing so important to me is screen and software responsiveness and fluidity...and you're the perfect person to tell me how fluid it feels compared to the nexus 4 and I will be eagerly waiting your response!
---------- Post added at 04:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:04 PM ----------
how is the charging time? is it quick charge enabled?
Hi, can you also please put the z1 compact on the top of your nexus? It makes me easier to recognize the size difference
Answers to a few questions:
Charge time from almost flat seemed to be in the region of 2.5 hours, which is pretty good by my reckoning.
It feels a lot smaller than it looks. The reduction in width makes the most difference, and after 2 days using the Z1c the Nexus 4 feels chunky to me now. I don't have my Nexus to hand for size comparison photo now I'm afraid, but laying the Xperia over the top of the Nexus 4 allows you to see 2-3mm on all 4 sides. Next to no difference in weight, through the Sony feels more dense/solid to me - Gives a premium feel.
The phone operation is very fluid and smooth, I went through numerous custom roms and kernels on the Nexus 4 to get the kind of smoothness that the xperia offers right out of the box. Launching the camera app is very quick: Maybe 2 seconds from sleep (via the shortcut button), and near instant from the menu shortcut. Shot-to-shot time is very impressive too - This is one thing where the N4 was always poor in my opinion.
I haven't missed the screen size at all, others may I guess, but personally I prefer being able to operate the whole screen comfortably with one hand!
Thanks great to know the xperia ui doesn't slow the experience
Headphone sound quality
Hi Guys,
Some more feedback on my experiences with the phone.
I'm noticing improved WiFi reception compared to my Nexus 4, My desk in the office is a bit of a black spot normally. My laptop frequently disconnects from the wireless, the Nexus hardly ever managed to connect, the Z1c seems to obtain a connection here and I'm streaming music over it without dropouts :victory:
On a related note, The sound quality through the headphones is very good too. I'm using Logitech Ultimate ears 200, previously had fauxsound on the Nexus 4 for improved volume, and whilst this did allow my N4 to go louder than the Z1c does, the sound quality is definitely better here, stereo separation in particular seems to be better.
Mine arrived in the mail this morning, and I'm impressed so far
Still setting it up mind, but it's the perfect size for my hands (pretty much the same size as an iPhone 5 with a case on)
In comparison with my current Android phone (HTC One X), although in physical size it's only a little smaller to look at, it feels much smaller in the hand, and more usable (no over-stretching of the thumb, reaching for the on button, etc...)
And as for the responsiveness, it's genuinely on par with the iPhone 5 too!
I'm glad I took the gamble to pre-order! :good:
(Just need to set-up the SmartWatch that came with it next...)
Any impression about the ringer volume? I've got a Z, and I had to use a mod (replaced the Fusion3 file) in order not to lose notifications and calls.
quite surprised to see they did not include headphones.. I guess they gotta sell some bluetooth headsets..
Initial impressions coming from an Samsung Galaxy S2 with kitkat.. I miss the settings button And don't understand why they could not put the buttons on the empty field below the screen instead of using the screen .. :\
Laying the Z1c on top of my sgs2 is pretty much same size.. although the Z1c is a little thicker than the SGS2
Pytte said:
quite surprised to see they did not include headphones.. I guess they gotta sell some bluetooth headsets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you care about audio quality, you'll already own decent headphones/iems and have absolutely zero use for any included iems which would stay wrapped up and un-used and be a waste of sony's dosh. much rather sony spent the money they will save by not bundling cheapo iems on a phones build quality etc
Mine from O2 came with earphones And surprisingly they are actually quite good but the rubber buds slide out the my ears.
Sent from my D5503 using xda app-developers app
alpha beta gaga said:
if you care about audio quality, you'll already own decent headphones/iems and have absolutely zero use for any included iems which would stay wrapped up and un-used and be a waste of sony's dosh. much rather sony spent the money they will save by not bundling cheapo iems on a phones build quality etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
i dont care about included audio piece.. got my own AKG k450, pretty good stuff
Would you guys recommend this over a Nexus 5?
Sent from my Nexus 4
Very important question for me!
tiru.adi13 said:
Would you guys recommend this over a Nexus 5?
