Questions regarding ze500kl and ZENui and ASUS in general - Zenfone 2 Laser Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So I have here lots of questions
1. Other say that the camera of ze500kl is 13mp, other say 8mp. Which is true? Moreover, is the camera quality and laser autofocus worth it for the price?
2. I know that ZENui is plagued by bloatwares and is visually unattractive. Are there any good themes for zenui (preferrably material themes) and does zenui make the phone sluggish? is it laggy?
3. Any feature missing from stock android? Any useful added "zen" feature?
4. Is asus good with the dev community? Do they have a nice record of releasing timely updates and bug fix?
5. Is ze500kl good value for money?
6. Is the bootloader unlockable?

1) you must check the second part of the model name or the product code to be sure what hardware has the phone. My phone for example is:
complete model name: ZE500KL-1A224WW
product code: 90AZ00E1-M02250
you must google for the product code (or complete model name) and see if the official ASUS store and/or all the other stores report the same hardware specifications for that phone, so you will know what you are exactly buying.
2) I still don't know about themes, but ZenUI doesn't seem laggy, and you can disable most of the bloatware (you can also root easily the phone and disable what you want).
3) probably the only missing feature from stock android is the simpler configuration. ZenUI has many features that raises the complexity of the configurations.
4) No. Latest firmware for ZE500KL has been released in mid January (build in December). Since then many people have problems like the non-working GPS but at the time no updates (see the official ZenTalk forum). Also, it's still using Android 5.0.2 and no info when upgrading to future versions.
5) Surely yes if you are a regular user. And if you don't consider chinese brands like Xiaomi.
6) Not at the moment. I hope it will be in the near future and custom ROMs will come out, or I will sell my ZE500KL.

Related

Face-to-face with Flyme's System Manager

We are going to introduce several important members of Flyme. And the first issue of this series would be----- face to face Q&A with the System Development Manager --- Pony Chou.
Introduction:
Pony Chou, joined Meizu in 2007, is one of the key developers of Flyme. After several years of hardworking and brilliant performance, he became the Technical Director of Flyme in 2013. And this year, after a major department structure adjustment inside Flyme, he is appointed as the general manager of Flyme System Development.
(FF would be Flyme Forum)
FF: Hi Pony, thank you for your time to do this interview. I think most of our forum users are not that familiar with your work, can you briefly describe your work so that they can know a little more?
Pony: OK. Greetings to all Flyme Forum users. As you can see now I am the general manager of Flyme System Development, which means my main job is to make Flyme a better system, to lead the team --- actually we have several teams for different system modules --- to build a system that is more smooth, stable and power-saving.
FF: That sounds an incredibly complicated job. What part did you work on, when you first join Meizu?
Pony: Well, like everybody else, I started with the very basic work, coding, solving bugs... When I joined the project of Flyme, I was in charge of the multi-media part, like music, video, etc. And after 2 years I was shifted to do the system frameworks and apps, and after that I was appointed to supervise this whole Flyme project.
FF: As Flyme's technical director?
Pony: Yes.
FF: So, I got a few questions about Flyme that are concerned by our forum users. The first one would be when Flyme 5 is going to rollout Android 6?
Pony: The new models which will be released in 2016 will all built on Androd 6.
FF: And what about those models before 2016? Will Flyme provide an update?
Pony: I think for previous models, the main task for Flyme is to keep the firmware as stable and smooth as possible. Android 6 has not much modifications or highlights in functions. Some functions sucn as permission control, fingerprint, fast charge, etc are actually already acheived on Flyme 5. If we cannot upgrade to Android 6, we'll do our best to add more features to Flyme to compensate that.
FF: That's really exciting. Then when would Flyme 5 be available for models other than MX5 and PRO 5?
Pony: We actually have done it in Chinese mainland, but for global version, we need to do more testing for compatibility and performance. So please feel assured because Flyme 5 WILL be available for every device after MX4.
FF: So MX4 and MX4 Pro are also getting Flyme 5?
Pony: Yes. It might take longer time, but it will be available for these two models.
FF: As long as we are here, I think many users would have the same confusion as mine: why global version is always way too behind the Chinese version?
Pony: Flyme was not that internationalized before, but as we are getting more and more users around the globe, we have to consider more about users outside China. Thus for every version that is going to be released, we have to test the compatibility first. We got many feedbacks that some apps are not working properly on Flyme, that's the issue we're going to fix here. And also, we need time to translate the system languages.
FF: So will it still be several months gap between A and G versions?
Pony: There will be, but much closer. This year we're trying to release G version only 1 month later than A version.
FF: That's great. Our users will be delighted.
FF: There is another issue related to upgrading. What is the updating cycle for every device model?
Pony: You mean Flyme monthly or weekly firmware upgrading?
FF: No I mean after a model is released, how long will Flyme provide upgrade for each model?
Pony: Well, it is safe to say that we guarantee the updating for each model will at least last 24 months.
FF: So the models get upgrades in at least 2 years. What about the open source issue of Flyme? A lot of users were asking about that, will Flyme be open-sourced?
Pony: The kernel code will be released, but the Flyme part will not be open-sourced. We are an OS with system-level customization, it's not likely to open the source code.
FF: Flyme did adaptations for other brands, will we be doing that in the future?
Pony: Yes, on some popular devices such as Samsung, OnePlus, Mi or other brands.
FF: About the Flyme versions, what's the differences between A and G version, or IN version?
Pony: The system features are basically the same. What's different is the content provided in each version. Right now we have few multi-media content in G or IN version, but we are now contacting international content providers, try to bring more services to our users.
FF: Then compare to other smartphone operating systems, what do you think is the highlight of Flyme?
Pony: The first impression of most users is that Flyme is very light colored, and the visual design is nicer than most of the other operating systems. And for the perfomance, Flyme, especially Flyme 5 is really smooth and some users joked that it's so smooth it does not resemble any previous Meizu or Flyme product. And the features are easy to grasp, users can learn it instantly because the interactions are also very simple but effective.
FF: Thanks for your patient answers, one more, we know that Meizu will be having a launch event in India around April, will we be expecting your attendance?
Pony: I might. Maybe I can be a mysterious guest among all the fans.
FF: Great! Can you say something to our forum users?
Pony: Thanks for continually contributing to this forum and to Flyme. We'll listen to you, and cherish every feedback and suggestion. Flyme will be better! Thank you.
FF: Thank you, Pony.
Source: FlymeOS Forum
Are you a member of FlymeOS Forum or a member of meizu company?
From the interview I understand that all the devices before 2016 will not have Marshmallow!

