Database Users

[Q] Migrating from the Sensation to the Nexus 4, few questions for you lovely people

Fed up with my Sensation, I purchased a Nexus 4 yesterday, which is supposed to hit the mail in two days. Having been with HTC for pretty much all of the time I've ever used Android, since the G1(though honestly, the G1 or MT3G weren't mine, the myTouch 4G and Sensation is mine), moving to another manufacturer is scary in a way. So I got a few questions.
1. Moving away from a removable battery and SD Card slot. I don't really resent it, but it's getting used to it that's the issue. In case I need to cut power and immediately shut off the Nexus, what should I do? All the other phones were simply a battery pull.
2. I got myself a 16GB Nexus 4, but I LOVE to download ****. Is it worth depending totally on Google Music, totally on Google Web Albums, etc? I have songs on Google Music, but I don't use it since all of my songs are stored locally. Can't use Google Music without a data connection, and I can't have a data connection in a train underground.
3. The size. It took me months to get comfortable with my Sensation's 4.3 inch screen, coming from a 3.8 inch screen. For anyone that came from any 4.3 inch or below, did you find the phone comfortable? I wasn't really buying based on comfort or anything, but why not ask.
4. With the Sensation, I dropped it. A lot. One time, I accidentally threw it across a room. Through all the damage it's taken, the screen has remained totally intact, and very minimal scratching, absolutely the most impressive screen ever (wish it didn't have a ghosting issue). How does the Nexus 4 fare? And that back glass... I haven't heard good things about it. How does that fare?
5. Rooting. I rooted my Sensation the minute I opened the box, already had the tools and such needed to root. The thing was, I was not using Sense. I HATE HTC Sense, but the camera is still phenomenal. I only wanted to get my hands on some AOSP flavored ROMs. Since the Nexus 4 is obviously already vanilla, should I even bother rooting? I mean, I occasionally use ScreenRecorder and such, but I don't want to root just for that. (I am, however, unlocking the bootloader). Should I even root?
6. Wireless charging.. No way in hell I'm buying the $60 orb, when I can plug in a 10 cent charger. But, is there any cheaper wireless charging pads? I'd definitely go for a cheap one, but $60... No thanks.
7. NFC. Does Google still give the free $10 to Nexus users who download the Wallet app? Because I could really use a double cheeseburger, and be a show off.
8. In another thread, I noticed that the Nexus 4 has had way more than 2 variants, the current being 303K. Is this just simply revisions, or anything major? Should I strive to get a pretty one?
That's all, that you awesome people, thank you. :fingers-crossed:

1. Holding the power button will force the device to shut down. Keep it held and it’ll boot up again.
2. Upload all your music to Google Music. Pin the albums you plan on listening to for offline use.
3. My last phone was the SGS2 which was (I think) 4.2” and I’ve no problems adjusting. By most accounts, the N4’s size is not an issue. It’s pocketable and the weight makes it feel solid, not heavy.
4. All bets are off if you drop or throw your N4. Some people say theirs survived. Others have stories of shattered glass. The takeaway is this: At least TRY to not drop or throw your N4.
The rear glass will scratch even if you take good care of it. You’ll need some sort of protection for it. I highly recommend the skins from dbrand.com
5. Root if you use apps that require root access. It’s that simple. Personally, I didn’t even bother using the stock ROM on the N4. I unlocked the bootloader and flashed CM10 right away.
6-8: Don’t know. I’ll leave this to others.

Former sensation owner here. Welcome mate, welcome to heaven.
1. You can press and hold power button for 10 seconds, and it will cut the power from battery immediately, like pulling the battery off.
2. I dont use google music tho, but i have 5gigs of music in my N4, and its enough for me. You can use combine between those two if you want more music.
3. Its very comfortable for me, typing is a pleasure in this phone. You will easily get used to it.
4. Buy a case, or bumper, or it will be shattered if you drop it, this glass back is very vulnerable.
5. I rooted my phone since my first 10 minutes with it, unlock it too, unlocking and rooting is way easier than any other phone. I suggest you to unlock its bootloader first, since it will wipe your data, just in case you want to try custom rom and kernel you dont have to set it up from scratch.
6. Any Qi wireless charger is compatible, search on google for more info.
7. I am not in USA
8. The difference is minimal, very minor. As long as it performs well, nothing to be worried about that number. Mine is 301k and it performs pretty well.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Welcome to Nexus 4. As a Sensation owner, I can share some of my impressions. I've had my N4 for about a month.
1) I don't really miss the removable battery. My battery lasts all day with moderate use, less with heavy use. Instead of a battery pull, hold the power button.
2) I have the 16gb. I just had to ween myself off downloading and installing any and every app I thought I might want/use/just need to have. I use Google drive, Google music, dropbox. Still have space to keep a Nandroid backup on the phone (but not 2).
3/4) Size. The sensation is thicker, heavier and much more solid. I have an Otterbox case and screen protector on the Sensation. Only dropped it on carpet once.I would expect the it to survive a fall onto a hard surface with the case. The Nexus, on the other hand feels fragile. I have a bumper case and front and read screen protectors. I'm worried about dropping it. There are beefier cases out there. Discounted Squaretrade warranty will help if I do break it. I went a week or 2 without screen protection, no scratches. The phone is the only thing that goes into whatever pocket I put it in.
5) No reason to not root. You can always un-root. I stayed rooted stock ROM until a couple weeks ago. Been using Faux123 kernel with stock ROM. Then decided to start flashing Roms. I'm running Xylon with Faux123 mainline turbo boost kernel. Xylon seems to have the right mix of customization options while being stable. Getting good battery life, and could make it better, but I prefer performance over battery.
6) I've got chargers and more chargers. I don't need wireless charging. My higher mA chargers charge the Nexus fast.
7) Don't think so, because they converted my $10 credit on wallet to a physical debit card. I loaded that card into wallet, same difference...
8) Not sure about this one, haven't done any research on this.
Hope this helps. Enjoy the new toy.

Welcome to the club. The transition to the bigger phone was a little difficult, but totally doable. My wife went from her Glacier to a Note 2, if you can imagine that!
The storage thing may be an issue for you. You get just under 13gb of usable space on a 16gb model.
Get a case. This phone can't take a beating like an HTC. It's glass, and fairly thin glass at that.
Once the driver is installed, it literally takes 5 minutes to unlock the bootloader and root. Just do it and be happy. Think, ROMs galore. The stock ROM doesn't even have a T9 dialer. Who wants a third party dialer? Not me.

I forgot to mention, you will have to update your ADB drivers, which turned into a PITA for me. Probably because my laptop is a dinosaur. I managed to get Fastboot working, that's all you really need.

1. Hold power.
2. I don't keep music on my 8gb, I use pandora, but I do keep podcasts on there and it hold a few hours. It may come down to you needing a secodary device for music if you often find yourself in situations where you have no data connection but want to listen to music. I use dropbox for pics but it is essentially the same answer.
3. 4.3" is perfect to me, I have XL hands (if rubber gloves are anything to go by) and I can't touch the top right corner (when holding with my left hand) of the n4 which is something I could do with the sensation. If you are used to one hand operation right now, chances are there will be an adjustment and somethings you'll just have to use 2 hands for.
4. I have a launch device and nothing is damaged, yet, the sensation has the benefit of the removable casing which I love and makes for cheap mistakes (new housing is like $15) you aren't going to get any cheap mistakes with the N4. I had a tpu case and now have the poetic bumper (also have a superlegerra in the mail) the bumper is fine for me but I don't drop my phone, for the wife I got the superlegerra which should offer otterbox type protection.
5. Unlock the bootloader and make your decision on roms later
6. There are alternatives in the $40 range, it's a gimmick so I'm not even willing to spend that much.
7. Nope. NFC Task Launcher is awesome though and they have discounted tags in their app store so buy from there.
8. I'm on a launch device and I have a brand new one coming tomorrow...I'll let you know. I haven't had any issues with my current one though.
p.s. N4>>>>>>>Sensation running JB, you will be much happier.

