Database Users

A few hesitations moving away from Nexus

Well it is time for my annual upgrade and I really want this phone. I have some hesitations moving off of Nexus hardware. My first Android phone was a HTC One X+ and I hated sense. Absolutely hated it. I also felt like I was missing out as the software was never updated past 4.1 or something along those lines. Anyway I guess my question pertains to how Sony handles software updates. The Z3 hardware looks amazing but I don't want to be stuck with 4.4.4, have they announced plans to go to L? Also how intrusive are the Sony customizations? I love the stock android experience so I don't want to end up with something half baked. Anyway any help here is appreciated. If only the N6 wasn't so damn big.

From owning a Xperia Tablet Z, I can say I'm rather happy with their releases. There's been several, up to 4.4.4 on a device that's now a few years old. They are obviously not as timely as a nexus device, since Google has lots of internal lead time to develop on the nexus units before the code gets out to partners like Sony. However, I think 3 months isn't horrible to test and develop when Sony is doing it simultaneously for several tablets and numerous phones. If anything, they've been getting faster and faster at it over the last year. I'd guess that 5.0 might show up around 2-3 months after the initial Google release, maybe even faster.

Good to know How has Sony's overall software experience been? Can you delete all the built in apps like walkman and what not?

Well most of built in apps you cant delete (walkman, album, movies, and other stuff).
Also, Z1 was Announced with 4.2, then we receive 4.3, 4.4.2 than 4.4.4 and now we will get 5.0..
And they are fast in my opinion, and generaly i like sony UI the most. I hate touchwiz, and sense and other stuff.
Sony UI is prety close to Original Android feel.

Same hesitations from me...currently have a Nexus 4 and have been trialling the Z3 for the past week. All good so far and I like the fact the battery life is miles better than the Nexus, has a great camera, is Pentaband so I don't need two handsets when travelling to different parts of the World (I didn't upgrade to the Nexus 5 due to the fact it wasn't Pentaband) and is slightly larger...but not too large. The Sony software is not as bloated as others but I will miss the ability to not have vanilla Android and have access to the latest software releases directly from Google. Just hope we don't have to wait too long for Sony to make the latest software available.
I'm heading to the US shortly and have ordered a dual-SIM Z3 since it's not available in the UK (it's also cheaper, approx £410).
-Mikee-

Careful with the dual Sim, mine may have been an anomaly, but one of the Sim slots didn't work and the other gave me horrible reception. Traded it back in for a D6603 and all is right with the world.

I think I will be doing the same. After having the Nexus 4 and then the 5, I'm not interested in the 6 (mainly due to the price though as $800-$850 CDN for 64GB is just too much).
What I like about the Z3 is the battery life (seems like it may be the best out there for an Android phone and the battery on the N5 was awful) and bright screen (the N5 wasn't nearly as bright enough outdoors). I'm hooked on the 5 inch screen size as it is just easier for me to type on. Adding to that you have the waterproofing aspect which may come in handy (though in all my years, I haven't got my phone wet yet!).
I'm worried about the UI aspect as some reviews say there is a bit too much bloatware on the Sony's (though I guess you can always disable it) and of course there is the question of updates. You would have to assume you'd get L from Sony unless they expect you to upgrade to the Z4 to get it (which will probably be out in 6 months ).
Maybe Sony's past history with updating their handsets to the latest software release would give an indication but I don't know what that history is.

I think I'll be getting the Z3 and keeping my N5 around for the first weeks before the return policy expires. I'll have L on it so if it performs well enough I may hold off on the Z3 until L is out. Love me that material. I've been running the Dev preview since it was released and I find KitKat dated to say the least
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

I ended up from a glass back phone to another glass back phone (n4 to z3)
However this over doesn't feel that fragile
Pros over my broken screen nexus 4
1) The screen is much brighter and has superb colors!
2) The speakers are in front and are as loud as my nexus!
3) The performance has to be better (s801) and psp emulation is so much easier now!
4) looks more premium (personal opionion)
5) I don't feel heat as much as I did on my nexus 4
6) That amazing camera blows my mind
7) Waterproofing and dust tight build
8) Easy switch from notifications to quick settings using a swipe
9) Theming app is okokgood, not cyanogenmod good!
Cons over my nexus 4
1) I miss the developer love. There may be amazing development, it actually has started (cm11) but nexus were always on a different level
2) The biggest con is that i miss aosp, its love and beauty
3) Ability to switch to art! Why xperia! Why can't you allow me to switch to art? Why can't you make your apps compatible with art?
4) Bloat
5) Why do i have a what's new thing on my navigation bar? Why can't I disable the small app launcher?
These are my views, if you don't mind any of the cons, you wouldn't mind an Xperia
Ps- i got this phone cause one plus hates India, they don't want to give us their phones and nexus 6 is just too big to use! Right now the only phone i may consider switching to would be nexus 5 because aosp is love, is life!

darkrai said:
I ended up from a glass back phone to another glass back phone (n4 to z3)
However this over doesnt feel that fragile
Pros over my broken screen nexus 4
1) The screen is much brighter and has superb colors!
2) The speakers are in front and are as loud as my nexus!
3) The performance has to be better (s801) and psp emulation is so much easier now!
4) looks more premium (personal opionion)
5) I dont feel heat as much as I did on my nexus 4
6) That amazing camera blows my mind
7) Waterproofing and dust tight build
8) Easy switch from notifications to quick settings using a swipe
9) Theming app is okokgood, not cyanogenmod good!
Cons over my nexus 4
1) I miss the developer love. There may be amazing development, it actually has started (cm11) but nexus were always on a different level
2) The biggest con is that i miss aosp, its love and beauty
3) Ability to switch to art! Why xperia! Why cant you allow me to switch to art? Why cant you make your apps compatible with art?
4) Bloat
5) Why do i have a whats new thing on my navigation bar? Why cant I disable the small app launcher?
These are my views, if you dont mind any of the cons, you wouldnt mind an Xperia
Ps- i got this phone cause one plus hates India, they dont want to give us their phones and nexus 6 is just too big to use! Right now the only phone i may consider switching to would be nexus 5 because aosp is love, is life!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can block the what's new and the mini app bar with adb commands

jonshipman said:
You can block the what's new and the mini app bar with adb commands
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Click to collapse
No no
You don't root and unlock a 830$ phone in the first month itself (if adb needs root)
Of this doesn't need root, steps to disable them please

darkrai said:
No no
You dont root and unlock a 830$ phone in the first month itself (if adb needs root)
Of this doesnt need root, steps to disable them please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adb doesnt need root.
As for the steps, I'd Google them because we probably don't have the same computer.