[Discussion] Project Treble

To all those who want to know more about Project Treble please use this thread to discuss about it.
What is Project Treble?
Ans. Treble is the most significant low-level change to the Android platform to date. To simplify heavily, it separates the vendor implementation from the Android framework in an effort to avoid lengthy waits for updates. . Let’s break things down a bit more:
The full update process to bring a new Android version to devices is a long and complex topic.
The “vendor” usually refers to silicon-manufacturers such as Qualcomm, but can also refer to the maker of any other proprietary hardware found in a device. The “device maker” or “OEM” usually needs to wait for the vendor to update their code so the proprietary hardware works with the Android OS framework in a newer version of Android.
However, what is happening with Project Treble is that Google is requiring that any vendor-specific code be separated from the Android OS framework and instead live in its own vendor implementation. Usually this means that there is now a separate /vendor partition on Treble-enabled smartphones that contains a bunch of HALs (Hardware Abstraction Layers).
Furthermore, vendors must implement code that lets the Android OS framework communicate with HALs in a standardized way. This is done via HIDL (HAL Interface Definition Language). With this in place, an OEM can work on an Android update without having to wait on vendors to update their HALs. Theoretically, this should speed up the entire Android update process as vendors can update their code at any time through the Play Store.
For indepth information check out this pagehttps://www.androidauthority.com/project-treble-818225/
Devices with Treble support:
- Essential PH-1
- Google Pixel
- Google Pixel XL
- HTC U11 Plus
- Huawei Honor 8 Pro
- Huawei Mate 9
- Huawei Mate 10 Pro
- Sony Xperia XZ1
- Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
- Asus Zenfone 4 (ZE554KL)
- Honor V10
- Huawei P10/ P10 Plus
Devices which will ship with Android 8.0 Oreo will be Treble compatible by default.
Older devices will become treble compatible if the OEM creates a vendor partition via OTA update, like the Honor 8 Pro.
Custom Roms:
As of now @phhusson is working hard to make his AOSP rom boot as a fully functional rom on all the Treble supported devices, go check out the rom thread here https://forum.xda-developers.com/pr...evelopment/experimental-phh-treble-t3709659"]
Check Treble Compability
Open a terminal app on your device and simply type the following command:
getprop ro.treble.enabled
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it returns a boolean value true, your device supports Treble and if false it doesn’t.
[NOTE: New devices with Treble support are launching so its not possible for me to update the supported device list, so they'll not make their name on my list, but you can surely ask about your device on the discussion thread]
My understanding of Treble is, from the *big picture* anyway, that the responsibility for hardware access shifts from Google to the individual device mfgs.
The hope for us is that new versions of Android can be distributed much more rapidly, because testing of new hardware (or changes to existing hdw) won't have to wait for the new OS to be done, and that the interface to the hdw will be separate from the OS.
Another hope would be that a devices 'life span' would increase? (or at least stay current longer).
AsItLies said:
My understanding of Treble is, from the *big picture* anyway, that the responsibility for hardware access shifts from Google to the individual device mfgs.
The hope for us is that new versions of Android can be distributed much more rapidly, because testing of new hardware (or changes to existing hdw) won't have to wait for the new OS to be done, and that the interface to the hdw will be separate from the OS.
Another hope would be that a devices 'life span' would increase? (or at least stay current longer).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Treble means separating the vendor source from the software source, the treble devices will have a separate vendor partition, in which the vendor source will be. Now the manufacturers will only require to make the Software bug free so that the user dosent face any problems in day to day usage. From @phhussons AOSP treble rom we can get a clear picture that by separating the vendor source, the Treble based AOSP roms will run on any Treble compatible device regardless of the SOC/hardware configuration.
venom928 said:
Treble means separating the vendor source from the software source, the treble devices will have a separate vendor partition, in which the vendor source will be. <snip>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah yes that makes sense, it's not only the hardware source (vendor specific), it's also the vendors software (their mods and bloatware) that will be in the separate partition.
It really does sound as though this should speed up the time it takes for users to get updates of all kinds. It also seems pretty certain, non-Treble enabled devices will fall by the wayside. Doesn't seem there's any way around that?
AsItLies said:
Ah yes that makes sense, it's not only the hardware source (vendor specific), it's also the vendors software (their mods and bloatware) that will be in the separate partition.