Yay, replies Thanks guys!
A few more questions, and probably more to come later;
I'm seeing any Qi wireless charging mat should work with the Nexus 4. However, when the Lumia 920/820's mat was released (using Qi's tech), it kept connecting and disconnecting with the Nexus 4. This leads me to think that some mats may not work with it, even if it is a Qi mat. Has anyone experienced this?
And secondly, photo quality. That's a big deal for me. The Sensation was able to pull off some amazing pictures, and even more amazing photos when used with the HQ mod we had. Sadly it was onky in HTC Sense ROMa, and... i hate Sense. But when I switched to an AOSP ROM, picture quality was just horrible. Focusing was a nightmare, and we couldn't focus in video (not sure who's issue this is a part of). So, is picture quality amazing? As in, "damn, this came from a phone" I would Google some images taken with the N4, but I have a feeling they may be all slightly biased to look better than they really would under regular conditions.
Can you refocus the camera while recording video? Couldn't do it on Sensation AOSP ROMs. The camera was the only reason I ever kept going back to sense.
Edit: oh, and LTE! I hear the Nexus 4 already has LTE present, just inactive, and have seen a few activate it. Is it Band 4 LTE only? Does T-Mobile's new LTE network use this band? It would be nice to see some LTE on my Nexus, since their HSPA+ "4G" has become unbearably slow... Sometimes EDGE is faster, it's disappointing.

A note for #1, everyone is right about holding the power button to kill it. One thing I was curious about before I got mine, is what if its frozen. Holding the button button never fails. Doesn't matter if you have a sod, overclock problem, or anything else.

Yet another question, this one being shipping with incompetent-ass UPS. How long did it take for the phone to hit your doorstep? Knowing the fools that work at the UPS in my area, they'll find a way to screw this up. It's already been almost a day since I got a tracking number, and UPS has no records of it yet.
If it wasn't clear, I'm anxious as hell.

GazaIan said:
Yet another question, this one being shipping with incompetent-ass UPS. How long did it take for the phone to hit your doorstep? Knowing the fools that work at the UPS in my area, they'll find a way to screw this up. It's already been almost a day since I got a tracking number, and UPS has no records of it yet.
If it wasn't clear, I'm anxious as hell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should only take two days. Sign up for UPS my choice.

I will only say I'm coming from an HTC Inspire with only five days of use and I have already rooted and fallen in love with this phone. I don't miss Sense at all and I got used to the larger screen size, also 4.3 to 4.7, rather quickly. Now, when I pick up my Inspire, it looks and feels small. My Inspire does feel more durable, so I will try to be very careful with this phone, as I have also not read good things about the back glass. It took a day to show up in UPS, but then it delivered the next day.

As promised, although I only got a relatively short hands on, the newest revision of the n4 is slightly better built compared to my launch device. There isn't anything glaring but mine creaks a bit by the micro usb port but on the new one it feels completely solid. They've also added a few little things (extra "stickers" and such) in the packaging and the screen protector seems to be trimmed to better fit with a case almost as if LG wants you to use it.
GazaIan said:
Yay, replies Thanks guys!
A few more questions, and probably more to come later;
I'm seeing any Qi wireless charging mat should work with the Nexus 4. However, when the Lumia 920/820's mat was released (using Qi's tech), it kept connecting and disconnecting with the Nexus 4. This leads me to think that some mats may not work with it, even if it is a Qi mat. Has anyone experienced this?
And secondly, photo quality. That's a big deal for me. The Sensation was able to pull off some amazing pictures, and even more amazing photos when used with the HQ mod we had. Sadly it was onky in HTC Sense ROMa, and... i hate Sense. But when I switched to an AOSP ROM, picture quality was just horrible. Focusing was a nightmare, and we couldn't focus in video (not sure who's issue this is a part of). So, is picture quality amazing? As in, "damn, this came from a phone" I would Google some images taken with the N4, but I have a feeling they may be all slightly biased to look better than they really would under regular conditions.
Can you refocus the camera while recording video? Couldn't do it on Sensation AOSP ROMs. The camera was the only reason I ever kept going back to sense.
Edit: oh, and LTE! I hear the Nexus 4 already has LTE present, just inactive, and have seen a few activate it. Is it Band 4 LTE only? Does T-Mobile's new LTE network use this band? It would be nice to see some LTE on my Nexus, since their HSPA+ "4G" has become unbearably slow... Sometimes EDGE is faster, it's disappointing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The camera is much better on the n4, HDR mode alone is worth the upgrade IMO. I can't seem to refocus the camera during video, I might be doing something wrong since I rarely record video with my phone so I'm not that familiar with it.
LTE is inactive, you have to jump through a few hoops to get it going, TMO LTE is a ways away but they are supposed to be using band 4 IIRC. Not sure why your fauxG is slow though, nearly everybody I know has iphone 5's on verizon LTE and my n4 (on straight talk TMO) is usually comparable when it comes to data speeds (~10Mbps down ~3Mbps up) but the latency is typically worse.
GazaIan said:
Yet another question, this one being shipping with incompetent-ass UPS. How long did it take for the phone to hit your doorstep? Knowing the fools that work at the UPS in my area, they'll find a way to screw this up. It's already been almost a day since I got a tracking number, and UPS has no records of it yet.
If it wasn't clear, I'm anxious as hell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shipped on monday and I got it today (so 2 day air was really 1.)

2. I use Spotify and I'm very happy with it. Google Music would be the same, no need to have all the music stored locally, just sync what you want.
3. I was also afraid of it. And I hate big phones, 4,7" is not the bigger on the market, but I still notice it when I carry it in my pocket. I seems like more performance == bigger phones :crying:
4. 3 falls, 1 scratched screen. I had to send it to repair, 150 € :crying:. Now, I always have it in a case.
5. I have not rooted or flashed the phone. I come from a Samsung Galaxy S1 with cooked roms, but I love stock N4 so I'm not thinking on it.
6. I think wireless charging is the most useless feature on a phone. You still have to stop charging it to answer calls (unless you use a headset), so I prefer wire chargers (just my opinion).
Extra: I think N4 is the best mobile you can buy today in terms on price/quality relation

estallings15 said:
Should only take two days. Sign up for UPS my choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried to sign up, but apparently my name wasn't found in any public records, and I couldn't be verified. It's amazing how much public records of me are actually available, but UPS can't find one. Just another reason to hate UPS, I guess.
threeclaws said:
LTE is inactive, you have to jump through a few hoops to get it going, TMO LTE is a ways away but they are supposed to be using band 4 IIRC. Not sure why your fauxG is slow though, nearly everybody I know has iphone 5's on verizon LTE and my n4 (on straight talk TMO) is usually comparable when it comes to data speeds (~10Mbps down ~3Mbps up) but the latency is typically worse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I first started using T-Mobile's HSPA, it was pretty fast, and in other locations it's still blazing fast. But ever since late 2012, the speeds have just slowed to crawl. In some cases, I get better speeds on EDGE. it's frightening. I'm willing to jump through hoops to get LTE, because you know... It's freaking LTE. Why not? (Aside from the battery issues I'm gonna have, thanks to no VoLTE).
rcampos said:
2. I use Spotify and I'm very happy with it. Google Music would be the same, no need to have all the music stored locally, just sync what you want.
3. I was also afraid of it. And I hate big phones, 4,7" is not the bigger on the market, but I still notice it when I carry it in my pocket. I seems like more performance == bigger phones :crying:
4. 3 falls, 1 scratched screen. I had to send it to repair, 150 € :crying:. Now, I always have it in a case.
5. I have not rooted or flashed the phone. I come from a Samsung Galaxy S1 with cooked roms, but I love stock N4 so I'm not thinking on it.
6. I think wireless charging is the most useless feature on a phone. You still have to stop charging it to answer calls (unless you use a headset), so I prefer wire chargers (just my opinion).
Extra: I think N4 is the best mobile you can buy today in terms on price/quality relation
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm gonna just start using Google Music again. I haven't used it in months, and forgot that songs still upload, so I have 3000+ songs on it, some of which I don't even like. As for wireless charging, that's my issue with it... and not just talking on the phone, but any general use. Why pay $60 for a charger where I have to stop charging my phone to do anything that involves holding my phone? At the same time, I'm someone who frequently forgets to put the damn phone on the charger, so it could help too.
Does anyone know the wireless charging range? I have a nightstand right next to my bed, I may just get a large powermat or something, install directly under the highest part of my nightstand, so I can charge with basically my nightstand. I heard the older ones we're only 5mm, and the surface of my nightstand is a around an inch thick. I've seen the mod before with a desk, so I know I can do it.
Also, my Nexus 4 has finally arrived unfortunately I won't be at my house for another 4 hours, and apparently they left it a my doorstep (can they do that? I have never seen them leave expensive packages like that). So I'll be on this in 4 hours.. Thanks guys! LD
One final thing, because I'm probably going to root at some point; Unlocking the bootloader is simple "fastboot oem unlock" for this phone, right? If someone can point me in the direction of a rooting and unlocking guide, that'd be sweet. I already have ADB set up, because why not. ADB is a life saver, and a best friend.