Sent from my Nexus 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't own a Z1 compact (yet) but I had two Nexus 5 devices - both sent back to get a refund because Nexus 5 has some serious issues with its microphone. The audio recording is terrible during video footage and a lot of users complain about crappy quality during phonecalls (on the receiving end).
Here's a link: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/nexus/0hvTK4eMVGk
First impressions too
To share my first impressions: I received mine yesterday, and I spent the afternoon playing setting up the phone .
The size and weight are about the same as my previous phone (a HTC sensation).it fits well in my hand and well in my pocket too.
The built seem of quality, the flap are easy enough to manoeuver (and allow to plug cable easily), and seems built to last. Overall it gives an impression of quality. I don’t have any issue with the plastic protection screen.
On the software side, everything run fast, and smooth. I have been really impressed by the 4G: it seems merely as fast as at home. All the connections are running well (no issue with gsm, wifi, Bluetooth, nfc). Phone calls are clear, and the micro works greatly according to the “test” I made.
The only drawbacks I found are linked with my experience on my previous phones, and are softwares linked (it might be possible to solve them, but I have search yet to do so): I found the keys of the keyboard to be a bit too small; The intelligent dialer is not as good as I wish (start to look in the phone number before looking at name); I am missing the HTC clock which was also indicating the weather.
If you have any question, feel free!
Franck

Asus Zenfone 2 Review USA Spec 4gb/64gb version

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In this review i am looking at Asus’s flagship phone for 2015 the Zenfone 2 complete with 64gb of storage and 4gb ram (most in any phone to date). As a flagship it is going up against some stiff competition such as the Galaxy S 6, the LG G4, and the One M9. With the specs Asus’s top version of this phone boasts it fits well into that crowd but there are areas that they did need to “skimp” on in order to reach that magical $299 unlocked price. There is a lower spec’d version of the Zenfone 2 for $199 unlocked but it does come with a slightly slower processor and 2gb of ram. We shall be focusing on the higher end one here.
Look & Feel​
As you can see from the pictures i was able to grab the red version of the phone. i’m a huge fan of red so any phone released with a red option already gets a bit of an edge in my mind but i won’t let that come into my decision here. I do like that they left the front of the device all black so all you can see in the front is the small chrome speaker grill, chrome Asus logo and the hardware keys. I think it looks rather tastefully done and it does have the premium look that many seem to want these days.
The back of the phone is plastic but they do a good job hiding that a bit with a “metallic” finish with a bit of texture that help in keeping a grip on what is a large phone. It is not a fingerprint magnet by any means. In my opinion it feels even a little better in hand then last years LG G3 even is the Zenfone 2 is a bit taller thanks to those hardware keys. I personally am not a fan of these but many are...all comes down to your taste. Taking more design cues from LG the Zenfone 2 has its volume rocker is on the back. They did opt to put the power button in my opinion the worst spot on such a large phone... Dead center on the top of the device. Not only that... It's also quite "mushy" giving little to no tactical response to let you know you actually pressed it. The Zenfone 2 does have double tap to wake and sleep function as well but it did not work as intended to me all of the time.
The device’s dimensions are 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 mm (6.00 x 3.04 x 0.43 in) and weighs in at 170g (6.00 oz) It is a bit thick but the sides slim down to 3.5mm which make it much nicer to hold. What i will say is where the front glass on the phone meets the small “chin” below the hardware keys there is a very noticeable sharp lip. Not enough to hurt but enough to become annoying in my short time with the phone. Overall it’s a well designed phone and for the price.
Under the Hood​Under the back cover you will find a micro SD card slot for up to 128GB of expandable storage and 2...count them 2 sim card slots. This is a bit strange to have in a phone in north america but very common in other areas of the world. I did test this out and switching between phone numbers was easy enough but only sim slot 1 can handle 3g and LTE. The second slot is only for 2G and Phone calls. Inside you will also find a 3000mAh battery but this is not user removable which is a bit of a shame but that’s the way most phones seem to be going. Do note that this phone comes with Intel’s version of quick charge and the $299 version of the phone comes with a high amp quick charger. It does work with all chargers with Qualcomm’s Quickcharge 2.0 spec as well.