It really does sound as though this should speed up the time it takes for users to get updates of all kinds. It also seems pretty certain, non-Treble enabled devices will fall by the wayside. Doesn't seem there's any way around that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For non-treble devices the only way is that the OEMs must release an OTA update which will create a separate Vendor partition, but OEMs won't do(except some recent flagships) that bcz they want sales of newer devices with Treble support. As far as time is concerned, suppose it takes 2-3months for an OEM to build a fully bug free update, but it will require 3-4weeks for the OEM to build that same update
venom928 said:
For non-treble devices the only way is that the OEMs must release an OTA update which will create a separate Vendor partition
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it seems the consensus is that mfg's won't risk bricking the phones by doing that kind of an OTA update? We'll see fairly soon what they'll do with the older devices.
It's good that google is calling the shots with this and is insisting new Oreo devices have it. It's bad though that devices just a few months old that cost mucho bucks may go without it.
AsItLies said:
Yes, it seems the consensus is that mfg's won't risk bricking the phones by doing that kind of an OTA update? We'll see fairly soon what they'll do with the older devices.
It's good that google is calling the shots with this and is insisting new Oreo devices have it. It's bad though that devices just a few months old that cost mucho bucks may go without it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The honor 8 pro got Treble via OTA because it was one of the best selling device, but some OEMs will prefer not to do that so that customers will shift to newer devices. Like OnePlus could have easily added Treble to atleast 5/5T but they thought of not doing it, just depends upon the OEM
venom928 said:
The honor 8 pro got Treble via OTA because it was one of the best selling device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, I did not know that, thanks. I better read more of the Treble threads to keep up to date
AsItLies said:
Wow, I did not know that, thanks. I better read more of the Treble threads to keep up to date
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep surely
Mate 9 as well
AsItLies said:
Wow, I did not know that, thanks. I better read more of the Treble threads to keep up to date
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate 9 got treble as well with the Oreo update, major repartitioning as well.
revjamescarver said:
Mate 9 got treble as well with the Oreo update, major repartitioning as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate 9 is in the list bro, check OP
revjamescarver said:
Mate 9 got treble as well with the Oreo update, major repartitioning as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Neighbor. Huawei is rapidly moving to the top of my list of phone mfg to buy. It doesn't look like the kirin processors have much los support, but with treble... well, it seems previous prerequisites are being turned upside down.
For sure, when one evaluates (buying) a phone, many factors are relevant. But for most (if not all) of us, how long the phone will stay up to date is probably at the top of that list.
Hope the other mfg's follow Huawei's lead here, else we'll have a lot of recently mfg phones with outdated sftwr soon.
AsItLies said:
Thanks Neighbor. Huawei is rapidly moving to the top of my list of phone mfg to buy. It doesn't look like the kirin processors have much los support, but with treble... well, it seems previous prerequisites are being turned upside down.
For sure, when one evaluates (buying) a phone, many factors are relevant. But for most (if not all) of us, how long the phone will stay up to date is probably at the top of that list.
Hope the other mfg's follow Huawei's lead here, else we'll have a lot of recently mfg phones with outdated sftwr soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huawei is the 3rd most fastest growing OEM after Apple and Samsung. What stops me from buying a Honor Device is the Kirin SOC and apps like Google Camera port dosent work on the devices except devices with Snapdragon SOC, so will wait for a device with the specs like the Mi A1 and a 18:9 display
venom928 said:
Huawei is the 3rd most fastest growing OEM after Apple and Samsung. What stops me from buying a Honor Device is the Kirin SOC and apps like Google Camera port dosent work on the devices except devices with Snapdragon SOC, so will wait for a device with the specs like the Mi A1 and a 18:9 display
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very good point. So even with Treble, which SOC (the phone has) will still be relevant in some respects. I have a G6 and think a wide angle lens is da bomb, but could easily do without all the glass 'bling'.
Kirin SoC
venom928 said:
Huawei is the 3rd most fastest growing OEM after Apple and Samsung. What stops me from buying a Honor Device is the Kirin SOC and apps like Google Camera port dosent work on the devices except devices with Snapdragon SOC, so will wait for a device with the specs like the Mi A1 and a 18:9 display