Enjoy your new toy. you will love it.
Now I`m not even looking back at my Sensation... maybe someday

So far, I'm loving this phone. What's scary is that it's extremely smooth, and I only now notice some lag on my Sensation. This thing is huge, but way easier to hold than I expected. Took me months to get used to my Sensation. The screen is so sexy :d so far, I've unlocked the boot loader, (to avoid having data i actually need getting wiped out) but haven't rooted yet.
Just have to get my SIM Card cut now, and ill be ready to go! Thanks for all your help guys! I think I'm gonna have a good time in this subforum

From original Note to Note 3

I'd like to know the opinion of people who jumped from the original to Note 3. I'm considering buying one, but I also think I have at least two or more years of perfectly acceptable usage left in my original. Or am I thinking that just because I haven't tried 3 yet?
Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk 4

I too came from original Note 1.0 to 3.0
3.0 has so much more feature than the original 1.0

I came from the original to this new one.
Difference, IMO, was night and day. I would barely, BARELY get a full day of use out of my battery on light usage. I.E. if I did even moderate use throughout the day, it was close to being dead before dinner. And I did complete discharges then full charges once or twice a month to try to keep the battery good. With the new note, I get MORE usage than the original, meaning increased screen on time, increased usage of things like BT, and it seems to last well into the next day. I would say it at least feels like double the usage time on increased usage.
The spen has become a completely differnet tool as well from the original, at least to me. I find I pop it out far more than I used to, whether its to use action memo + popup apps, or simply to navigate around websites quicker. And spen + multiwindow is a dream. Drag and drop works like a hot damn, and while not 100% of the apps support multiwindow, alot of the basic daily driver apps do (web browsing, texting, etc).
I had my original note for a little over 1.5 years, and was extremely apprehensive about jumping on board with the Note 3, especially right out of the gate (I tend to try and wait a while, see if there where any problems or hiccups with the initial release). And I can tell you with 100% certainty, I am NOT regretting it for a second.
Do your research however. Find out what people are having issues with, so you can make sure you don't get a bunky handset. I did some testing right away, and found none of the issues others where dealing with (handwriting keyboard locking up, reducing the screen for one-handed use, etc). While I will admit there seem to be a lot of handsets with wierd quirks on them, if you end up with a solid model, you will be extremely happy.
But remember, everyone is different, and everyone feels different benefits or problems have their own weight. I've seen people complain so much about audio from this device as to seem like they would trade it in for an alternate phone. I LOVE the external speaker. It's a lot louder than the original, and that makes me happy. Other people, not so much.
I hope you get a chance to try one, with the ability to take it back if you are actually not happy with it. GL!

My note 1 was falling apart on me and I had been waiting for the note 3 for about 8 months. The first thing I will say is hands down better battery life. Awesome screen, speakers, response, and a whole lot smarter. S Pen is a lot better to but that's not really my thing.
I would say get it but if you can wait a few months then wait because I'm sure the price will drop by at least $50.
All around very happy with my note 3.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I just made the jump from the original to the note 3 as well. I love it! As some of the others said, I get better battery life and the S Pen features are great.
My advice - is to learn all of the S-features first before deciding not to bother with them. That way you know what the phone is capable of, instead of finding out 6 months down the road that one of the features was something you would have been using every day.
Also... It took a while to get used to removing the S Pen. I don't have much for fingernails, and that made it a little bit harder to remove the S Pen than the original note (at least for me).

I gothad the note for a long time, then moved to the s4 briefly & then onto the note 3.
Frankly, the n1 isn't outdated. Screen resolution is pretty high.
Ram & processor more than adequate for n1 usage.
Yes the n3 is a million times better but you can easily buy two batteries to use throughout the day (by charging them both on a dock charger). Which is what I did with the n1.
I got a second battery for the n3 but I haven't needed to use it.
Is it just because my battery is brand new or does the n3 battery have abnormally good life?

I did the upgrade from the Note 1 to the Note 3 and I am glad I did, Here is what I noticed
Good:
Much much faster. Note 1 was SLOW
Better screen, and easier to see in the sun
S-pen is more accurate.
Battery is exponentially better. My note 1 lasted a day if I was lucky and 3-4 hours with heavy use. Note 3 lasts me 2 days with heavy use.
Improved talk quality.
Much better camera
GPS acquires signal faster and rarely drops it where as the old phone dropped it every few minutes.
Headphone output quality is much improved.
Bad:
Much worse signal strength. I used to get 3-4 bars of 4G, and 3-4 of LTE at my house with the Note 1 and now I get 2-3 bars of 4G and only get 2 bars of LTE in my kitchen and none anywhere else in my house. There is also a very low signal area on my commute home and the Note 1 would hold a call through it where as the note 3 will drop it every time.
Bluetooth talk quality seems to be worse. Seems distorted on my end compared to the Note 1.
Overall I am happy with the new phone and I am very glad I got it. Hoping that the 2 issues I have with it are fixed in a firmware update.

Kumabjorn said:
I'd like to know the opinion of people who jumped from the original to Note 3. I'm considering buying one, but I also think I have at least two or more years of perfectly acceptable usage left in my original. Or am I thinking that just because I haven't tried 3 yet?
Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm still on N7000 as well, and, thanks to SlimBean 4.3, I don't think there is any point in upgrading yet.
I would have upgraded to Note 3 if they released it with the 6.3" screen we saw on the Mega, but sadly they didn't, so not worth the upgrade.
I'm waiting maybe for the Note 4, or hopefully the Note 3 with the flexible screen, praying they make it bigger.

Surprised about battery usage, I'm down to 50% after a day, but I guess I'm not using it as much as you guys.
The issue about radio connection is worrisome.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 4

Night and day difference here also. Some pluses for me:
Speed - Everything opens much faster. There's enough memory to keep apps in the background and immediately available when switching between them.
Spen - Some features are questionable since I find the pen a bit small for clicking but there is now some level of friction on the tip. It's still plastic sliding over glass but now it feels like the friction gives me a greater level of control for signing docs, notes, and drawing.
Battery Life - I can get over 24 hrs with moderate use (6 hrs screen time) and still have about 10% left over.
Multitasking - In addition to having apps available in the background, I can now do multiwindow and have two apps on screen. Some apps allow you to drag text and images between them. The floating windows are also available but with the way I use the device, pulling out the pen, clicking, and drawing the box take more time than using app tray.
IR blaster - I don't watch much TV but the Note 3 turns on my TV and cable box without me having to find the remote.
If the Note 1 is still working well for you then you can certainly stick with it. It was a great device but when the Note 3 came out I put old girl out to pasture. She sits on my desk now and tells me the time and weather.

From note1 to note2 was night and day. So from note1 to note3 is probably different months.

I would be glad to have note 3 as i use have all family note..i would be more glad if there were no issue with note 3 display..pink hue issue which mine suffer now..
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda app-developers app

MohJee said:
From note1 to note2 was night and day. So from note1 to note3 is probably different months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good one. The difference is really that significant? I have to get my grubby fingers on one when they hit the stores.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk 4

Kumabjorn said:
I'd like to know the opinion of people who jumped from the original to Note 3. I'm considering buying one, but I also think I have at least two or more years of perfectly acceptable usage left in my original. Or am I thinking that just because I haven't tried 3 yet?
Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk 4
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Click to collapse
You may want to wait before making the jump due to call distortion issue on some of these phones. I ordered two from Verizon, they replaced both, went to corporate store and tried two, so that is six with the same issue. Verizon said they had a ticket with Samsung but no exact date for the fix. I then called Samsung and they confirmed they were working the issue for Verizon but could get no indication as to when it would be resolved. It appears that Sprint which rolled out the phone before Verizon had a Samsung OTA to fix it a couple of days ago.