User Interface​The Zenfone 2 comes out of the box running Android 5.0 Lollipop which is nice to see. I did receive an OTA right after turning on the device but the version number stayed at 5.0. Everyone is now waiting on phones to get 5.1 but Asus am an interested to see how up to date they keep their not flagship. I will say that this phone as the most “bloatware” I have ever seen on an unlocked device. Even comes running Cleanmaster out of the box...classy. Asus is nice enough to let you uninstall much of it but for the review I wanted to keep most of it intact. I did uninstall Cleanmaster as it was just too annoying to deal with. I do however like that almost all of the phones apps live in the Play Store and can be updated without having to wait for a full firmware update. Nice moves.
Over all Asus stuck to the material design aspects of Lollipop with its revamped ZenUI. The menus are in list view and are easy to navigate. The notifications pulldown is close to stock with few differences but the quick toggles have been completely re-skinned and are customizable. I actually like the way this works and give you a quick brightness slider and access to some of the tools you may use most often on your device.
The only part of the UI i really have a problem with is the one you see most often...the launcher. To get into Google Now you must long press the home button then swipe up... not the most intuitive or the best implementation of this feature. There is also no google now hotword support built into the launcher. It took me about a day to install the Google Now Launcher and all is well.
Performance​ One word can describe the performance of this device...Fast! With 4gb of ram to work with i would expect nothing less. Couple that with the Intel Atom Z3580 clocked at 2.3GHz (Intel Atom Z3560 1.8 GHz in the 2gb version) and this thing is a screamer. I have had Zero slowdowns or stutters since i started playing with it and that is also after loading it up with all of my personal apps and having all of my accounts syncing all of the time. Pretty great!
On the graphics and video handling of this device it was again very good. Running the PowerVR G6430 (same as the iPhone 5s) it has no problems playing some of the most intense games. Its pushing a 1080P screen so not as many pixels as many of the other 2015 flagships. I do not run benchmarks on my phones but can tell you that you will not be disappointed.
Display​ The phone boasts a 72% screen to body ratio which is not too shabby. It comes with a 5.5 inch 1080p IPS display which come out to be 402ppi and to my eyes it is perfectly adequate. Images look sharp and its 3 built in screen modes. Comes set on the balance mode out of the box but has a Reading to cool things down and a Vivid mode which really makes colors pop like on the GS6, even a mode to let the user make their own settings. I left mine on balanced. Where the display does not do well is with readability outdoors. It does not get bright enough to overcome even an overcast day. At the same time does not get dark enough when trying to watch a video or read a website in pitch blackness...my eyes did feel strained. The display is just fine but it is clearly one of the areas that Asus had to give a little to keep the price down.
Camera​ In the press and at the US launch event this is the one area Asus spent the most time talking about. Asus is very proud of this camera and they should be...it is quite good. Lets start out front where the Zenfone 2 is rocking a 5 Mega-Pixel, Fix Focus, Wide View, camera with Asus’s PixelMaster tech. It takes decent selfies and has many modes to help you tweak them to your liking. Out back is a 13 Mega-Pixel camera with Asus’s PixelMaster tech. While the mega-pixel count may seem low for a flagship phone today it actually takes some good shots. In good lighting it did very well. It does not has the optical image stabilization of some of the more expensive phones but it even does well in dim to low light situations. Not the greatest camera but one the best i have seen at this price point for sure.
Battery Life​ One of the most important specs in any mobile device and I am happy to report that the Zenfone 2 delivers in the battery life department. I an not easy on my phones battery. I have all of my social media as well as 4 google accounts and 8 other email accounts constantly updating in the background. While testing i kept the phone on auto brightness. With its 3000mAh cell I was always able to through a whole day with some to spare. As mentioned before it does not have a removable battery but the quick charging is definitely a plus if you have really been hammering on it for a few hours.
In Conclusion​ Asus really wants to make it clear that they are coming to play. The Zenfone 2 delivers in many areas and ticks all the right boxes for what most would want out of a flagship level device. With that said even though Asus is comparing this phone to the likes of the GS6, I am much more comfortable comparing it to the 2014 flagship phones from all of its competitors. The GS5, the LG G3, the HTC One M9, let’s even throw the Oneplus One in there… all still cost more when purchased new and unlocked then the Zenfone 2 at $299 for the top model. I think that is the biggest win here for Asus. Lets not forget that it starts at just $199 unlocked! That is what most flagships smartphone cost for their lowest spec model on contract.