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing at all wrong with the Kirin SoC, performance is on par with the Qualcomm SoC, only real downfall is that Huawei doesn't sell the Kirin to other oems, otherwise it would be more widespread. The Kirin 970 with its built in NPU and and gigabit LTE modem is going to give the Qualcomm 835/845 a run for their money. Of course the port of the new Google camera app is not going to give you more than the basic functionality as it was written specifically for Google pixel devices (it doesn't give you all the features on older Google or snapdragon devices either), I installed the port on my mate 9 and it was acceptable for basic camera functions but no matter what you do you're never going to get a port of something written for another device to have the same features or performance as the stock app written for your device.
revjamescarver said:
Nothing at all wrong with the Kirin SoC, performance is on par with the Qualcomm SoC, only real downfall is that Huawei doesn't sell the Kirin to other oems, otherwise it would be more widespread. The Kirin 970 with its built in NPU and and gigabit LTE modem is going to give the Qualcomm 835/845 a run for their money. Of course the port of the new Google camera app is not going to give you more than the basic functionality as it was written specifically for Google pixel devices (it doesn't give you all the features on older Google or snapdragon devices either), I installed the port on my mate 9 and it was acceptable for basic camera functions but no matter what you do you're never going to get a port of something written for another device to have the same features or performance as the stock app written for your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that the Kirin Processors are good, and the reason is Kirin is Huawei's home made processor so the pairing between Hardware and Software is perfectly optimisez for better performance and as far as Better Processing is concerned, after Apple Qualcomm holds the 2nd position no doubt, yeah in near future Kirin might surpass Qualcomm interms of performance no idea.
As far as the ported app is concerned I prefer stock android/custom roms over stock roms(MIUI/EMUI) and if someone ports the stock huawei camera for Los/RR running on Huawei devices itself, I'll surely go with a Kirin device but right now thats not available so after installing a custom rom I'll prefer Google camera app, if not the ported one, I'll go with the one available in Apkmirror, though this is my own preference as I'm addicted to using stock android and google apps suite, lets see how much development the Honor 7X gets, if it gets Treble support via OTA I'll go with it else the Mi A1 as of now is my 1st choice
I'm wondering, and the answer may be 'We don't know yet', but...
Many of us have used custom ROM's to avoid using an OEM's UI, bloatware, etc. Because Treble enabled phones will have a 'Vendor' partition (which will include these UI's etc), will that then mean the mfg's specific stuff can't really be (completely) removed the way an after market ROM does?
Of course, there's always ways of disabling mfg stuff, but Roms like Los just do it all in one fell swoop (much easier).
Do we know at this point how this will work with Treble?
Cheers and Happy New Year
AsItLies said:
I'm wondering, and the answer may be 'We don't know yet', but...
Many of us have used custom ROM's to avoid using an OEM's UI, bloatware, etc. Because Treble enabled phones will have a 'Vendor' partition (which will include these UI's etc), will that then mean the mfg's specific stuff can't really be (completely) removed the way an after market ROM does?
Of course, there's always ways of disabling mfg stuff, but Roms like Los just do it all in one fell swoop (much easier).
Do we know at this point how this will work with Treble?
Cheers and Happy New Year
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SOC source code will reside in the vendor partition, for example The Pixel XL has SD835 so the source code of the SOC will be there in itz Vendor partition. So if you are using a Treble enabled device such as the Huawei Mate 9 which has its own custom UI, if u flash a custom rom on it, the stock OS will get completely removed and the run ROM will run on it.
The Mgf's UI is a part of the system nd not of the vendor partition.
I am planning to buy Honor 7x, I found a thread on 7X forum which has Mount points and partition layout details for 7x. In the details, i can see below line, does this mean that phone supports Treble once updated to Oreo?
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Dec 24 10:46 vendor -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p47
Orignal thread link
https://forum.xda-developers.com/honor-7x/development/mount-partition-layout-profile-xml-t3727990
Thanks:good: in advance!!
indigo110 said:
I am planning to buy Honor 7x, I found a thread on 7X forum which has Mount points and partition layout details for 7x. In the details, i can see below line, does this mean that phone supports Treble once updated to Oreo?
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 Dec 24 10:46 vendor -> /dev/block/mmcblk0p47
Orignal thread link
https://forum.xda-developers.com/honor-7x/development/mount-partition-layout-profile-xml-t3727990
Thanks:good: in advance!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is evident from past experiences that the Honor 7X might get Treble via OTA update as the case was with Honor 8 Pro. The Honor 7X's source code got released a few weeks ago and I got some info that the Open Kirin team will also support the 7X so I guess the Open Kirin team will also release a Treble supported rom