3686964439
killeraxemannic said:
I did the upgrade from the Note 1 to the Note 3 and I am glad I did, Here is what I noticed
Good:
Much much faster. Note 1 was SLOW
Better screen, and easier to see in the sun
S-pen is more accurate.
Battery is exponentially better. My note 1 lasted a day if I was lucky and 3-4 hours with heavy use. Note 3 lasts me 2 days with heavy use.
Improved talk quality.
Much better camera
GPS acquires signal faster and rarely drops it where as the old phone dropped it every few minutes.
Headphone output quality is much improved.
Bad:
Much worse signal strength. I used to get 3-4 bars of 4G, and 3-4 of LTE at my house with the Note 1 and now I get 2-3 bars of 4G and only get 2 bars of LTE in my kitchen and none anywhere else in my house. There is also a very low signal area on my commute home and the Note 1 would hold a call through it where as the note 3 will drop it every time.
Bluetooth talk quality seems to be worse. Seems distorted on my end compared to the Note 1.
Overall I am happy with the new phone and I am very glad I got it. Hoping that the 2 issues I have with it are fixed in a firmware update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wanted to post an update to this..... I figured out my signal strength issue and my bluetooth issue. It was not the phone it was the case I had it in. The Incipio DualPro Shine case blocks signal on this phone. According to Network Signal Info app its 10 dBm of signal that it blocks. Once I took the phone out of the case It gets just as good of signal as my old Note 1 and my Wife's GS3
Bluetooth issue is a compatibility issue between the phone and my headset. I called the manufacturer for my headset and they said they are having compatibility issues with my headset when paired with the Note 3, the GS4

I waited for the note 3 as didn't see the point in note 2 for the extras it offered.
Anyway. ... Now 3 feels slimmer much better for one hand operation.
Much faster and fluid in use
Superb battery lasts the day with heavy use
Spen is at another level with the features
The multiwindow is propper multitasking... open as many apps at the same time just like your laptop
Screen is great outdoors. .. and very easy to see
Signal and call quality is improved.
Speaker is fine if you remember is a phone and not hifi system.
Camera quality during night is shiiiitty... That's the only downside for me.
Git it rooted running custom firmware and really customised it to my heart content.
Really enjoying the phone. It is the best that's of there for sure. .. and defo worth the upgrade.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

slhawkins said:
My advice - is to learn all of the S-features first before deciding not to bother with them. That way you know what the phone is capable of, instead of finding out 6 months down the road that one of the features was something you would have been using every day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any videos or threads on it?
What are some good featurs?
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

Nexus 6 after a day - compared to N5 and note 4

I've only had my n6 for a day, but thought my initial impressions might help somebody who's up in the air about buying it. I had the N5 for a year, and only had the note 4 for a day so take my impressions of it with a grain of salt.
Great things so far about the n6: speakers, smoothness, screen, feel in hand, did I mention speakers?, and the GPS signal is better than both the n5 and note
Not great: the size is taking some getting used to, but that wasn't a surprise. Like every review says, it's not really a 1 handed phone like the N5 is.
Compared with the n5, its basically the same except bigger and faster. If you like the n5 I really think you'll like this even more. Like I said, it is getting better gps signal side by side than the n5 and looks just as good, just bigger.
Compared with the note 4: I know the reviews and tests all say the display is much better on the note and I'm sure that's true, but in real life use I don't see a difference. Maybe if you're in direct sunlight a lot during the day the note will be better, but I really don't see any real difference between them in the store, and using it now it just looks great.
I also really think the note has lag issues, whether people want to admit it or not. I put Nova launcher on it and was using "faster than light" settings and it would still hesitate every now and then, for no apparent reason.
I hate TW settings, if you haven't looked at them yet, that should be the first thing you check out. I thought I could get used to it but it just irritated me every single time I opened them. Just way too unwieldy and long.
I also thought I could get used to the physical home button, but the more I used it the more annoying it got. There's a long lag whenever you press it to go back to the home screen which is also annoying.
The GPS also wasn't very good, definitely not better than the n5 which was known for not-too-great signal. Side by side with the n5 the note would pick up 1 less satellite anywhere I was, with the best lock around 40 feet. The n6 is getting 2 or 3 more sat's with a lock around 10 to 13 feet, also a quicker lock.
I use my phone for watching youtube, netflix, hulu, and listening to google music or siriusXM. I only have 4 songs actually downloaded (ringtones) and only keep a single backup at a time on the phone itself. My other backups and movies I keep on a meenova mini-usb, bright orange so it doesn't get lost and on a lanyard. The 32 gb nexus 5 worked fine for me, I never even came close to filling it, so I bought the 32 gb n6 instead of waiting weeks to get the 64 gb. If storage is important to you, get the note.
Finding the n6 was difficult, I called the 5 Tmobile stores nearest me and none had it, expanded my search and found a store 40 mins from me that had 3 in stock. By the time I got there they only had 2 so if you don't want to wait for the backordered ones try calling around. None of the stores and 2 CS reps on the phone could tell me anything about when more would be received, 1 rep actually said it would probably be a few weeks before I'd get the 64gb. Who knows if they knew what they were talking about.
Anyhow, I hope this is at least somewhat useful for people still on the fence. I still have my n5 so if anybody wants any comparisons I can do that. I had to pay a $50 restocking fee for the note but it really did annoy me that much, I am just not a samsung person I guess.
EDIT: I almost forgot, the ambient display works pretty well. When my phone is just sitting and I pick it up it activates the screen, but I'm just now noticing when it's playing music and I pick it up it doesn't always register.
Also, I haven't used it enough to give any report about the battery life, but so far it seems much better than the n5. I'll write more after a few days of use. I did root it and have greenify installed.

Awesome, thanks. Still using the n5 and loving it. I'm kind concerned about not having led notifications or a good moto active display type notifications. I hear the ambient notifications is not functional every time. I'm receiving mine next week.

The sad part about the "long lag" when pressing the home button is because of a feature that Samsung has; S-Voice.
When you press it, it waits a certain amount of ms to see if you press the button again, in which you activate S-Voice.
Really, really dumb. Disabling the feature altogether fixes that problem, but you disabled something that is unique to the Samsung devices, which is kind of a reason why you bought it I would assume.

Thanks for the review. I have a OPO and will be waiting for the 64G Nexus. This will be my first Moto phone since the X2. Phone calls and GPS are so much better on Moto phones. Again, thanks.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

androidballer said:
Awesome, thanks. Still using the n5 and loving it. I'm kind concerned about not having led notifications or a good moto active display type notifications. I hear the ambient notifications is not functional every time. I'm receiving mine next week.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you see this thread?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/led-speaker-confirmed-t2947625
Ambient display, while not as robust as motos active display, has worked pretty well for me so far. If you end up not liking it or don't want to root to enable LEDs, you could try a play store app that does almost as well as motos active display. I forget the name, but shouldn't be hard to find.

Anyone feeling a bit let down? V20 review

I am trying to convince myself that I am wrong or somehow biased, but I don't think I am in this situation. I am a phone junkie and I bounce between devices quickly. In the last 6 months I have had the Axon 7, HTC 10 (still have, S-off'd with Unlocked GSM firmware/ software), Nexus 6P, HTC M9, s7 edge, s6 edge+, iphone 7 plus, Droid Turbo, and now the V20. I will say that over all, the V20 is built beautifully and performs well. The battery life is a bit weaker than I was hoping, just like the HTC 10, the quick charge 3.0 almost covers that short coming. The things that are making me disappointed though are as follows:
LG Skin / UI : Feels a little off, made up a bit by using Nova launcher, but everyone knows it won't remove it all...
Performance: I might be expecting a bit much, but I have had my device slow down (to unbearable lag / waiting on apps to switch/come up) more than a handful of times requiring a reboot
Battery Life: As stated above, the battery life is pretty week and I find myself having to top up a towards 6 pm, it does charge quickly, but find that a little sad.
Camera: This is where I am shocked. The camera overall doesn't live up to what I expected or how it was advertised. In ideal situations, it can take good photos, and I mean GOOD, not Great. If you don't switch to manual and tweak everything out, you will be sadly disappointed. Auto focus has a hard time locking in, can get a bit of grain / noise, and if there is movement or action, good luck. In video mode or if you flip into manual mode, you can get much better results, but in the heat of the moment, not everyone will be quick to get it ready in time to get that shot. In low light situations, it has been very disappointing. The lag time between the flash / focus and getting a picture off, I end up with a blurry out of focus picture most of the time. I am basing this off pictures I take of my young daughter. The camera on the HTC 10, Axon 7, iPhone 7 plus, S7 edge, and S6 edge+ all out perform in these situations. For a phone/device that is supposed to be built around photography and video, it has been a major disappointment. the Main camera/sensor is decent, but the zoom/cropped area is a bit small. The wide angle does cover a lot more at the cost of resolution. I am hoping that LG does something to address this in software/firmware updates, but as of now, it is a huge let down.
Audio: The single firing speaker does an admirable job for playing music, speaker phone on the other hand is a somewhat weak and sometimes hard to hear, even when driving in silent vehicle with the windows closed. The Quad DAC has also let me down. After the DAC in the Axon 7 and the HTC 10, I am not impressed. It does improve the audio, but not as well as the competition. With the DAC enabled and audio all the way up, the volume level is weak. With the same headphones that I used in the Axon 7 and the HTC 10, I have no problem hearing the outside noise. I also don't feel that it is nearly as tweakable / noticeable as the HTC 10. When I had the DAC on the HTC 10 on, I could immediately tell the difference and the Highs, Mids, and Lows were way easier to notice / spot changes on. Again, maybe software updates may resolve this, but definitely a let down for me.
Overall: The phone is beautiful. For a phone with removable battery, it honestly feels like a unibody device. I am a bit disappointed in all phone manufacturers currently going to this 2.5D curved glass for no good reason, making getting tempered glass protectors a joke majority of the time. The software overall is fairly smooth. The screen is above average and the secondary screen has become second nature to me. Being able to snap a wide angle shot when others can't definitely something that has lead to people asking me what phone I am using. Had I not gone through all the phones I have in the last 6 months, I may have been way more impressed. As a flagship device, I will say it comes close to delivering what was promised. Had the Note 7 not failed miserably with the exploding issue, I think the V20 would have easily been eclipsed. This phone gets so close in many departments, but doesn't quite nail them down. Considering there is nothing else in the market that draws my attention, I will try and see if it makes it through the initial growing pains that might be solved with software updates.
Before anyone wants to say I forgot about the Pixel, no, I didn't. After having the HTC 10 (which I still have and love as a backup device) and playing with the Pixel, I see absolutely no reason to waste the money on the sad excuse of a flagship device at the same taxing price as an apple product. How google basically took the HTC 10, made it ugly , went with onscreen buttons and a whole lot of bezel, and took away removable storage but is still succeeding with it is beyond me. Yes it has an "amazing camera", assistant (you can get with root on the v20 and nexus 6p), and can charge the battery super fast, but the price tag and lack of innovation is a deal breaker.
So, please, let me know if you agree or disagree. I have been trying to be unbiased and love this phone. Am I being unreasonable, or is it really just a device that got close to the finish line and just gave up?