Just a couple notes --- you can reach Google now by holding down the home button for a moment and swiping up. Discovered this through serendipity [emoji14]
And it's odd how everyone talks about the screen being hard to see in sunlight, since I have absolutely no trouble seeing it in direct sunlight with my transition glasses. I must have weird eyes or something [emoji14]
jerflash said:
The only part of the UI i really have a problem with is the one you see most often...the launcher. With no swipe up from home to reach google now you are relegated to using Asus’s google search widget. There is also no google now hotword support built into the launcher. It took me about a day to install the Google Now Launcher and all is well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can pull up to Google Now from the home button. Press the capacitive home for a second and Google Now icon shows up. Just slide finger to it once it does. And from Google Now, you can set the 'OK Google' keyword to be used from any screen.
richard_rsp said:
You can pull up to Google Now from the home button. Press the capacitive home for a second and Google Now icon shows up. Just slide finger to it once it does. And from Google Now, you can set the 'OK Google' keyword to be used from any screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey thanks for the tip i did not come across that at all while using it. still not very intuitive or the best implimentation
TOT_tomdora said:
Just a couple notes --- you can reach Google now by holding down the home button for a moment and swiping up. Discovered this through serendipity [emoji14]
And it's odd how everyone talks about the screen being hard to see in sunlight, since I have absolutely no trouble seeing it in direct sunlight with my transition glasses. I must have weird eyes or something [emoji14]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those are some special glasses lol
Interesting! I use transition lens myself and this is good news! Still waiting for my phone to arrive though. ?
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Free mobile app

[UPDATE] HTC M8 to LG G4: My Honest Experience In-depth

PREFACE: I don't know when was the last time I used a non-rooted phone and a completely stock ROM. My last android devices were HTC Desire S > HTC One M7 > HTC One M8. So you can guess I am a big fan of HTC's build quality, sound quality, lately user interface etc. The only sector HTC couldn't shine for me, ever, was camera quality. It's not that their cameras are horrible, it's just that always there is something missing. M7 had pink tint issue & M8 camera used to take good pictures but Megapixel becomes an issue when u use a camera in day to day life. Well decision of joining LG league was a big leap for me. I am quite sure you all know all the little details & specs of G4, so I will not go for specs. Neither I am going to read the same script saying all the goods about G4 like many youtubers. I will share what experience I have gathered during my short time playing (almost 3 days) with LG G4. I will try to divide my each category into Pros & Cons. So let's begin.
1. BUILD:
Pros:
- Leather back has a good grip and attractive design.
- Feels slim in hand and maintains the curve of the face while talking.
- Big but not uncomfortable. In fact all those saying, this device is big but doesn't feel so, are 100% true. I have used HTC Desire 816 for a short time & I can ensure you G4 doesn't feel as big as 816.
Cons:
- As I am used to having cases on my previous devices, using without one makes me insecure sometimes dropping the phone, not due to slipperiness, but due to thin profile (which is not actually a bad thing).
- Doesn't feel as expansive as S6 Edge or M8, but doesn't feel cheap at all.
2. DISPLAY:
Pros:
- Very good quality - sharp & crisp.
- Good backlight in outdoors.
- Colour reproduction very accurate.
Cons:
- 720p videos looks dull. 1080p and above are ok.
3. CAMERA & GALLERY:
Pros:
- Everything you already know.
Cons:
- No Resolution choosing option.
- No 360 panaroma option.
- You have to touch right above the dialer for changing the manual control options, anywhere else will switch between front & back camera, which takes time to get used to as the dialer is not that wide.
- OIS very aggressive in video mode. Videos seem to be stretch at corners which is not very pleasant. Audio quality is not good enough too. Voice seems to have no depth.