Firmware Question

Hi,
I'm considering buying this phone and I was hoping you guys could answer a couple of questions. The hardware's really compelling for the price but, I have no idea how well Asus maintains their line of phones in regards to software. Also, if there's people that have used other Asus phones in the past or are knowledgeable about their phones, I'd like to know if they've historically been prompt with their updates/upgrades.
The questions are as follows:
1. How's Asus in regard to firmware security updates and upgrades?
2. Has Asus mentioned how long they'll be supporting firmware upgrades?
Thanks for taking the time to read my post.
Cyntil8ing said:
Hi,
I'm considering buying this phone and I was hoping you guys could answer a couple of questions. The hardware's really compelling for the price but, I have no idea how well Asus maintains their line of phones in regards to software. Also, if there's people that have used other Asus phones in the past or are knowledgeable about their phones, I'd like to know if they've historically been prompt with their updates/upgrades.
The questions are as follows:
1. How's Asus in regard to firmware security updates and upgrades?
2. Has Asus mentioned how long they'll be supporting firmware upgrades?
Thanks for taking the time to read my post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Although this is not a declared Android One phone yet it is as close as it can be. Hence in all probability we should be getting regular security patches (once every two months) if not entire firmware upgrades for ZMP M1
2) Android Pie has been promised for ZMP M1. In any case, the best of manufacturers only support a phone for max 2 years .
Note: This does not necessarily mean 2 version upgrades, just ask somebody who bought a Motorola after acquisition by Lenovo