wolf0491 said:
I feel the development is usually pretty good on the Z line. Depends on if you unlock bootloader or not of course.
Had quite a number of Rom choice for my original Z.
As for the dual Sim 6633 mine works fine in US on ATT. Using only one Sim though.
Sent from my Xperia Z3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this is where our thoughts will differ
Xperia z was Sonys comeback phone
Intended to be a hit and it was
Therefore they had to give it special treatment
Now if they stop it, it would feel weird to all those upgrading for development
And Xperia z3 is no comeback phone, it's just a slight upgrade over z2
So you cannot be that sure

Nexus Smexus
I was a big Nexus fan. But there was always some corners being cut. I really just loved the stock Android experience which is why I was greateful for the GPe editions. After having owned a GPe HTC One M8, and a regular M8, I was rather impressed with the skin, they didn't over do it, it was just a matter of having the features that were lacking from stock experience. I found the Sony Z3 to be the same. They didn't over do it on the customizations, in fact they in my opinion did just the right amount of customizations. Sure I wish they didn't put the "what's new" garabage on the phone, but it's not a deal breaker. I plan to freeze the crap apps I never intend to use. Which aren't many. In fact it feels very much stock with minimal customizations. Well worth the camera, beauty, added features, and the waterproofing. I reluctantly threw it in a bowl of water and took a photo...flawless. Though I haven't soaked a phone accidently in years, it's nice to have the feature.

derrickonline said:
I was a big Nexus fan. But there was always some corners being cut. I really just loved the stock Android experience which is why I was greateful for the GPe editions. After having owned a GPe HTC One M8, and a regular M8, I was rather impressed with the skin, they didn't over do it, it was just a matter of having the features that were lacking from stock experience. I found the Sony Z3 to be the same. They didn't over do it on the customizations, in fact they in my opinion did just the right amount of customizations. Sure I wish they didn't put the "what's new" garabage on the phone, but it's not a deal breaker. I plan to freeze the crap apps I never intend to use. Which aren't many. In fact it feels very much stock with minimal customizations. Well worth the camera, beauty, added features, and the waterproofing. I reluctantly threw it in a bowl of water and took a photo...flawless. Though I haven't soaked a phone accidently in years, it's nice to have the feature.
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Hey Derrick,
Do you mind elaborating on the corners being cut? I am in the market between the z3 and nexus 6 and cannot decide which would be better overall. Should I go for the latest phone with stock android? or go for a more premium designed phone? What influenced your decisions?

Richie5767 said:
Hey Derrick,
Do you mind elaborating on the corners being cut? I am in the market between the z3 and nexus 6 and cannot decide which would be better overall. Should I go for the latest phone with stock android? or go for a more premium designed phone? What influenced your decisions?
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Click to collapse
Ritchie:
I swap phones every 6 months. So I've had just about every flagship phone out there (Android), including the OnePlus. Nexus devices tend to have poor speakers, and below average cameras. They never look premium (except for the Nexus 4, which was actually the LG Optimus G variant)I owned both and preferred the LG Optimus G version. I found the Nexus devices tend to be thicker. If they're not thicker, they feel thicker (likely due to the Qi wireless charging). Also battery life always feel average.
Even though I much prefer stock Android, I must say OEMs (at least HTC and Sony). I hate Samsung phones, bloated to the max and just plain boring looking. I was happy with the skinned version HTC used even having owned the GPe version as well. Sony feels very much stock with a few tweaks that add value not take away. They also don't add complete non-sense crap you'd ever use like Samsung. Well they do have this stupid "What's New" thing but it's easy to ignore.
Now to answer your question. I recently purchased a OnePlus. That phone was freakin' HUGE!!! It has a 5.5 inch screen, and I believe the Z3 is 5.2. The problem was the phone was just tall and wide with large bezels. It dwarfed an HTC M8 and that's a fairly tall phone. So for me personally I sold it and got a Z3. The size is PERFECT even though it has a 5.2 inch screen. It doesn't feel bigger than my HTC One M8, but I don't have both in hand right now. It definitely feels slipper than the M8, and just as premium. I have not owned a Nexus 6, but right off the bat for me personally I have no interest. It's too big. Much like the OnePlus.
So I really boils down to what's most important to you. If you're worried about getting Android L when it comes out. You'll get it. Even if it's not through official Sony channels. With a phone as popular as the Z3, the only thing holding back development here is waiting for root without unlocking the bootloader. Once that happens, development is going to blow up and that means you'll get your Android L. So don't let that be your limiting factor (assuming you're OK with rooting your device and unlocking the bootloader at some point down the road when the devs have figured out how to backup the DRM keys). If size is a factor and you don't mind talking into what looks like a tablet. Go with the Nexus 6. Me personally I hate phablets. Sony's 5.2 inch Z3 is the sweet spot. It also has a very premium finish, glass front and back. It won't draw attention like pulling out an M8 or even an M7 for that matter, the speakers can't touch the M8 (but who's speakers can?), but the perfect size, perfect software combo (not overly skinned), decent camera (nothing earth shattering), and being water proof...it's a win for me. It's fast, has 3GB of memory, looks premium, and has all that I need. Only thing it's missing: Wireless charging, and an iR blaster. The iR blaster was neat when I couldn't find my remote, but it didn't get a lot of real world use from me so it's not terrible that the Sony doesn't have it.
My favorite flagship phones hands down have been HTC One M8, and this Sony Z3. Hope that helps answer your question.

Stick the Google Now Launcher on it and block What's New & Small Apps and it will feel like stock. I love it.

Will you be getting rid of your phone?

Just wondering if you will be getting rid of your Xperia phone now that Xperia is gone.

Xperia is not gone yet. Even if Sony sells the division, we don't know what will change.

Why would we sell the phone just because of that?

Sprkd1 said:
Just wondering if you will be getting rid of your Xperia phone now that Xperia is gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that it's gone??
O really is it!? Source!
It's been only rumors and you're acting as if anything conclusive has been said.
And even if Xperia is gone, so what. We're on XDA where we can make our own ROM's. Many of us payed +400$ for their devices, it's not as if we have another 400+ just laying around to buy another phone.

Ok so following your reasoning I should get rid of my Nokia 3210?

I was just wondering because there could be a lack of future updates/support and whatnot depending on how and where the division ends up. This is my first Android experience and don't want to mess with custom ROMs and stuff (at least for now).

doublefacepalm.jpg

No, of course not! I would not sell this phone as there's no better option from any other manufacturers at this format, and I really like the phone.

No reasons until it's working and specially if the community is still active on it. In my optinion one of the best phone ever.