I think it all depends on what your needs are. We know it doesn't have the best camera. It's very competitive, but not the best. Performance can be fixed with updates. I suspect that LG rushed the ROM to be the first to have Nougat, which was one of their selling points for this phone. Battery life depends on your usage. LG's Quantum displays are horribly inefficient, so the screen is your primary battery drain, but my understanding is that idle drain is very good. Then you have fast charging and one of the few phones that you can instantly go to 100% on by swapping batteries.
For me, this is the only phone that checks all of my requirements: Functional always-on-display, IR blaster, 5.7"+ screen, good camera, removable battery and SD card. So, I'm buying the complete package, not because it's the best at everything. Every single phone has shortcomings. You need to decide which ones you can live with and buy your next device based on that criteria.

I'm with you, I thought the camera was quite a disappointment when shooting in auto mode. I liked the phone a lot (coming from a Nexus 6p) and if the camera had been good it would have been a no-brainer for me, because as greyhulk says it checks most, if not all, the boxes. But I need a camera that shoots good pics in auto mode. Sent it back.

Also disappointed with the camera. Especially after coming from the Note 7..

Settings/Developer Options/ Tick on "Force GPU Rendering" should make your beast smoother/snappier. So any kind of lag should disappear!
If root available try L Speed/Entropy/fstrim apps found on Play Store!
LG V20 & LG G5 are snappy beasts and are well optimised with the Snapdragon 820 and is better than Samsung!

Battery is my main disappointment. Even with minimal use I have only made it an entire day once. Something keeps eating battery while the phone is idle and I have yet to track it down. I suspect it is an app that needs a Nougat update. Same usage and set of apps on the S7 Edge and Note 7 would usually leave me near 50% at the end of the day.

Have to say I disagree.
The Hi-Fi is plenty loud enough and noticeably changes on the go. I have noticed though, it depends on the headphones that you are using. I have used 4 different sets. And each pair gave different results.
The camera is great. Video is turning out to be exactly as expected. As for the camera, it doesn't grab the shot in the first try every time and its nothing a tap of the screen and refocus hasn't been able to fix. But than again I haven't had a camera phone that has been able to take the shot first time every time.
Battery, that's a user to user base question. The other day I was able to get 32 hours out of my battery. But than on the other hand with very heavy use I only got 6.5 hours.

Weird I get about the same battery life as I did with my note 7. When at work I use the phone about the same amount every day 12 hr shifts and I am between. 50 to 70 percent
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

I think your disappointment stems from using so many current generation phones, lets face it most years the hardware upgrades (specifically processors) match each other.
The HTC 10 runs the same hardware as the LG v20, so you've experienced it already. S7 has the same processor as well (assuming its the Qualcomm version) so it's not a big difference compared to someone coming from last generation phones.
Like for me I am coming from a v10 which had an outdated processor out the gate (others were using 810 while the v10 had the 808 due to overheating issues with the 810). The phone is literally over twice as fast as the v10 so I would certainly see a difference compared to you coming from the same generation of processors.
I don't own the phone yet but I will say it's a disappointment to see the camera being a letdown in reviews when you consider that the camera was the big feature of the v10.
Battery doesn't sound all that great either but it's got to be better than the v10. I am sure this will be remedied by 3rd party extended batteries that we will hopefully see. My v10 battery sucked until I upgraded to a 9000 mAh Zerolemon battery pack.
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app

Ali Mirza said:
Settings/Developer Options/ Tick on "Force GPU Rendering" should make your beast smoother/snappier. So any kind of lag should disappear!
If root available try L Speed/Entropy/fstrim apps found on Play Store!
LG V20 & LG G5 are snappy beasts and are well optimised with the Snapdragon 820 and is better than Samsung!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello! What specifically does the "Force GPU Rendering" option?

I think you will settle with the Porsche Design Mate 9. Just a feeling lol

Why's there no option for ambivalence or just predictable? Just look at the stats and you pretty much know what you're getting. I'm happy with this phone after the $200 off and assuming I get the ~$150 headphone offer. I would be unhappy for full list price without those promos. For the price w/promos there just isn't anything comparable.
The display is the worst part of this phone for me. AMOLED just beats LCD anyway you slice it, this phone looks badly washed out and the auto brightness does weird things. Also the viewing angles are wonky, I was used to being able to use my phone at extreme angles but now I find myself lifting the phone up more. If this phone had AMOLED it would be a solid 9.9/10 for me, of course I knew I wouldn't like the screen when I bought it I just couldn't find a solid AMOLED phone. I don't particularly like the fingerprint reader position, have to pick it up off a table to use it and I've found my finger accidentally turns the screen on sometimes when I put it in my pocket. The second screen is nice for changing tracks or seeing what track is playing (or seeing the time at night without going blind), but it sucks for notifications. I miss my notification LED and my Qi charging.
Other than that this phone is pretty solid. I'm getting almost identical battery life that my Note 7 got, namely about 2 days. The standby battery life is phenomenal, I usually lose 1-2% overnight even with the second screen on. I love the removable battery so I don't have to worry about the battery dying before I'm ready to get rid of the phone. I'm no audiophile, so to me this phone is the best audio experience I've ever had with a phone hands down. Even streaming at just 192kbps this phone really makes my Shure SE215's sing. The camera is noticeably worse than the Note 7 at low light but it's still the 2nd best camera on a phone I've seen. Close up pictures have lots of nice detail and that's the kind of pictures I usually take. It focuses quickly and locks focus down better than the Note 7 did. For the kinds of the pictures I take in fact this camera is better, unlike my Samsungs this phone's auto white balance mode works correctly. The whole phone feels quick and snappy, comparable to the Note. I'm getting slightly better signal than I've ever gotten, in fact the wifi is much stronger than either of my Note 7's were.
I like the look of the phone and it feels great in my hands, which although not as great as the all glass Note 7, it feels like I could drop it and have nothing to worry about. I don't find the UI intrusive or laggy, eventually I'll swap over to nova prime once I'm tired of stock. For me it ticks all the right boxes of keeping old features rather than heading the apple direction and removing everything. Removable battery, SD card, IR Blaster, headphone jack, USB C, etc For that reason alone I think it's worth supporting LG