Lenovo z6 pro help with rom

well as many , i bought this from lenovo supposed official store on aliexpress and with a so called global rom
upon receipt i found that this version is a dissapointment in games while i expected 855 to run as expected 270k on antutu shows me that something is wrong with this , the rom is obviously a hacked hybrid rom with no rom upgrade capability ota. and i know this as i saw the chinese rom upgrade to july release.
the rom is here https://boycracked.com/2019/06/27/official-lenovo-z6-pro-l78051-stock-rom/
In the same boat here; Antutu is about 100k short of the norm, 3D mark scores (OpenGL especially) just as bad or worse.
I found enabling "Force GPU rendering" and especialy "Disable HW overlays" in Developer options an improvement. But this rom needs updates.
The Chinese rom has had a bunch of updates, reportedly fixing lots of bugs, improving camera quality and performance.
I'm waiting to hear back from the AliExpress 'official' Lenovo store if there will be official OTA updates for this phone. That's what they advertised with, so they can expect a dispute when they come up empty.
May be it's need open Lenozo Z6 forum, it seems that many people buy it and need forum to discuss about it
alexeei said:
May be it's need open Lenozo Z6 forum, it seems that many people buy it and need forum to discuss about it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with You. Lenovo z6 pro will need dedicated subforum.
For now i have seen 2 rom upgrade tutorials global and chinese version. As well as some issues reported like: notifications not working properly due to battery optimization issues. We need this subforum to make discussion possible.
So, how do we get a dedicated Z6 Pro subforum?
I think we need write to moderators xda
Hi guys,
I am considering buying this phone as it's the cheapest SD855 phone right now.
Just a few questions,
1. Is the global ROM an "official" Lenovo Z6 Pro Global ROM or it's only a rooted device running a stock-ish looking Android like Motorola?
2. In Aliexpress, there is a seller called "Lenovo Aliexpress Store"
https://lenovotech.aliexpress.com/store/5015097?spm=a2g0o.detail.100005.1.17ed620exNtnAc
- is this the "official" Lenovo store in Aliexpress?
3. I'm reading complaints about Global ROM having lower antutu benchmark scores but in real-life usage, is the performance like a midrange device (laggy, delay response when opening apps, etc).
I hope someone can help me decide if i should give it a go.
P.S. I bought the Motorola P30 (ZUI-based) from Aliexpress last year and in all honesty, ZUI s*cks.
There are too many bugs like
1. Special access to apps (accessibility, draw over apps), you NEED to give access every.single.time you open the app. ZUI will DISABLE access once you exit or turn off your phone!
2. Notifications will NOT work on 3rd party apps (even if you disabled battery optimizations, allowed notification per app etc).
3. Problem changing wallpaper of your 3rd party launcher (ex Nova launcher).
4. You can only watch 360p videos on Facebook
5. You can only upload 360p videos on Instagram stories
4&5 -- means, all the videos you watch on Facebook/Instagram are PIXELATED.
Too many bugs that I have decided to give it to my mom.
Regret buying this so called global version of Z6 Pro, with 8gb ram from a dodgy official seller on AliExpress as the purchase invoice that I received is from an unknown reseller.
Well this Z6 Pro unit has visible chromatic aberration on screen and warm tone which cannot be corrected from display options, FHD videos are not sharp or realistically 1080p enough. Has third class cheap user interface, 3D rendering is also jurky.
There are lots of other issues and bugs in it. To summarize I think ROM requires a major overhaul and the features that Lenovo marketed are not at all of any flagship handset but of a midranger.
If only Lenovo will just stop customizing their software and leave it as stock a la Motorola, at least for their global ROM.
Mainland Chinese consumers are different from the rest and i get that ZUI is important.
The bugs are due to ZUI not compliant to Google Services.
Anyway, I still think Lenovo Z6 Pro is a good buy among all other SD855 devices just because it's the cheapest.
And take note, you CAN install GCam apk with the device and the quality is comparable to a Pixel 3.
I do own a Z6 Pro (official Firmware): it is nice (if you can use the english firmware), but you have to configure and personalize a lot and even then it is not comparable with other (more known) Smartphone brands. Launcher und UI is different. Battery and & Display is very nice. If you rely on WhatsApp/Telegram or other Push services: simply don't buy it.
AnTuTu is 359528, latest firmware is 11.0.575
My review (in German): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uThSfE9riv8
I also own a Lenovo Z6 Pro aqcuired from from Lenovo official store (aliexpress /store/900160001) With so called Global ROM (11.0.211 ST). No OTAs after arrival, around 2 weeks ago.
It punctuates low on Antutu (~278k) because of GPU problems, but quite high on Geekbench (3.5k single, 10.5k multi).
Doesn't seem laggy to me.
I don't have problems with notifications on Whatsapp or Telegram.
Photos are quite good in rear camera, and good to average with tele and wide-angle. Don't use front camera, can't tell.
To get EIS on videos taken with main camera I use Google Photos.