Oh snap I best sell my house quick because the brick company has gone.. Doh!
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Premium HD app

Sprkd1 said:
I was just wondering because there could be a lack of future updates/support and whatnot depending on how and where the division ends up. This is my first Android experience and don't want to mess with custom ROMs and stuff (at least for now).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony said the phone will get the Lollipop update, in addition an Xperia Z4 should be released (and the last one according to the rumor) that mean that for at a least a year updates should come. Then even if it is not updated to the next major release of Android (after Lollipop) and the community do not make a custom ROM it will still be fine with upcoming apps for another year or so. Also the Z3 uses widely spread components (Qualcomm SOC) so it should not be that are to adapt a custom ROM for it.

Apparently the community find nothing valuable in discussing this.
I personally find it very heartbreaking of this news from Sony.

vikingsail said:
Apparently the community find nothing valuable in discussing this.
I personally find it very heartbreaking of this news from Sony.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
heartbreaking, yes because Sony is the only one to make a phone like the Z3C but that news isn't a reason to change. The Z3C is or is not a good phone for you when you brought it.

pleko said:
heartbreaking, yes because Sony is the only one to make a phone like the Z3C but that news isn't a reason to change. The Z3C is or is not a good phone for you when you brought it.
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Click to collapse
That's exactly what I'm taking about. Sony is one of the few manufacturers who doesn't do much sh1t like curving screen/ultra saturated color/huge display which results in half day battery life. These crap are good for catching eyes and advertising. But still basically just pure crap for common use. And surprisingly those manufacturers are selling millions of cheap plastic crappie devices with marketing. That's the most heartbreaking part of this whole situation. I almost lost faith in humanity. Damn.

Sprkd1 said:
Just wondering if you will be getting rid of your Xperia phone now that Xperia is gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"WILL be getting rid of your Xperia phone NOW"
Hmm... I don't quite understand the future and present tense meant together in the same sentence.
Surely everyone WILL get rid of their phones at one point or another. Nothing lasts forever and I'm sure there will be many phone in the future that everyone of us will like better than the Z3C.
With the current technology and design available, the Z3C isn't combined of all the best. Weak construction with plastic frame, poor display quality, weak water proofing flaps and worst of all is Sony ecosystem bloatwares which have users constantly connected to Sony store while already being connected to Google store, for the same thing at the same price. The Z3C system size together with bloatwares is almost twice as large as vanilla Android. Another headache with DRM keys for the mediocre performance camera on TA partition when unlock the bootloader.
For the NOW, I would get rid of it ASAP if it wasn't rooted. I'm sure in a few months, there will be some better phones.

i would sooner get rid of my swimsuit supermodel rocket scientist girlfriend than this phone.
this is the first Android phone i've owned where i didn't feel a compelling reason to immediately slap a mod on or otherwise tinker with, especially after my experience with Samsung phones. (well, besides the volume of the loudspeaker, which i expect to fix after i root.) Sony's skin has some really useful, well though out touches, so i've left it stock. i have no issues with the camera, and no cracked glass or other manufacturing faults. and after all the plastic crap that is a typical Android phone, the industrial design is really refreshing and attractive. i like the walkman, movie, and album apps (again, much better than Samsung or HTC equivalents), and the BATTERY LIFE IS INSANE. not having to charge for four, five, six days? AWESOME.

I won't. Everything stock and im perfectly happy.

vikingsail said:
Apparently the community find nothing valuable in discussing this.
I personally find it very heartbreaking of this news from Sony.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heartbreaking news from Sony???? Nothing conclusive has been said and nothing has been said at all by Sony. This topic is only based on speculations and rumors.
Sent from my D5803

Mine is going for sure. As soon as S6 comes out (assuming no glaring faults in that)
Its an ugly little phone for starters, the construction choices are poor, glass is not cool. I would much prefer nexus 5/moto x plastic. mUch better.
Camera/camera software is terrible.
Battery is ... at best ok. Using it just as a phone, calls and texts and a bit of whatsapp. Its really good. Using anything else, games, maps etc its awful.
Screen... not bad. Amoled is better though.
Since the new root I have gone from I dont like it to its not a bad little thing. But its not enough.
Im not surprised they are pulling the pin to be honest.

jarayn said:
Mine is going for sure. As soon as S6 comes out (assuming no glaring faults in that)
Its an ugly little phone for starters, the construction choices are poor, glass is not cool. I would much prefer nexus 5/moto x plastic. mUch better.
Camera/camera software is terrible.
Battery is ... at best ok. Using it just as a phone, calls and texts and a bit of whatsapp. Its really good. Using anything else, games, maps etc its awful.
Screen... not bad. Amoled is better though.
Since the new root I have gone from I dont like it to its not a bad little thing. But its not enough.
Im not surprised they are pulling the pin to be honest.
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Click to collapse
Sorry to hear this, but are you sure you are not using an actual brick as phone?
If you have issues with games and maps (maps!) I think you should get your unit checked, might be that it's faulty. On battery life you don't have to take my word, just read any review site that you want and they will tell you that it's among the best (if not the best) that you can get now - get your device checked buddy!

Z2 Worst smart phone?

Out of all the smart phones I have owned since 2009, my experience with the Z2 has probably been the worst. On paper, the phone looks good. Nice big screen, good battery life, nice camera and water and dust proof to boot. In my mind, it beat all of the competitors at the time. The big problem I have found is the terrible software.
Sony seems to be clueless. Each new build introduced new bugs and didn't squash the old ones. Since Lollipop I have had issues with the screen not locking properly. The phone was constantly unlocking itself in my pocket and pocket dialling my contacts. I had to disable tap to unlock and this stopped that but still the phone wont always lock properly. I will have read a text say, close the application and lock the phone. The screen goes dark but a press of the button and it's unlocked again. No swipe of the screen. When you lock it, it should be locked. Typing out texts, sometimes it will freeze for a moment, then catch up with what I typed. I'm not fast at typing or anything. In fact I'm pretty rubbish lol.
The camera isn't great by any means. My old S3 was just as good and took better low light images. I don't think I will ever get a Sony again. It's a shame as my k700i was a great old phone.
Is it just me or does anyone else have issues with the Z2's dodgy software?

I am satisfied except camera performance.

@5nakedoc , i think it's just you...
I never had the phone unlock by itself, never had a pocket call and never disabled tap to unlock either...
Go to settings --> security --> automatically lock --> choose immediately and it should solve the problem of phone not locking right away when you press power button.
Lags? if you have lags the problem is on your side for sure, i have 55gb of stuff on my phone and i run my cpu at 1.5ghz max most of the time, no lags here.
I never used sony keyboard maybe it has bugs, i use swype in all my android phones, zero lag typing on my z2.
About camera...yeah auto mode sucks, manual mode is better, but camera fv-5 is what does the trick for me. Just try other camera apps...