- No option for choosing which albums you want to show in "Albums" section in gallery, so some random folders containing random images i.e. music folder, app folder show in the "Albums" and you cannot hide them which is possible in Sense gallery. One other tiny pick - when u open an image, all the options are on the upper part of the screen which is not accessible with one hand. It was located below the photo is Sense gallery. Otherwise gallery is a nice one.
4. AUDIO:
Pros:
- Loud & clear. I think louder than M8. One of the loudest and good quality speaker I have ever used in a smartphone.
- No problem enjoying youtube and music videos.
Cons:
- Not as clear as M8 in a very few occasions. (Not due to blocking by palm)
- Bass almost absent.
- Facing to the wrong direction.
- Not much appealing while listening to music on speaker.
5. CHARGING & BATTERY LIFE:
Pros:
- Only phone I have ever used which if I leave idly at 100%, after 2-3 hours I will get is back at 99-100%. (wifi & mobile data off, 1-2 calls maybe) Very much impressed with the stand by time of the G4.
Cons:
- Poor charging speed, even with the provided LG charger & cable. Fastest I have found when I switch off the phone. Couldn't try with any quick charger yet.
- Battery drains drastically even with only wifi (2mbps connection, don't lough, i know) as if it is connected to 3g mobile data connection. It's like 1% drain in 1-3 minutes. M8 was much better in such scenario. Some people, of course, saying that this condition improves over time. Can't verify though as never before used a LG phone.
[UPDATE: Switch off auto-brightness. You will see much improvement of the battery. Although I have changed my first device and brought another one & I actually found this device to be better in battery management than previous one. Sorry, not speaking scientifically though.]
[UPDATE 2: Charging problem seems to have solved in the newer device.]
6. HEATING ISSUE:
- Charge your phone first to 100% (switching off) right after you buy the phone.
- I have had serious heating issue for the first 2 days. It's not that it used to become untouchable, in fact you will feel no heat on the back, rather I lifted the phone to my cheek to talk, it almost made red flush on my cheek.
- Things seem to have improved now. I think heating issue will resolve automatically in time.
[UPDATE: As I exchanged my previous G4, new one seems not to have such heating issue from the get-go. Although I need to use it for a few more days to confirm.]
7. PERFORMANCE & UI:
a) Call quality & Phone app:
- Must tick the "noise suppression" & "voice clarity" option in "settings > call". Person hearing you will find significant improvement bcoz of this.
- Phone app doesn't seem quite bad. I was actually bragging on the fact that HTC Sense has the best intelligence in merging and organizing phone contacts. No AOSP or even Google's built-in phone app has the same level of intelligence. But LG seems to have done better with this (although not as good as HTC, but better than others).
- But no "Remove Duplicates" option is a bummer for me.
- Also no "Default Tab" option (i.e. whenever you open the app, a selected tab e.g. recent / dialer will open first) is a disadvantage for me.
- Rather than making a seperate dialer tab, if LG would make a dialer floating button like lollipop's stock dialer, IMO it would be better.
b) Messaging:
- Here's a quick tip. If you coming from a old phone & trying to recover all the messages by some app, at first merge your contacts in the people app. Otherwise your messaging app will freeze quite often.
- Messaging app seems quite nice.
- Customization options are very limited. Provided background wallpapers and bubbles are very childish. And you cannot apply new theme which is weird in 2015 where HTC & Samsung have gone far ahead in this segment.
c) RAM management:
- You will not be happy. I am not saying the phone will freeze now and then, but LG G4 is not doing well in this segment. Don't know it's Lg's or Lolllipop's fault.
[UPDATE: With my newer G4, didn't actually feel any lagging or difficulty yet. Although I didn't restore all my apps yet. I will update if anything changes.]
d) Performance issues: (updated)
- Sometimes misses a few taps. But I don't think it's any LCD issue. It seems to me that deafult ROM isn't as fluid as HTC's or Samsung's or Apple's. Maybe Lollipop has also something to do with it. But I definitey think this will improve in custom ROMs (if & when they will be available )
e) Other things:
- Missing Sense 7 very much. Nothing can beat the integrate themes in Sense 7. No idea why LG almost completely opted it. Yah theme is there, but very limited like IOS.
- And also missing "swipe to lock" feature. Many-a-times swiping the nav bar subconsciously.