To make rear camera great instead of very good I use arnova8g2 's Gcam 6.2.030 advanced mod.
I've claimed a dispute with AliExpress over the global Z6 Pro from the 'official' AliExpress Lenovo store. I'm offered a €70,- refund, or the option to return the phone for free for a full refund.
I'm not sure what to do. I like the phone, but if it wont be updated from the current 11.0.211, or gains any community mod support, I'd rather return it.
What would you guys do?
Regards,
Marc
---------- Post added at 09:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:12 PM ----------
dragon-tmd said:
I do own a Z6 Pro (official Firmware): it is nice (if you can use the english firmware), but you have to configure and personalize a lot and even then it it not comparable with other (more known) Smartphone brands. Launcher und UI is different. Battery and & Display is very nice. If you rely on WhatsApp/Telegram or other Push services: simply don't buy it.
AnTuTu is 359528, latest firmware is 11.0.575
My review (in German): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uThSfE9riv8
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Sorry if this was answered in your review, but you are running official Chinese firmware which has an English language option? Were you able to install google play store?
Just watched your review, very informative I must say. I wish I had opted for the Chinese version, as that seems to work just fine in your review. English language suits me nicely, and installing Play store seemed quite straightforward in your review.
Anyone know of a way to install an official chinese rom on our global versions? Because that would make my Z6 Pro a lot more desirable.
To answer my own question; I found the below thread on how to flash an official chinese Lenovo rom on our Global Z6 Pro's.
I'm away from home for another week, but will hang on to my Z6 Pro for a bit to see how I like it with the Chinese rom and manually added Google Play store.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/rom-lenovo-z6-pro-l78051-qpst-edl-t3947149
the Chinese rom is arguably better than the global hacked so I do not advise buying the device with the global rom. you can install the play store and everything works correctly.
Below is a short video of the mobile phone's desktop and setup.
alexeei said:
I think we need write to moderators xda
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Please refer to this thread https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1660354
Rivaven said:
the Chinese rom is arguably better than the global hacked so I do not advise buying the device with the global rom. you can install the play store and everything works correctly.
Below is a short video of the mobile phone's desktop and setup.
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Click to collapse
I have installed and WhatsApp does not notify with sound and phone apk do does not initiate call from recent or contacts
Any hopes for the custom rom devs to support the Z6 lineup?
nakarmkir69 said:
I have installed and WhatsApp does not notify with sound and phone apk do does not initiate call from recent or contacts
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Yes no sound for WhatsApp and I use the phone app to make calls.
Same issue here. Chinese rom, amazing performance, but no notification sound for Whatsapp. And sometimes i have to open Whatsapp to receive messages, even with the app locked (configured in Security). If someone has the original global rom please share with us.
guys, who have 11.0.211st pseudo global version, do not update it to 11.0.257st, it brings lots of troubles. The navigation buttons work wrong, the cellular connection is unstable. All that makes the phone as a tool tp crack the nuts. I do not know how to downgrade the firmware back to 211, because Lenovo does not give the firmware.
All pushes in whatsapp and other apps fixed, if you have root and installed microG (use signature spoofing with magisk module) instead of preinstalled Gapps. I install it, set doze mode for whatsapp, send message after 1 hour of sleeping phone and message successfully showed.

LG V35 + Android Security Patches + custom roms

Questions:
1. Are security patches a concern if I am not downloading 3rd party apps, not going to questionable websites (like porn), not doing any banking and mainly using the phone as an actual phone for calls, texts, and Whatsapp?
2. I came across this thread https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g7-thinq/how-to/guide-how-to-flash-stock-firmware-lock-t3820888 about flashing (near) stock firmware. Where do these files come from? Are they officially published by LG? And how do updates work if you flash your phone?
3. Is there any reason to not get the unlocked Amazon Prime version? People have stated that the Amazon apps can be disabled (though not deleted) and that Amazon no longer puts ads on the phones.
Backstory:
I've been an iPhone user since the 5 but my first smartphone was a Samsung Galaxy. It seems that Android has come a long way and I want to break out of the Apple ecosystem. I like the width of the V35's keyboard and those extra columns for apps is really cool. However, I do value Apple's security updates. I don't want my mail to be compromised. Given the questions above, would I be okay (with regards to cybersecurity) with getting a V35?

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