I agree
Main reasons I am keeping it are the $200 off, switched to T-mobile from VZW, and they are paying off the ETF so saving that money and the headphones makes the phone ideally almost free to me. For the full retail, I would return it in a heartbeat. People have hit it on the head that it really might be the fact the the Snapdragon 820 and the 4 GB ram is now getting long in the tooth. The camera can produce some nice pictures in manual mode, so I try to jump to that right away, but just a bit of a hassle to be on the ball to take a simple pic. With moderate light and close up, it does perform well. I can't really control lighting at all times and try and get my daughter up close and still when a picture moment comes though, the s7 handled it much better. I am going to try some different headphones to see if it is just the main pair I use that is letting me down. For the money / hardware, I think the Axon is the better bang for the buck with the AMOLED screen and the all carrier support. The speakers on that are ridiculous and the DAC was solid. This phone over all falls somewhere in the 7.5-8 /10 for me. Between the V20 and the HTC 10 I'll be good til the next wave of Flagships hit. I just have the feeling that LG pushed it out in a hurry to capitalize on the Note 7 flop and they could've polished it up a lot more. I can see them making the camera more responsive in low light and possibly addressing the battery life / hifi-dac customization / volume in the updates. It does a lot right but overall I was expecting and hoping for more from LG when they have had the perfect shot to grab the market. So far I am seeing the responses that seem line up with my expectation. Thanks everyone for taking the time to read and respond!
bishmaster5000 said:
Why's there no option for ambivalence or just predictable? Just look at the stats and you pretty much know what you're getting. I'm happy with this phone after the $200 off and assuming I get the ~$150 headphone offer. I would be unhappy for full list price without those promos. For the price w/promos there just isn't anything comparable.
The display is the worst part of this phone for me. AMOLED just beats LCD anyway you slice it, this phone looks badly washed out and the auto brightness does weird things. Also the viewing angles are wonky, I was used to being able to use my phone at extreme angles but now I find myself lifting the phone up more. If this phone had AMOLED it would be a solid 9.9/10 for me, of course I knew I wouldn't like the screen when I bought it I just couldn't find a solid AMOLED phone. I don't particularly like the fingerprint reader position, have to pick it up off a table to use it and I've found my finger accidentally turns the screen on sometimes when I put it in my pocket. The second screen is nice for changing tracks or seeing what track is playing (or seeing the time at night without going blind), but it sucks for notifications. I miss my notification LED and my Qi charging.
Other than that this phone is pretty solid. I'm getting almost identical battery life that my Note 7 got, namely about 2 days. The standby battery life is phenomenal, I usually lose 1-2% overnight even with the second screen on. I love the removable battery so I don't have to worry about the battery dying before I'm ready to get rid of the phone. I'm no audiophile, so to me this phone is the best audio experience I've ever had with a phone hands down. Even streaming at just 192kbps this phone really makes my Shure SE215's sing. The camera is noticeably worse than the Note 7 at low light but it's still the 2nd best camera on a phone I've seen. Close up pictures have lots of nice detail and that's the kind of pictures I usually take. It focuses quickly and locks focus down better than the Note 7 did. For the kinds of the pictures I take in fact this camera is better, unlike my Samsungs this phone's auto white balance mode works correctly. The whole phone feels quick and snappy, comparable to the Note. I'm getting slightly better signal than I've ever gotten, in fact the wifi is much stronger than either of my Note 7's were.
I like the look of the phone and it feels great in my hands, which although not as great as the all glass Note 7, it feels like I could drop it and have nothing to worry about. I don't find the UI intrusive or laggy, eventually I'll swap over to nova prime once I'm tired of stock. For me it ticks all the right boxes of keeping old features rather than heading the apple direction and removing everything. Removable battery, SD card, IR Blaster, headphone jack, USB C, etc For that reason alone I think it's worth supporting LG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Ali Mirza said:
Settings/Developer Options/ Tick on "Force GPU Rendering" should make your beast smoother/snappier. So any kind of lag should disappear!
If root available try L Speed/Entropy/fstrim apps found on Play Store!
LG V20 & LG G5 are snappy beasts and are well optimised with the Snapdragon 820 and is better than Samsung!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please stop posting this everywhere
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

You also forgot to mention the locked bootloader
Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

I came from the LG Nexus 5x and I loved that phone. While it's only been a few days, I am more than happy with the V20.
I get a phone through work, but upgraded on my own last year to the 5x. So when I cracked my screen a few weeks ago, I went through work this time. Options were limited on AT&T and since I'm gonna be stuck with a phone for 2 years I wanted the newest phone I could get without "compromising" what I'd wanted in a phone. I also didn't want to settle for a year old phone or switch to the iPhone (Android since 2010 and likely forever).
Anyway, I say all that to say that the V20 was never on my radar, mostly because of the size, even though I'd previously had the Note 2, 3 and briefly 4. I'd been very happy with the size and feel of the 5x, but the battery life was horrendous. Basically anything would have been an upgrade, and the V20 does more than I need in the battery department. If I can get to my bed before needing a charge, I'm a happy man, since I'd be charging around lunch on a daily basis before.
I was already used to the fingerprint sensor and love the fact it's on the back on the V20 as well. I can deal with the volume buttons swapped and the power button moving to the fingerprint sensor. It was a little odd at first but I'm used to it already.
Again, the camera and screen on the 5x was mediocre so anything would be better. And again the V20 checks both of those boxes; huge, vibrant screen, and pictures that look beautiful to my eye. If you're going from newest flagship to newest flagship an argument can be made on those points, but if you're upgrading after a year + the hardware is always going to be better, even if you find some flaws, and IMO the V20 does great in both categories.
The removable battery does have its pros. A few years ago it was a 'must-have' for me, but nowadays I'd taker water/dust proofing over it. Not a deal breaker though. The SD card slot IS however a wonderful thing. Despite the 64 GB internal, I love being able to add and not worry about space. I've had my local music library backed up to an SD card for quite a while and it's so convenient to have that at my disposal locally (no network connection needed).
The software. Not much better than PURE Android and rooting has always been a priority for me. BUT, stability ultimately is the most important thing on a phone to me now. Being able to lower DPI via adb shell is huge. Really not having TiBu or the ability to remove some carrier apps is about the worst left we can't do. And to be honest, it's easily overlooked. Is it annoying AF we can't remove everything we don't want? Absolutely. But said apps can be hidden with certain launchers, and I've come to just ignore them in the app drawer, forgetting they're even there.
Add in the FM radio (so novel yet so great), Second Screen (which I actually could use some tips on getting the most out of) and I'm digging this phone. Is LG's UI a little clunky? Yea, but I'll live. And using something new is refreshing, honestly.
It's only been a few days but I'm happy with this device and have no regrets. The V20 may also get me back on the Phablet train, being unable to use something smaller as they feel like toys. I've not gone a full 2 years without upgrading in quite some time. This phone is going to be the test.
/ rant
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

I agree with what you say. I think my let down is from moving from flagship to flagship all into the same time frame. The coming from any device before the snapdragon 820 and a quad HD screen, this thing is a major upgrade. I agree that the fingerprint scanner is best on back... Loved it on the nexus 6p and the axon 7. I just sold my htc 10 so I'm committed to the v20. Holding out til something amazing comes this way...