I would hate to know what you think about the rest of the phone as you said the camera is one of your favourite features :/
5nakedoc said:
Build quality
Waterproofing
Noise Cancelling
Large friendly screen
Free Speaker!!!
Magnetic charging dock
Quality Sony case
Two stage camera button
Camera
AR app
Background Blur app
The banana dispenser
OK I lied about the last one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

I don't think an awful lot of it. The software bugs are annoying. That post was just after I got it and before the worst of the bugs began to plague me. Plus the expensive case I bought from Sony direct, failed on two corners and is completely useless now. (Not dropped ever) I think I mentioned that the problems really only started when they updated to Lollipop.
I was unable to locate the setting mentioned above, perhaps you are not running the most recent software but it wasn't where you described or anywhere else that I looked within settings.
Lags may be down to the sheer number of texts I have from that contact. I suspect they number in the thousands. I might try a factory reset when I have an evening spare and see if this helps. I do feel a little sentimental about those texts though but they are backed up to google.

Nope i have not seen any single problm except battery

to me the performance is still a issues even in lollipop update , dont know whether it was android fault or not , i need to restart each 2 days since i can see framedrop which is pretty annoying . Kinda agree , the update also lower the loudness of the speaker , camerawise their superior auto is pretty bad hmm. and my screen sometimes become crazy i dont know before this i dont have this problem i have own z2 since june 2014 , and the problems appear like 2-3 months ago until now.

5nakedoc said:
The phone was constantly unlocking itself in my pocket and pocket dialling my contacts. I had to disable tap to unlock and this stopped that but still the phone wont always lock properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about you turn the phone screen away from your body when you place it in your pocket?

Android version
muhammadnajmi96 said:
to me the performance is still a issues even in lollipop update , dont know whether it was android fault or not , i need to restart each 2 days since i can see framedrop which is pretty annoying . Kinda agree , the update also lower the loudness of the speaker , camerawise their superior auto is pretty bad hmm. and my screen sometimes become crazy i dont know before this i dont have this problem i have own z2 since june 2014 , and the problems appear like 2-3 months ago until now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Najmi,I'm currently running version 5.1.1,i dont have encountered any issues with this version,I'd like to ask at what android version did you start to have these problems?Thank you

Maybe you should try asking for solutions to each of your problems. I don't like Lollipop either. Its been crap on all but nexus phones. Have you the S5? It became a bugs galore with Lollipop. Every non-nexus smartphone had the awake problem and extended power consumption.
I would advise you to go back to KK. Its bug-free.
About the camera, I tried indoor image comparison between both phones in auto-mode (I just got both phones and didnt get the time to properly compare the cameras) and the Z2 was clearly better indoors without lighting. Macros and close shots were also better on Z2. Later on I learnt about the Night Scene Mode in Manual mode. No phone could match Z2 at the time. There was a lot of noise but the pictures had more details than what was visible through the naked eyes. Nowadays phones with manual mode can shoot the same type of photos. But comparing the phones that came with Z2 it was the best.
Oh and I used to get 8 hours SoT in KK in 2 days without any root or such thing.

5nakedoc, I regret being in complete disagreement with you. For me, the Z2 has been one of my most appreciated phones. I bought it with Android 4.1.2 and have been updated since then until 4.4.4. I have not kept updating it more because I have a very useful app to my health insurance does not work with Lollipop.
Certainly, I recognize that the lock-release of Lollipop do not like as much as Kit Kat, but with a Xposed framework and modules in kit kat, I have a super performance, without any problem to lock-unlock, even removing the button emergency call and also the one of the camera.
The Stamina mode gives me an excellent performance during the day, coming to the end of the day with an average of 50-70% of battery, using whatsapp usually.
Also the wifi mode based on location works well, etc.
The camera fully satisfy me, and with an optical zoom could be the summum
What else can I want from a phone?
Perhaps you must keep in Kit kat and forget Lollipop experiences. I think there's most stable with old android versions.

5nakedoc said:
The camera isn't great by any means. My old S3 was just as good and took better low light images.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You dont know to use camera for sure.Look at my pictures from Z2 on my flickr account and you will see how camera is really good.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

The Sony Xperia™ Z2 is one awesome device. If it has cons, it would be the speakers, I guess. But that's all. I've been using it since June 2014 and NEVER got those same problems with you.
Get your phone checked instead of coming here and blabbing about how bad it is.

androidforlyfe said:
Hi Najmi,I'm currently running version 5.1.1,i dont have encountered any issues with this version,I'd like to ask at what android version did you start to have these problems?Thank you
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Since Lollipop of course. Latest one also. Fresh install including formatting both internal and external storage. You should compared kitkat and lollipop. That's why I revert back to Kitkat which give me better battery life and louder speaker.

Totally disagree
5nakedoc said:
Out of all the smart phones I have owned since 2009, my experience with the Z2 has probably been the worst. On paper, the phone looks good. Nice big screen, good battery life, nice camera and water and dust proof to boot. In my mind, it beat all of the competitors at the time. The big problem I have found is the terrible software.
Sony seems to be clueless. Each new build introduced new bugs and didn't squash the old ones. Since Lollipop I have had issues with the screen not locking properly. The phone was constantly unlocking itself in my pocket and pocket dialling my contacts. I had to disable tap to unlock and this stopped that but still the phone wont always lock properly. I will have read a text say, close the application and lock the phone. The screen goes dark but a press of the button and it's unlocked again. No swipe of the screen. When you lock it, it should be locked. Typing out texts, sometimes it will freeze for a moment, then catch up with what I typed. I'm not fast at typing or anything. In fact I'm pretty rubbish lol.
The camera isn't great by any means. My old S3 was just as good and took better low light images. I don't think I will ever get a Sony again. It's a shame as my k700i was a great old phone.
Is it just me or does anyone else have issues with the Z2's dodgy software?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ONLY thing you have proven with your attitude is that old saying ...
"You can't please ALL the people ALL the time."
Aside from being a techie with over 35 years of computer and phone skills, I've been through dozens of smartphones from the original iPhone to my current Sony Z2. I've RARELY kept any of them for more than 6 months. I've jailbroken or rooted every single one of them (except a Sharp which nobody has been able to root).
IMHO, the Sony Z2 is THE BEST smartphone I've ever carried. I'm NOT saying it's perfect. None of them are perfect. However, having carried and compared Apple, HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola and Sharp smartphones, I believe that the Sony Z2 has the BEST screen image quality, color accuracy and camera (excluding the Z5). The photos I've captured with my Z2 are so good, I no longer haul around my expensive Hasselblad equipment when I travel. I've blown up my Sony pics and turned them into life-size pieces of artwork. No other smartphone lets you turn it sideways and keep it charged in a magnetic $4 cradle. Very few smartphones since the original Nexus have the ability to program the notification light with different colors. It even feels like a quality device, not a plastic toy.
Sony has been one of the very few manufacturers that embraces developers like the ones on XDA,
instead of trying to stop us from rooting and customizing our phones.
I'm sorry that you don't have the abilities or desire to resolve your Z2 software dislikes.
I'm currently running Mx ROM V7.70 which has Android 5.1.1 plus lots of Z5 apps
and am not having ANY problems with it. Only complaint are 2 apps he adds which I uninstalled.
I'm so happy with my Z2, I'm even passing up the new Z5 (for now anyway) and may keep my Z2 for a second year.
Glenn
P.S. I also have a Sony Smartwatch 3 and am loving how Google keeps improving Android Wear.
Nexus 7 / Sony Z2 / Teclast X98 Air 3G / iPhone 2S