- No root or unlock bootloader yet for my H815T. It's causing hell on me. I am not at all used to live with a unrooted locked phone. Evenn Helium doesn't quite work for LG G4.
Well I tried to cover as much and as precise as possible about my experience with G4. I think an update from LG can solve many of the issues and later stage custom ROMs can eliminate all the issues I have mentioned here as hardware-wise it is really a nice device. And LASTLY guys, if you think your device isn't performing well, go and change it, don't wait coz yah all devices may not same built. I have found significant improvement changing my older G4. Yah there may or may not be any scientific explanation, but it helps actually. Go & change yours if it seems lagging, charging slowly or overheating....
Thanks for reading. And share your thoughts.
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You must have a good one m8 and a bad G4. And i must have a bad one m8 gpe and a great G4. My stock rooted 5.1.1 m8 is a battery sucking stuttering pos. My G4 silky smooth battery sipping joy. My G4 is by far the smoothest phone I have ran to date.
I agree with some of what you've said. I used to be an HTC fanboi. I have used HTC flagships for the last 6 or 7 years. I only switched from the M8 to the G4 because the M9 wasn't worth the upgrade.
Personally I love the G4. Its a nice step up from the M8. Remember it's only been out a short time, and is still on it's initial release. When it's been tested in the public for a little time, LG will no doubt patch it to improve on things. Just give it some time.
I don't see any performance issues though. I have no delay when opening apps.
the_scotsman said:
I agree with some of what you've said. I used to be an HTC fanboi. I have used HTC flagships for the last 6 or 7 years. I only switched from the M8 to the G4 because the M9 wasn't worth the upgrade.
Personally I love the G4. Its a nice step up from the M8. Remember it's only been out a short time, and is still on it's initial release. When it's been tested in the public for a little time, LG will no doubt patch it to improve on things. Just give it some time.
I don't see any performance issues though. I have no delay when opening apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok tell me one thing. How much RAM is used most of the time on yr device? I can find it from the floating bubble of "clean master" & it normally never comes down to 85%. And one other thing, in battery usage what takes up the most of it? Mine is screen. Secondly System. Screen almost takes double battery than System all the time. Is it normal? I mean I wanna be sure that I don't have a defective device coz exchange will be easy here in my country.
nipun1110 said:
Ok tell me one thing. How much RAM is used most of the time on yr device? I can find it from the floating bubble of "clean master" & it normally never comes down to 85%. And one other thing, in battery usage what takes up the most of it? Mine is screen. Secondly System. Screen almost takes double battery than System all the time. Is it normal? I mean I wanna be sure that I don't have a defective device coz exchange will be easy here in my country.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Screen taking up the most battery is completely normal. The display uses more battery than anything else by a LONG way.
And by design Android will use most of the RAM available. It will leave apps sitting in memory, so they can be switched between quickly. It's not supposed to have a lot of spare free RAM. Free RAM is a waste in simple Android terms.
the_scotsman said:
Screen taking up the most battery is completely normal. The display uses more battery than anything else by a LONG way.
And by design Android will use most of the RAM available. It will leave apps sitting in memory, so they can be switched between quickly. It's not supposed to have a lot of spare free RAM. Free RAM is a waste in simple Android terms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot. But it seems to me whenever RAM crossing 87-88%, it starts stuttering.
the_scotsman said:
Screen taking up the most battery is completely normal. The display uses more battery than anything else by a LONG way.
And by design Android will use most of the RAM available. It will leave apps sitting in memory, so they can be switched between quickly. It's not supposed to have a lot of spare free RAM. Free RAM is a waste in simple Android terms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One other thing, can u say one thing that, I am using a Singapore/Australia model, ok?? Does it have anything to do with my battery drain?
That's nothing to do with it.
Howe low long have you had it? You'd have to post a screenshot of your power usage for us to comment on it further.
Same boat here. M8 to red leather G4. For now Im really liking the G4 in all but in two major aspects; one is the bad battery life compared to M8 (no more over 7hour screen on times ) and the other is bad audio quality. In audio it just cant match M8 neither on speaker (obviosly), headphones or bluetooth audio. I could live with the ok audio and loud but tinny speaker but the bt-audio streaming is something horrible :/. Cant listen to music from the phone in my car anymore . I dont have heat or bad lag issues but then again it might be the launcher and/or the other apps that I use dont cause that much lag. But I really really like the camera and the screen. Oh man if M9 had screen (not the resolution but the colors and outside readability) and camera like this I would have ordered it straight away.