bishmaster5000 said:
Why's there no option for ambivalence or just predictable? Just look at the stats and you pretty much know what you're getting. I'm happy with this phone after the $200 off and assuming I get the ~$150 headphone offer. I would be unhappy for full list price without those promos. For the price w/promos there just isn't anything comparable.
The display is the worst part of this phone for me. AMOLED just beats LCD anyway you slice it, this phone looks badly washed out and the auto brightness does weird things. Also the viewing angles are wonky, I was used to being able to use my phone at extreme angles but now I find myself lifting the phone up more. If this phone had AMOLED it would be a solid 9.9/10 for me, of course I knew I wouldn't like the screen when I bought it I just couldn't find a solid AMOLED phone. I don't particularly like the fingerprint reader position, have to pick it up off a table to use it and I've found my finger accidentally turns the screen on sometimes when I put it in my pocket. The second screen is nice for changing tracks or seeing what track is playing (or seeing the time at night without going blind), but it sucks for notifications. I miss my notification LED and my Qi charging.
Other than that this phone is pretty solid. I'm getting almost identical battery life that my Note 7 got, namely about 2 days. The standby battery life is phenomenal, I usually lose 1-2% overnight even with the second screen on. I love the removable battery so I don't have to worry about the battery dying before I'm ready to get rid of the phone. I'm no audiophile, so to me this phone is the best audio experience I've ever had with a phone hands down. Even streaming at just 192kbps this phone really makes my Shure SE215's sing. The camera is noticeably worse than the Note 7 at low light but it's still the 2nd best camera on a phone I've seen. Close up pictures have lots of nice detail and that's the kind of pictures I usually take. It focuses quickly and locks focus down better than the Note 7 did. For the kinds of the pictures I take in fact this camera is better, unlike my Samsungs this phone's auto white balance mode works correctly. The whole phone feels quick and snappy, comparable to the Note. I'm getting slightly better signal than I've ever gotten, in fact the wifi is much stronger than either of my Note 7's were.
I like the look of the phone and it feels great in my hands, which although not as great as the all glass Note 7, it feels like I could drop it and have nothing to worry about. I don't find the UI intrusive or laggy, eventually I'll swap over to nova prime once I'm tired of stock. For me it ticks all the right boxes of keeping old features rather than heading the apple direction and removing everything. Removable battery, SD card, IR Blaster, headphone jack, USB C, etc For that reason alone I think it's worth supporting LG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Top tier amoled should've been here. Probably would've improved the already great battery life another 20%ish. And notification LED would've been awesome. Yeah yeah. I know we have second screen, but I don't use it. Probably why I get 6h+SOT all the time. 8h 1m was my best and I had 3% left. I get 7h+ often. Standby time is incredible. Hasn't been consistent for me but probably lose 1% about every 5h average. Need to root and get adblocking. That will probably improve battery life even more. Hoping a custom kernel with only modification of voltage settings will help too. Tired of all these unstable kernels with features I don't use or care.about. haven't stuck with a custom kernel since...maybe note2. It has been awhile. Just roll with stock kernel since no dev wants to make a simple kernel with voltage adjustments. Not paying anymore devs on kernels until they deliver. I've paid upfront twice and font nothing in return. Scumbags.and I hope the fingerprint scanner has features. Features like being able to use as track pad or minimum that uses swipes for shortcuts like the pixel. That would be friggin' awesome. And aside from camera on auto not being consistent the phone otherwise is almost flawless. I've gotten accustomed to the camera on auto though. Multiple pictures and using focus at different spots has helped tremendously. I've been able to tweak my screen close to accurate by eyeballing it so pictures look like the scenery on screen now. Got to test video and bi def recording today at veterans day parade. Both exceeded my high expectations. Just need slmevody to find binning of chips which I made a dedicated thread for but nobody answered. I've looked everywhere. And one of first things I do when I root is customize the boot up screen. Boring. Very boring and.typical of T-Mobile. I've only had to reboot for sim or micro SD reasons though. Very very stable. Micro SD isn't up to par unless I have root. Nonetheless I've been able to work around it. Just had to take care out. And everybody keeps saying IR blaster. I think our IT is a transceiver. Supposedly it can learn but I haven't tried yet. R.I.P. remotes if it indeed can learn. LG did good. Seems rushed but this is truly a flagship phone in many ways. Swappable battery in 2016on a flagship. Say what? LG needs to step it up on the accessories. Ready to buy a 6 pack of batteries. I got in on the $51 deal for the BCK-5200 package on Amazon. Now just need a good sale on batteries.

Coming from a note 7 I have mixed feelings. It ticks a lot of the boxes but I miss waterproof, the great samsung screens and I knew about those when I bought. The camera really disappointed me though. I was expecting it to take way better pics than it does. Spoiled from the note 7 I suppose. I didn't realize before buying it that it had the IR blaster and I had really been missing that from my s5. Nice to not have to hunt for remotes anymore. Its not ideal, but for someone like me that over 5.7" screen is a requirement it really is the best second choice to my old note 7. The bootloader sucks too. I had gotten out of the habit of reroming phones since samsung pay and now that I am off samsung I thought it would be fun to start that again. But nope. I have a sprint one and it seems to be non rootable at the moment.
---------- Post added at 05:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:13 AM ----------
I do think a little bit of my dissapointment in the camera is not genuine. I am mainly comparing shots taken with this phones camera viewed on this phones screen to shots taken by the note 7 on the note 7's screen. The same photo would of course pop more on the amoled screen even if it was the same camera so thats part of the disappointment. But even still I think the note 7 took way better pics.

I love the phone other than no root, the camera I'm not really disappointed because I'm no photographer, the IR blaster is a must thank you LG, Samsung what are you thinking. The removable battery isn't a big deal since the battery does pretty good. If it was water proof that would top it off.
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Advice wanted from experienced LG V20 users

Hi folks. I've been on a T-mobile Note 4 for a long time now, and love it- no problems yet and an 8000 maH battery keeping me quite happy.
Thinking forward to buying a new phone soon. Lots of new stuff coming out soon, but the V20 still looks attractive to me (being able to get a 10,000 maH zerolemon battery is a BIG factor). IR blaster and SD card availability is big to me too.
Couple of questions:
1) Thinking about what's coming out, and having lived with the V20, would you wait for what's coming out this spring, or even sit back until the "V30"?
2) I love taking pictures with the Note 4, and they turn out well. Low light, well, not so much. Flowers on a sunny day are great. Are you happy with the main and selfie cameras, or do you find yourself wanting "just a bit more" (for the average user... I'm not a full time amateur photographer).
Your comments would be much appreciated. I just retired, so I have more time to play with things these days- so I'm sure I'll be using the next beast I buy extensively especially for reading, nice photos, and the ir remote (oh, I got a great e-z chair for tv time ).
Thanks much!
Steven.RN

I like my V20 but unfortunately I do not "love" it like I did with my OG Motorola Nexus 6.
The stock battery is utter crap and I am on my 2nd LG battery after having to recall the 1st one. The 2nd one greatly improved but not by much. Rooting this phone has saved me from returning it. If it wasn't for Root I would of returned the phone.
1. Other than the G6 or the S8 coming out - what other phones are coming out (T-Mobile Wise)? Nothing right now seems to give me that "wow" factor like the Pure Android experience from the Nexus 6 did (yes, as you can tell, I loved that phone) The Pixel phones are a complete joke to me...horrible design....
2. The camera is okay for an average user. I do find myself liking the fact I have two lenses to choose from. Wide angle and normal angle. Very helpful in the Security field that I am in. But be warned the pictures are not amazing like Samsung devices.
If I were you, kinda wish I was right now. I would wait for the Note 8!
But other than that the 2nd Screen is incredibly helpful, to me. The removable battery and SD card is a great addition. The IR Blaster is cool but I do not use it at all. I have enough "Universal" remotes. LG's UI is pretty neat I like it a lot better than Samsungs ugly TouchWiz UI.
To each their own, I suppose.

I think the phone is awesome, the smart phone market has peaked advancements aren't going to be as neat as they used to be.
The snapdragon 820 is about 3 times faster than the 805 in your note 4 (assuming you've got the snapdragon variant).
The camera is snappier than the note 4 and takes pretty good photos (better than the note 4).
If you like the stylus though I'd wait it out 6 months for the note 8.
It's a worthy upgrade and it'll probably be a phone that would carry you through two years if not longer.
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Absolutely the best phone I've ever had.
Very well built, great reception, zero lag, large screen....and I have to disagree about the battery. I've had nothing but FANTASTIC life, and this is with two different batteries, one just for backup just in case. Fast charging works great...volume is perfect, removable battery, rootable and TWRP-able...honestly, I wouldn't even think about "upgrading" from this phone right now. Samsung who?

I came from the note 4 also. This phone is much faster (no Lag). I didn't think there was any lag with my note until I got this phone. With that said, I am rooted with a custom rom and that did speed things up a little. My note was also rooted with a very nice custom rom.
When the note 7 came out, the were a lot of people on XDA saying they wished there was a flat screen version, i.e. not the curved screen. You can bet the note 8 will have a curved screen which makes finding quality screen protection tough. The v20 does have slight curving at the top and bottom, but people here have found tempered glass solutions that work.
You can also bet the note 8 won't have a removable back, so replacing the back plate with a bigger battery and cover won't be an option.
The camera takes very good pictures and if you understand the options in manual, you can really optimize it. Is it as good as the note 8 will be? No.
Sammy screens are also the best looking. The V20 screen while it has the specs, just doesn't look as good as a sammy. If you use a kernel with kcal support, you can get close.
Good luck.

I also came from a Note 4.
I personally never used the stylus for anything except taking screen grabs. I fount it easier than remembering the button combo for a screenshot.
My gps stopped working due to a known defect in the note 4. I broke the display trying to take it apart to fix it.
I love my V20 so much more than my note 3 or 4 or 7 even.
I won't buy note 8 as like all Samsungs -
1. The sound will most likely be horrible.
2. You probably will never be able to root it.
3. As nice as the amoled looks - everyone I've owned as well as my wifes, bil's, sisters all suffer bad screen burn in.
4. If they force that curved edge screen again. I hated that on the Note 7.