Yea the z2 is by far my favourite smart phone ever. It may have some minor issues here and there, but all in all, it really is a solid device. I've had it for a year and a half now, and I still don't see any devices that I could justify upgrading to (with the exception of the z3, z4, z5). Every other manufacturer would have some sort of drawback in some way. My z2 does everything I need plus more.

Bull Sh*t. Z2 is one of the best phones. If you compare it with Z3 I think design wise Z3 maybe good but other than that I think Z2 is an amazing device.
Display, Battery Life, Software, everything is perfect. Yes Lollipop actually made the phone to die fast. It's all because of the "Mobile Radio Active bug"
If you talk about Camera it all comes to personal experience. I agree it doesn't do well on Superior Auto mode but it does a great job if you tweak the manual mode and you need to know the stuff you're dealing with.
Then again I think Sony kinda ruined HDR mode but I am okay with it.
I can't use single phone for a good year, I upgrade fast, dude this phone I am using for 2 freaking years now. I am more than happy and I'm actually not pleased with any of the phones which was released this year(maybe because of SD810). @Authi it was released with 4.4.2 not 4.1.2

This phone is awesome are you kidding. My only issue is people are always asking what kind of fancy phone that is. Noone in the US even has any idea that Sony even makes phones even though they like the look of it. This is exactly why Sony is losing money because of no marketing presence.

mrsatan said:
This phone is awesome are you kidding. My only issue is people are always asking what kind of fancy phone that is. Noone in the US even has any idea that Sony even makes phones even though they like the look of it. This is exactly why Sony is losing money because of no marketing presence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. Anyone with an interest in phones that has seen my z2, loves it. Even people I know who don't have an interest, when they see all the pros of it, they still comment asking what kind of phone it is. I've said it from day one. Sony makes an incredible device, it's just that nobody knows about them (in North America at least).

5nakedoc said:
Out of all the smart phones I have owned since 2009, my experience with the Z2 has probably been the worst. On paper, the phone looks good. Nice big screen, good battery life, nice camera and water and dust proof to boot. In my mind, it beat all of the competitors at the time. The big problem I have found is the terrible software.
Sony seems to be clueless. Each new build introduced new bugs and didn't squash the old ones. Since Lollipop I have had issues with the screen not locking properly. The phone was constantly unlocking itself in my pocket and pocket dialling my contacts. I had to disable tap to unlock and this stopped that but still the phone wont always lock properly. I will have read a text say, close the application and lock the phone. The screen goes dark but a press of the button and it's unlocked again. No swipe of the screen. When you lock it, it should be locked. Typing out texts, sometimes it will freeze for a moment, then catch up with what I typed. I'm not fast at typing or anything. In fact I'm pretty rubbish lol.
The camera isn't great by any means. My old S3 was just as good and took better low light images. I don't think I will ever get a Sony again. It's a shame as my k700i was a great old phone.
Is it just me or does anyone else have issues with the Z2's dodgy software?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have owned a Galaxy S3 before my XPERIA Z2 (and before the Galaxy S3 I owned the x10i). The Samsung phone (not a fanboy of Sony here) was my worst phone EVER. It was faster than my XPERIA x10i, yeah, but I can't relate to anything you say. My XPERIA has NEVER unlocked out of nothing, even with tap to unlock (I know this feature can cause automatic unlocks in your pockets for example). My camera is much and much better than the Galaxy S3. Battery life is also much better. My S3 couldn't hold out a full day, my XPERIA can reach up to 2 days. Freezing? Well it never freezed here only by a faulty third party app.
And you're saying the phone is full of new bugs each update? Which bugs? I haven't seen any major bugs, only on that crappy slow Galaxy, which was freezing all the time because of the heavy Touchwiz software that was running. Okay, I'm exaggerating with all the time, but you know how frustrating it is since your XPERIA has been freezing too. But I haven't experienced one of the problems you describe, my girlfriend owns the XPERIA Z2 too, and she hasn't experienced it too.
I think the source of the problems is you and not the phone and the software that is pre-installed on the phone. Don't take this as a personal attack, because it isn't one.
Cheers.

How reliable is the Oneplus One now? (March 2016)

After weathering the storm of chaos as huge crowds rushed to get the One, hearing countless horror stories of failing phones and terrible support, and waiting for (hopefully) all hardware problems to rear their ugly faces, I'm at a loss now--in March 2016--as to whether or not buying a used phone, said to work perfectly by the seller and has been tested enough by natural selection, would be a good idea if I can only return DOAs.
I'm calling on everyone here not to post just epic sob-stories; instead, if you had an issue (hardware, software, firmware, or other) please post what it was, when it showed up (how much use, any possible user error that may have caused it), whether it was fixed (and if it was, what it was fixed by), how long it lasted, what ROM/software version you were on, and any other important info.
Thanks so much in advance; I really like the specs and the original reviews, but just can't be sure if it got back up after falling flat right out of the gate.

I got a oneplus one. I love it!. Soon as I got i t I rooted and flashed CM13. NO ISSUES WITH IT AT ALL.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

dreamwave said:
After weathering the storm of chaos as huge crowds rushed to get the One, hearing countless horror stories of failing phones and terrible support, and waiting for (hopefully) all hardware problems to rear their ugly faces, I'm at a loss now--in March 2016--as to whether or not buying a used phone, said to work perfectly by the seller and has been tested enough by natural selection, would be a good idea if I can only return DOAs.
I'm calling on everyone here not to post just epic sob-stories; instead, if you had an issue (hardware, software, firmware, or other) please post what it was, when it showed up (how much use, any possible user error that may have caused it), whether it was fixed (and if it was, what it was fixed by), how long it lasted, what ROM/software version you were on, and any other important info.
Thanks so much in advance; I really like the specs and the original reviews, but just can't be sure if it got back up after falling flat right out of the gate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nearly 2 years and no regrets..