Pyrres said:
Same boat here. M8 to red leather G4. For now Im really liking the G4 in all but in two major aspects; one is the bad battery life compared to M8 (no more over 7hour screen on times ) and the other is bad audio quality. In audio it just cant match M8 neither on speaker (obviosly), headphones or bluetooth audio. I could live with the ok audio and loud but tinny speaker but the bt-audio streaming is something horrible :/. Cant listen to music from the phone in my car anymore . I dont have heat or bad lag issues but then again it might be the launcher and/or the other apps that I use dont cause that much lag. But I really really like the camera and the screen. Oh man if M9 had screen (not the resolution but the colors and outside readability) and camera like this I would have ordered it straight away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are having 7 hours screen on time??? OMG I am hardly getting 3.5 hours!!!!
the_scotsman said:
I agree with some of what you've said. I used to be an HTC fanboi. I have used HTC flagships for the last 6 or 7 years. I only switched from the M8 to the G4 because the M9 wasn't worth the upgrade.
Personally I love the G4. Its a nice step up from the M8. Remember it's only been out a short time, and is still on it's initial release. When it's been tested in the public for a little time, LG will no doubt patch it to improve on things. Just give it some time.
I don't see any performance issues though. I have no delay when opening apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you handle the transition from a more mature user interface ?
---------- Post added at 09:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:01 AM ----------
nipun1110 said:
OMG I am hardly getting 3.5 hours!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is your screen brightness set to indoors ? or is it on auto brightness.
liked the comparison with desire 816 for size, that one is so much bigger for the same screen.
People still use those memory cleaners?
That is what's causing your lag and battery drain.
Android is DESIGNED to keeps apps in memory to reduce cpu time to open it again. By cleaning the memory you are forcing the phone to do extra work that it normally wouldn't have to do when opening an app. Android will automatically clear memory that it needs to do something else.
Your phone will feel fastest and perform the best when your ram usage is between 50 and 80 percent.
nipun1110 said:
You are having 7 hours screen on time??? OMG I am hardly getting 3.5 hours!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With m8 the longest screen on time was over 14hours when reading a book inside with everything on and no battery savers on. Average was something like 5 hours. With G4 i get maybe 4-5hours SOT if Im careful. Oh and screen brightness is set to 65-70 with auto in both phones.
Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk
I already exchanged the phone from the retailer with another one. Will check this one carefully. Right now doing the first charge switching off the phone. I will report later on. BTW I found avoiding autobrightness is a good option. Adjust the brightness whenever necessary.
And what is your usual setting indoors ? mention the number..
auto is the most efficient but its dimmer.
One Twelve said:
And what is your usual setting indoors ? mention the number..
auto is the most efficient but its dimmer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check this link & u will find auto brightness is not that helpful, rather killing battery & I personally saw an improvement killing it.
http://www.androidpit.com/how-to-save-battery-life
Check this link for my at present battery update of New G4:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=61214824
nipun1110 said:
Check this link for my at present battery update of New G4:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=61214824
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so you use your phone with a screen brightness of 50% indoors.
Some use more others use less. this plays a factor.
Good to see that you have noticed an improvement with the replacement but its annoying to have to exchange devices like this. You're not the only one, i've heard similar stories from a couple of others as well.
One Twelve said:
Ok, so you use your phone with a screen brightness of 50% indoors.
Some use more others use less. this plays a factor.
Good to see that you have noticed an improvement with the replacement but its annoying to have to exchange devices like this. You're not the only one, i've heard similar stories from a couple of others as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yah I have seen many posts of such. But I am really enjoying my new device. Even charging problem also solved. But man, u gotta switch off the auto brightness - take my opinion.
Good read. Glad some issues are fixed with the newer unit.
It is odd there is a fixed resolution with each ratio. But whatever, I leave it on 16x9 lol
Sent from my LG-H815

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