I'm done with Sammy. LG V20 is the best I've ever had so far

I also came from the Note 4. I got the s7 edge which i gave to my wife. The buttons(or lack of) take a little getting used to, but the ability to root determined my buying the V20 and I think it is on par with my note feature wise(minus stylus\plus FM radio) just faster and maybe a bit lighter. If Note 8 is rootable, i might jump but i doubt it. I could keep this phone for awhile.

Love it
But dont love the front cam is really bad
And rear cam
My old nexus 6p was better
But performance is great and second screen is great
Battary is ****
Charge is 3 times at day
Hi dac is fantastic
Screen is good but not great
---------- Post added at 01:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:21 AM ----------
For me
Camera
At day light 10/10
At night 9/10
Indoors craaap 2/10

Another perk with LG is that the amount of garbage software that it comes with is minimal when compared to Samsung. I know the note 3 and note 4 were filled with Samsung garbage apps.
The other consideration is there is no know so warranty shouldn't be a issue since there is no knox switch that gets flipped when you root it, you can (in most cases) reverse the rooting without any problems.
Of course I turned in my v10 rooted and they didn't even care (T-Mobile) so I am not sure if this is a real issue with warranty or not.
I say go for it, its going to beat the note 4 in just about everything. The only perk for the note 4 is the amoled display which saves quite a bit of battery. Of course you can always get aftermarket battery packs to off set it with the LG v20.
The v20 battery life is much improved over the v10, I typically have about 30 percent battery by the end of the day (this is with spotify and Bluetooth running during the work day).
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

I really do like it a lot, although it had to grow on me a little bit. In term of pictures, I think it takes rather nice pictures (at least for me). The wide angle lens is pretty cool too. My note 5 broke so this is why I have this phone. The second screen is really useful and I like that it doesn't have a notification light. The screen is nice and big for reading also. I don't use the IR blaster at all so i can't really tell you what its like.
I hope this helps!

The v20 is OK but my note 7 was far superior. Better camera, screen, battery life, only thing the v20 had over the note 7 was the DAC. Personally I would wait until newer phones comes out. I'm looking FWD to the note 8.
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As someone who have had a wide variety of samsungs and LG .... I believe i will be keeping this phone for at least 4 years easily. There are just not way too many cons and there are way to many pros. The battery can sometime be a pain but that's just like any other phone since nothing last forever. But hey, the dozen mode!!! OUTSTANDING! my V20 consumes 1% of battery in 8 hours with screen off and 2nd screen on. so, it might not last more than 5:30-50's+ hours with screen on, full brightness, wifi on, gps on, and a video in 1440p. But,,,, as far as dozen mode goes.... It is outstanding! And if the promotion stills on, you can get the phone for 600+ instead of the 800+ by exchanging any 4g crap phone ($19 dollars at walmart should do lol). Im happy with the phone (sometimes pictures if zoomed in can look like waterpaint style but it doesnt happen that often (At least to me)). And as far as waiting for the V30 or note 8 ... Well, that is truly up to you. However, if you are hoping for root , there is just not guarantee given the fact that they are truly patching up every door from nougat 7.0 and up. So... you could wait for the V30 or note 8 but if you wish for root or developments.... i dont recommend to buy them before someone finds the way to root it.

I was one of the ones that was coming from an S6 edge instead of something newer, so obviously it's a bigger upgrade for me than it was for most others. I am pretty happy with the camera. I miss having the double-tap home button from the Samsung for the camera launch, but that's about it. I took it with me to Colorado and took some quite lovely pictures in the sunshine. Most people will concede that the low light performance leaves some to be desired, but I usually don't take any in conditions that are that bad, where that I would complain afterwards. I kind of figure that in sub-optimal conditions, I'll have sub-optimal results.
My battery seems to be quite fine, BUT, I'm also rooted and running a debloated ROM (the US996 stock deodexed, on my 995 Verizon model). The battery under whatever kernel it's running, is quite fine, and it is removable for people needing more length. I wish it had wireless charging, but that's just how it is. But for example, 8 hours on standby, and I was still at well over 75% today at work. And I can usually get through a good 3 hours of straight video playback at least. But the way people use their phones varies so much, it's hard to say. I do get better life rooted than when it was stock.
It also is plenty snappy, and I've had no issues, no overheating, no weird battery drain, no lag, or the like. I would say that coming from what you have now, it might be a step up but you might feel it won't be a big enough one yet. But the LG G6 being rumored out might be worth holding out, assuming you aren't looking to root. That might get tricky as Nougat (mentioned above) starts getting locked down. I have faith in the community - after all, it didn't take long for the V20 to get opened up, though there are some that worry that it'll continue to get harder as exploits get patched.
For what it's worth, I love mine. I miss a couple weird tricks from other phones, but on the whole, I am very satisfied with my decision.

CharlzO_2000 said:
I was one of the ones that was coming from an S6 edge instead of something newer, so obviously it's a bigger upgrade for me than it was for most others. I am pretty happy with the camera. I miss having the double-tap home button from the Samsung for the camera launch, but that's about it. I took it with me to Colorado and took some quite lovely pictures in the sunshine. Most people will concede that the low light performance leaves some to be desired, but I usually don't take any in conditions that are that bad, where that I would complain afterwards. I kind of figure that in sub-optimal conditions, I'll have sub-optimal results.
My battery seems to be quite fine, BUT, I'm also rooted and running a debloated ROM (the US996 stock deodexed, on my 995 Verizon model). The battery under whatever kernel it's running, is quite fine, and it is removable for people needing more length. I wish it had wireless charging, but that's just how it is. But for example, 8 hours on standby, and I was still at well over 75% today at work. And I can usually get through a good 3 hours of straight video playback at least. But the way people use their phones varies so much, it's hard to say. I do get better life rooted than when it was stock.
It also is plenty snappy, and I've had no issues, no overheating, no weird battery drain, no lag, or the like. I would say that coming from what you have now, it might be a step up but you might feel it won't be a big enough one yet. But the LG G6 being rumored out might be worth holding out, assuming you aren't looking to root. That might get tricky as Nougat (mentioned above) starts getting locked down. I have faith in the community - after all, it didn't take long for the V20 to get opened up, though there are some that worry that it'll continue to get harder as exploits get patched.
For what it's worth, I love mine. I miss a couple weird tricks from other phones, but on the whole, I am very satisfied with my decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Random FYI... Double press down volume when screen is off opens camera. (options in settings to open and immediately take pic or just open)
I figure you already know and just miss the convenience of the home button location but... Just in case...

planetbeen said:
Random FYI... Double press down volume when screen is off opens camera. (options in settings to open and immediately take pic or just open)
I figure you already know and just miss the convenience of the home button location but... Just in case...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, there is that one. But it's also a little more awkward that way. It's just as easy to double-tap the screen and swipe into the camera app. The home key on the Samsung was perfect, because I could bring the phone to landscape orientation, double tap, and bam, ready to go. It's rare that I need to get a picture THAT fast that I need to, but it was really convenient.

I love almost everything about it, but If this thing had a brighter or amoled screen I would never get another phone.

slayerh4x said:
I love almost everything about it, but If this thing had a brighter or amoled screen I would never get another phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do not bring AMOLED INTO IPS!!! Every single phone i had with AMOLED screen (10 to be precise), all of them developed burn in image. LOL I will never buy another phone with AMOLED screen. Unless..... They A) fix the issue with the burn in image, and B) they manage to make it last at its full potential for at least 5 years and then after 5 years the pixels can start dying. Not to mention that many of the AMOLED screens from nowadays have removed soooooooo many important features in a phone such as removable battery and sd card slots. That alone makes me move within an instant to LG G or V series (AKA Large Giraffe as some people call it LOL)

jinkerz9430 said:
Do not bring AMOLED INTO IPS!!! Every single phone i had with AMOLED screen (10 to be precise), all of them developed burn in image. LOL I will never buy another phone with AMOLED screen. Unless..... They A) fix the issue with the burn in image, and B) they manage to make it last at its full potential for at least 5 years and then after 5 years the pixels can start dying. Not to mention that many of the AMOLED screens from nowadays have removed soooooooo many important features in a phone such as removable battery and sd card slots. That alone makes me move within an instant to LG G or V series (AKA Large Giraffe as some people call it LOL)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahaha Yeah it would have to be a revised version of that hardware. I just find that the screen is way too dim outside. I even used that adaptive display mod which does help, but washes out the colors.

I literally just went from a note 4 to v20 and its amazing. The phone is so much more intuitive . tap screen to wake .fingerprint scanner unlocks phone faster than I can swipe. So much more. All around it just works better. I feel like all Samsung phones are the same. Bc I've had only Sammy past 8 years. I love this v20
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