I only got this phone at the end of 2015 and I haven't regretted a bit, ever. It's an amazing phone, I never had any problem with it. The metal around the screen is the only thing that wears out, it's not awful but it as some scratches, and I'm very careful. Believe me, for the price, this is still the best budget phone you can get

I have the ability to get it for as low as $180 here in the US. I know that is quite a good deal compared to the original price, but with the OPX having been released with similar specs and such I'm not quite sure I fully grasp whether or not this price is a steal, or just a good bargain. Thoughts?

Absolutely hate it. I regret trading my Nexus 6 for it. My data has been spotty and I keep getting random reboots. Today, I was using the GPS and Google Maps lost the ability to connect to my phone's mobile data during the commute. Completely overshot my destination, thanks OnePlus!

billybobchongo said:
Absolutely hate it. I regret trading my Nexus 6 for it. My data has been spotty and I keep getting random reboots. Today, I was using the GPS and Google Maps lost the ability to connect to my phone's mobile data during the commute. Completely overshot my destination, thanks OnePlus!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When it comes to data, I'm not too worried as I use tracfone (so I'm not really used to the convenience of data on the go) and have great coverage around here--unless it is so significantly worse than the Nexus 6 so as to cause a steady 3-4 bars on one to equal intermittent service on the other.
For the random reboots, when did they start? What ROM? When do they happen?

dreamwave said:
I have the ability to get it for as low as $180 here in the US. I know that is quite a good deal compared to the original price, but with the OPX having been released with similar specs and such I'm not quite sure I fully grasp whether or not this price is a steal, or just a good bargain. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On paper, the OnePlus One and OnePlus X may seem similar, but it's only so much.
The OPO features (as compared to the OPX)
> a higher-tier variant of the Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC) @ 2.5ghz
> a larger 5.5in LTPS (IPS LCD) display (screen size is subjective, some people prefer smaller)
> better band support for US Carriers (the OPX lacks necessary bands)
> a better rear-facing camera (capable of 4K DCI/UHD recording) and can be vastly improved with Sultan's modifications
> WIFI AC + Dual band (2.4/5.0ghz)
> a larger 3100mah battery
> NFC (the OPX doesn't have NFC, seriously)
But most importantly, the OPO is sustained by one of the largest dev communities ever, right here at XDA. Even after OnePlus/Cyanogen discontinues official support for the device, the community will keep it alive and strong for a VERY long time. The OPX lacks this kind of love and support. Unsurprisingly, OnePlus themselves seem to be neglecting the OPX.
The OPX features (as compared to the OPO)
> a more portable 5in AMOLED display
> a better front-facing camera
I might sound biased, but that is justified by everything I've just listed. It's clear who's the winner here.
Spec sheets for reference:
http://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_one-6327.php
http://www.gsmarena.com/oneplus_x-7630.php

JimJ2Mz said:
On paper, ... camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the insight. I kind of wonder why it's so cheap when it's so competitive with other phones of the time. The Galaxy s5 seems to go, used, for between $250-300 while the OPO goes for between 200-225 normally. I get that last generation phones can go down in price, but it seemed unexpected that it didn't even out to pretty much the same used price as most of those other phones. I was just thinking there must be something I was missing.

dreamwave said:
I kind of wonder why it's so cheap when it's so competitive with other phones of the time. The Galaxy s5 seems to go, used, for between $250-300 while the OPO goes for between 200-225 normally. I get that last generation phones can go down in price, but it seemed unexpected that it didn't even out to pretty much the same used price as most of those other phones. I was just thinking there must be something I was missing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is expected. The Galaxy S5 is a Samsung device and as with all popular brands, these devices can go for a high price, from when they're released to even a few years later.
The OnePlus One was OnePlus' very first device and it was named "The Flagship Killer" for a reason- that reason being it had the same specs as popular flagship devices (ie. Galaxy S5, Xperia Z3, HTC One M8) but costed much less than they did. This is why the OPO, new or used, continues to be sold for lower than any other popular flagship device.
As a note, OnePlus claims that they barely made any profit at the time due to selling the OPO for such a low price, but they actually had a lot of backup from their overseeing company, OPPO.
Trust me (and everyone here), the OPO is still an amazing device. Everything about it screams high quality.

dreamwave said:
When it comes to data, I'm not too worried as I use tracfone (so I'm not really used to the convenience of data on the go) and have great coverage around here--unless it is so significantly worse than the Nexus 6 so as to cause a steady 3-4 bars on one to equal intermittent service on the other.
For the random reboots, when did they start? What ROM? When do they happen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Running Sultan's CM13 - had similar issues with CM12. Switched to CM13 because Sultan was actively developing it. Tried other roms but I didn't like them as much as Sultan's rom. Charging is also atrocious - 2 hours to go from 10% to 100% with the stock cable and charger.
The funny thing is, I had full bars and data, GMaps just couldn't connect until I restarted the phone.
I had three reboots in the past hour. One with the phone laying on my desk. Another while scrolling through GroupMe. The final after I took a screenshot of my lockscreen. I don't use xposed or any other customization app.

Best phone ever released till date, we can edit ANDROID to the core.. I am using since aug 2014, only thing i regret is camera compared to todays phones but even it lives it up to the mark

well!! it is reliable enough ...

I've had this device since November 2014 and going strong. This device is one of the best purchases I've ever made in terms of a device. Unless I cause damage to it or there are new band support that's needed in the near future, I might actually try to keep this device until end of 2017.
I've really have had no issues with this phone, probably my only real gripe is the lack of OIS support.
You really can't go wrong with the OnePlus One.

Being a phone junkie, I jumped at the chance for a flagship killer, and do not regret it. Looking at all the phones we have today, this one still stacks up great, and outperforms my buddies lg v10 (which was what I was going to get, but couldn't justify the price) in a lot of areas (mostly stupid golf games), though all his hardware is top notch.
This device is affordable, and still runs as smooth as day one. Dev community awesome. I had the slight yellow tinge when it first came out, but it's gone. I had another friend of mine buy the op2 just cause he liked my phone so much but wanted the dual Sim...
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

I'm looking to jump back in with a OPO after a year, has the touch screen issue been addressed? I had the issue on two OPO's. Very great device otherwise!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

MiguelSassoon said:
I'm looking to jump back in with a OPO after a year, has the touch screen issue been addressed? I had the issue on two OPO's. Very great device otherwise!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was one of the things I was wondering: there were a lot of people having problems with the touchscreen, they apparently had a firmware fix but I still saw some reports of problems afterwards. Haven't seen any recently, but no real discussion about what was the issue, whether there were some people with hardware problems AND some people with firmware problems or if there were just firmware problems. I think I might have seen something on their forums but I honestly don't trust that place with the reports of censorship and all the fanboys dismissing problems.
EDIT: Just found this thread that describes what causes the issue. Definitely an involved process, but at least it suggests a problem other than just faulty-digitizer roulette. I hate the lengths that Oneplus goes to to try and hide this kind of thing. They could gain a lot more support if they were just transparent about their fumbles and mistakes instead of trying to sweep stuff under the rug and waiting for it to create a scandal.

dreamwave said:
That was one of the things I was wondering: there were a lot of people having problems with the touchscreen, they apparently had a firmware fix but I still saw some reports of problems afterwards. Haven't seen any recently, but no real discussion about what was the issue, whether there were some people with hardware problems AND some people with firmware problems or if there were just firmware problems. I think I might have seen something on their forums but I honestly don't trust that place with the reports of censorship and all the fanboys dismissing problems.
EDIT: Just found this thread that describes what causes the issue. Definitely an involved process, but at least it suggests a problem other than just faulty-digitizer roulette. I hate the lengths that Oneplus goes to to try and hide this kind of thing. They could gain a lot more support if they were just transparent about their fumbles and mistakes instead of trying to sweep stuff under the rug and waiting for it to create a scandal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I remember reading about that .. Hoping they fixed the issue as I'm contemplating purchasing one new from OnePlus.

Just wanted to follow-up on my post from yesterday, OP.
I'm now on rooted stock COS12.1 - latest update, as of yesterday night. Only rooted apps I use are AdAway and TiBu (might not justify root tbh haha). But it's still not that great. The phone was definitely much smoother with Sultan's rom, with occasional hiccups. Just tried to do a raid in COC and the phone went unresponsive until I locked the screen but I had to resort to rebooting to make it actually work. It actually froze on the "rebooting" screen and I had to hard reboot.
For reference, I've had the phone since September 2015 and have been holding out for this year's Nexus but I might have to bite the bullet and pick up the 6P. My phone timeline is as follows: LG MyTouch, HTC Sensation 4G, Moto G 1st Gen, Nexus 6 and OnePlus One. Favorites have been Moto G and Nexus 6.

buy opo, leave opx....look around here on developments for both devices and u know why i say opo

Why shouldn't you buy a Galaxy S6

First, I'll tell you a story. So, a year ago my old Sony Xperia U broke, it refused to boot and had a broken screen. My dad told me and my brother to get in the car because we're going to get us new phones. When we arrived to the nearest T-Mobile center me and my brother went on to search for a new phone and my brother liked the Z3 and I thought that the S6 was better. So, I decided that I want sn S6 so my brother also wanted one. We both got an S6 and went out of the store. Fast forward to about 2 or 3 months ago. When I got home from school, I picked up my phone to go read some news on AA. I tried to fire it up, but it wouldn't. I let it charge for 10 mins and when I took it out of the charger it was boiling hot. I left it to cool down. When I again tried to boot it up, it showed the Galaxy S6 logo and then a loud beep and then a screen off and nothing. Later that week me and my mom took it to the repair shop. The diagnosed the problem after 5 mins and said that there's a problem with my motherboard and that it only occurs with Samsung devices. They also said that there are two fixes, the first one would be to let it be on charge for a day or two and the second one would be to replace the motherboard. I took my phone home and let it charge for about a day. When I took it of the charger it was working! Fast forward to about a week ago. Again, there was a problem with my phone. It was suffering from extreme lag and unresponsivnes. We again took it to the repair shop and the told us that my phone has a big software problem and that they should be able to fix it. I gave them my phone and they said that we should return after an hour. So we did, and my phone was working.
Now, I'll list a few reasons why shouldn't you buy a Galaxy S6 or any other Samsung phone:
1. Touchwiz UI
There are 2 groups regarding Touchwiz; Ones who like it and ones who don't. I, personally, would rather be in the 2nd group. The first group will always say how Touchwiz is beutiful and cool, has vibrant and live colors, icons are great and all that stuff. The other group says Touchwiz is cartoonish, unpolished, not clean and bloated. While Touchwiz may look good, it certainly isn't as good as some other UIs. For an example, take Sony, their UI may be a little too robust, but it's nice to keep it as stock as possible.
2. Bloatware
Samsung's used to put a heck of a lot apps on their deivces, but they really shouldn't, because many people don't use these apps and whle they may be useful they are still bloatware apps. If you count all the packages that Galaxy S6 or S7 has, you'll get a number that's around 300-320, if you take a Nexus 6P, you'll see that it only has around 90-110 packages.
3. Huge battery drain
I don't know if you noticed or not, but in the new MM update, Doze doesn't work for many people. Try and see, it won't amaze you. And, I had to do some crazy stuff to get it to work, trust me, it's not that easy.
4. Lack of features
While Samsung may put all those cool and new features in their apps, they don't put any cool system features, like double-tap to wake or sleep or anything like that and that really annoys me and that's just not cool.
5. Incompatibility
This one is the most horrible one. I hate Exynos proccessors, they all use closed-source drivers, so no cool custom AOSP stuff is coming soon to the Exynos phones.
ROM developers that want to use the AOSP or CyanogenOS base, they have to code the drivers themselves. It's not a huge problem with Qualcomm proccessors, because they I think provide the drivers.

I know, i Wisch i had bought a Nexus.... but i've solved The Problem and i could Flash The Rom but than When i will boot there cames The Messege that The Kernel is not seandroid enforcing. Do you know what i have made false?
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i love Touchwiz UI
i love samsung galaxy software feature which you call Bloatware
battery is ok not very good for heavy use
you missed all the good points about the phone which easily outweighs all the bad points you found in the phone.
i find Nexus stock ROM boring unless you root and intstall custom ROMs

stock android is way behind on the feature front compared to the samsung phones you really dont need to root or install custom roms because most of the features you want are already there. yes the battery isnt that great but you can charge it 0 to 70 percent in 30 min. its one of the last good phones with IR blaster in it. it has a pretty loud speaker (louder than the s7). the chip might be exynos but it sure runs quick.

Every user experience is different as I see it, I've had this phone 10 months now, apart from the battery which could be a few more hours better it's been more than enough for me. Performance has been great, the only times I've had lag is when I've experimented with kernel changes otherwise my daily setup has been great, I very rarely reboot my phone, only when the battery has died or I'm flashing something in recovery. But like I said the points that you brought up are ambiguous, everyone's experience is going to be different.

flahyboy said:
I know, i Wisch i had bought a Nexus.... but i've solved The Problem and i could Flash The Rom but than When i will boot there cames The Messege that The Kernel is not seandroid enforcing. Do you know what i have made false?
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a few reasons why this is happening:
1. You're not unlocked
2. Your bootloader isn't up to date
3. You don't have a custom kernel
4. Your phone model isn't correct
5. Your processor may not be compatible

Now its exacly the contary
It's BECAUSE my Bootloader is up to date. The cm 13 does not support android 6.0.1 bootloader so i had to to a downgrade to android 5.1.1 and flash again now its working on my own build
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1) It's not difficult to Google or look up YouTube videos on how TouchWiz operates.
2) See #1.
3) Agreed, for some reason the S6 and S6A have a huge drain that limits the screen on time to about a third of what it should be.
4) "...like double-tap to wake or sleep or anything like that and that really annoys me and that's just not cool."
"Just not cool?" Jesus Christ.
5) See #1.
How old are you?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My first and last Samsung. Never again.

Every mobile on the market has its own pros and cons. I have never been a fanboy of Samsung and I never will be, matter of fact, I judge the devices not the OEM.
Coming to S6, I believe it's been a ground breaking device for Samsung, I have been using it for the last one year without any major issues. And all the issues listed in the OP like Touchwiz, Bloatware are well documented and you will know about them once you do proper research before purchase. If you had bought Xperia Z3, you would have been talking about the SD810 and its overheating issues, again well documented, so no mobile is perfect.
My two cents.
EDIT: having said all, my next device will most probably be a Nexus device, or may be Motorola.

tchsvy said:
Every mobile on the market has its own pros and cons. I have never been a fanboy of Samsung and I never will be, matter of fact, I judge the devices not the OEM.
Coming to S6, I believe it's been a ground breaking device for Samsung, I have been using it for the last one year without any major issues. And all the issues listed in the OP like Touchwiz, Bloatware are well documented and you will know about them once you do proper research before purchase. If you had bought Xperia Z3, you would have been talking about the SD810 and its overheating issues, again well documented, so no mobile is perfect.
My two cents.
EDIT: having said all, my next device will most probably be a Nexus device, or may be Motorola.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why Moto? They just stated that they will not commit to monthly Android security updates and will only do major updates. That alone woukd make me avoid them nomatter how nice their devices are!
And what are the chances ot major updates now that they ate owned by Lenovo which also has many other phones. Companies with smaller amount of hardware for sale tend to be better with OS updates.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm gonna go through with each of your five points:
1. Touchwiz UI
There are 2 groups regarding Touchwiz; Ones who like it and ones who don't. I, personally, would rather be in the 2nd group. The first group will always say how Touchwiz is beutiful and cool, has vibrant and live colors, icons are great and all that stuff. The other group says Touchwiz is cartoonish, unpolished, not clean and bloated. While Touchwiz may look good, it certainly isn't as good as some other UIs. For an example, take Sony, their UI may be a little too robust, but it's nice to keep it as stock as possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you even tried using Good Lock? Ever since installing it, it's taken almost every single complaint I've had against TouchWiz and thrown it out the window.
2. Bloatware
Samsung's used to put a heck of a lot apps on their deivces, but they really shouldn't, because many people don't use these apps and whle they may be useful they are still bloatware apps. If you count all the packages that Galaxy S6 or S7 has, you'll get a number that's around 300-320, if you take a Nexus 6P, you'll see that it only has around 90-110 packages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're comparing a Nexus device to a non-stock device. Everything on the Nexus 6P is Google because it's made by Google. Plus, using a custom ROM like XtreStoLite, I have about 118 apps, including the ones I've installed.
3. Huge battery drain
I don't know if you noticed or not, but in the new MM update, Doze doesn't work for many people. Try and see, it won't amaze you. And, I had to do some crazy stuff to get it to work, trust me, it's not that easy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My battery life lasts for 3 days without a charge with light usage, and about a day with heavy usage. I've literally had zero problems with doze.
4. Lack of features
While Samsung may put all those cool and new features in their apps, they don't put any cool system features, like double-tap to wake or sleep or anything like that and that really annoys me and that's just not cool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DT2W and such are really gimmicky. Coming from my HTC One M8, the majority of the time, trying to wake the device by tapping on the screen didn't work. Plus, you can always get a flip cover which turns on when flipped open and off when flipped close.
5. Incompatibility
This one is the most horrible one. I hate Exynos proccessors, they all use closed-source drivers, so no cool custom AOSP stuff is coming soon to the Exynos phones.
ROM developers that want to use the AOSP or CyanogenOS base, they have to code the drivers themselves. It's not a huge problem with Qualcomm proccessors, because they I think provide the drivers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Part of it has to do with Exynos, yes. A bigger part of it has to do with no developer interest. Since we don't have arter97 working on his amazing kernel anymore, we've lost an amazing developer. If The Sickness leaves, we're likely going to not have any custom kernel development anymore. Exynos devices have gotten AOSP support before, and it is being worked on for the G92x series. Also, as a note, Qualcomm and the like don't provide their driver SOURCE, they provide the binaries only, basically the same as Samsung.
I, for one, really like the S6, even coming from devices which have better AOSP support or that are even Nexus devices. Everybody who's here for the most part loves this phone. It's fast, powerful, and beautiful. But certainly, it's not the right device for everybody, especially if they expect day one CyanogenMod support.

LNJ said:
Why Moto? They just stated that they will not commit to monthly Android security updates and will only do major updates. That alone woukd make me avoid them nomatter how nice their devices are!
And what are the chances ot major updates now that they ate owned by Lenovo which also has many other phones. Companies with smaller amount of hardware for sale tend to be better with OS updates.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Moto for near stock experience and YES, fast updates. I know that it's different Motorola altogether after being acquired by Lenovo, but I believe the Moto team is still there with them, which gives a little glimpse of hope. But, yes it's definitely a concern though. But for me good thing is, my S6 is doing good (touchwood) and I most probably will not need a mobile device as of now. By the time I am into market, I really hope there is a clear picture where Motorola/Lenovo is heading with the updates and support. I have experimented with chinese OEMs like Xiaomi, OnePlus for few months and I absolutely loved the value for money factor they offer. But, on the software side, they are not as stable as established OEMs, don't get me wrong, MIUI or Cyanogen were great, but a bug will pop up from nowhere, more frequently than not.

Lack of features ? Is this a joke ?
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