Lgg6! Is it worth buying? - LG G6 Questions and Answers

Hi guys!
I've owned g2, 3, 4, 5 and v10 and 20.
I really like lg phones but I got a bit disappointed on my g5.
Has anyone bought g6 and if you did what's your first impressions on the phone?
Camera, battery life etc..
Thank you!

I've had mine since Wed night and so far, I really like it. The deciding factor for me was the promotions with the purchase through Sprint, which included a Google Home and 49" 1080p TV and the placement of the finger print reader. I previously had S7 Edge and I think I liked the bright colors and true blacks on the S7 screen more, but the G6 screen is by no means a disappointment. The colors are more accurate than the AMOLED screens and it is really clear plus the finger print reader works WAY better than the S7 did and it's quick. The G6 feels solid and it's easy to hold. I feel the speaker is decent but not great. As for battery life, it's too hard to tell at this point because "doze" learns behavior and usually takes a few days to really optimize battery life, but out of the box I would say decent so far, considering I'm on it all the time LOL. I also feel the camera is better than the S7 and I'm going to really get use out of the wide-angle lens. I do not regret the choice at this point. I've had LG "G" series phones in the past and feel it's the best one by far. I prefer Google Assistant over Bixby since it's has the google knowledge base behind it and it already works with so many other smart home devices.
If you are all about specs, then S8 is probably the way to go because it's got the new generation processor.

That's really helpful thanks!
I don't mind specs. I'm currently on xiaomi mi max and just figured out that specs mean nothing!
I really prefer lg's camera over samsung's and I'm glad to know its good.
I've read some reviews saying that the camera is a disappointment over the past cameras and I got a bit worried!

24pavk said:
That's really helpful thanks!
I don't mind specs. I'm currently on xiaomi mi max and just figured out that specs mean nothing!
I really prefer lg's camera over samsung's and I'm glad to know its good.
I've read some reviews saying that the camera is a disappointment over the past cameras and I got a bit worried!
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In low light the camera struggles. Any motion in the image turns into a blur. The shutter speed is entirely to slow in low light but theres hope an update is coming soon. Other than that the phone is incredible. Battery has been amazing. 6 1/2 hours screen on time every single day.

wingzfan said:
In low light the camera struggles. Any motion in the image turns into a blur. The shutter speed is entirely to slow in low light but theres hope an update is coming soon. Other than that the phone is incredible. Battery has been amazing. 6 1/2 hours screen on time every single day.
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Wow if you're getting 6 hours screen on time its impressive!
Specially for an lg phone.
I don't mind low light photos that much..
I mean we mostly use that aspect just for testing our cameras out.

24pavk said:
Wow if you're getting 6 hours screen on time its impressive!
Specially for an lg phone.
I don't mind low light photos that much..
I mean we mostly use that aspect just for testing our cameras out.
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Totally agree about the low light. In normal use the camera is outstanding and wide angle is so useful. I'm seeing others getting 7 hours SOT which is remarkable for a 3300 battery. I haven't really turned anything off on mine as far as settings go so for me 6 1/2 is way more than I expected.
Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

wingzfan said:
Totally agree about the low light. In normal use the camera is outstanding and wide angle is so useful. I'm seeing others getting 7 hours SOT which is remarkable for a 3300 battery. I haven't really turns anything off on mine as far as settings go so for me 6 1/2 is way more than I expected.
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Nice to know man!
Sounds like it Worth's it.
Hows the LCD display?

24pavk said:
Nice to know man!
Sounds like it Worth's it.
Hows the LCD display?
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Looks great. Its something like 561dpi if I remember correctly. Extremely crisp and great color. Dims a little lower on auto than I'm used to but plenty bright enough.
Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

wingzfan said:
Looks great. Its something like 561dpi if I remember correctly. Extremely crisp and great color. Dims a little lower on auto than I'm used to but plenty bright enough.
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Click to collapse
Really good to hear! I don't use auto b at all anyway!

24pavk said:
That's really helpful thanks!
I don't mind specs. I'm currently on xiaomi mi max and just figured out that specs mean nothing!
I really prefer lg's camera over samsung's and I'm glad to know its good.
I've read some reviews saying that the camera is a disappointment over the past cameras and I got a bit worried!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HI There! Just wanted to share my experience so far. I'm coming from an S7 and have used LG phones in the past. The user experience in general has been great. I love the screen, love the feel in the hand and I really enjoy software experience too.
BUT - The camera is not good. I have a little boy, so I literally take about 20 photos a day - So far this camera has been really disappointing. For this reason I will sell the phone and get something else.
I also received a really weird error / phone warning earlier today, which is actually detailed here if you wanted to take a look: http://g.co/ABH
edit: sorry I didn't explain why I don't love the camera. Colours look pretty good, however there is a massive issue with focus. Even just the slightest movement causes the picture to blur. This is very noticeable with the wide angle lens, which obviously doesn't have OIS, however this issue is still present with the primary shooter. If i didnt rely on the camera so much, I'd really love this phone. However I'd rather have a phone that i didn't love, for the sake of good photos.

franki_667 said:
I also received a really weird error / phone warning earlier today, which is actually detailed here if you wanted to take a look: http://g.co/ABH
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That's weird I've never seen seen that before.

Man, I don't know what to think. On one hand I really want to get this phone as I held the S8 and BB and really don't like the fingerprint sensor location or curved screen. Those SOT reports some of you have is amazing! On my S6 I'm lucky to get 2hrs! So mostly I want the G6 because of a beefy battery, flat screen, and better camera (the OIS has been wonky in my S6 since early in it's life...I have to shake/smack the phone to get it to kick in and actually focus). But this motion blur has me a bit wary. I guess every phone choice is a compromise of some sort or another.

I can also confirm that the camera has issues with low light and movement. I've got a 2 year old, and virtually every shot of her is blurry unless I take it in full daylight. I upgraded from the LG G4, and I never had such a hard time getting a focused picture of her before. (For example, I had to take 20 pictures of her on a swing set to get 1 in focus.. shutter speed was reporting at 1/120. My G4 NEVER had an issue where her entire body was blurry and usually anything over 1/60th came out clean). Low light is also somewhat relative. I have a lot of issues indoors and at dusk, neither of which I would ordinarily consider low light situations and both of which my G4 handled better. I've been playing around with manual mode and have found that I can usually get a clean picture in low light and with movement there, so I'm mostly confident it's a software issue that can be corrected (though I understand the V20 has similar issues and is now out 6 months without a software fix....)
Overall I still love the phone and the wide angle is AMAZING when it is bright outside, so I'm just relying on my wife's S7 to handle the low light and fast motion pictures for now. If you don't have a second camera option though, I might be hesitant to buy the G6 until more testing is done and a solution is found to the blurry issue.

I had G6 for few days and i wasnt totally happy with it first but its coming around and few changes in settings are making it feel more snappy.
First thing, the phone feels great in hand and screen is top notch. Coming from LG G3, phone feels smaller and easier to hold. Also, i really like the notification and ringer sounds from LG.
Out of the box, G6 didnt feel any faster than LG G3 at first but few settings in debug option(turned off animation) and battery optimization ignore options, its feels like a new phone.
I'll have to see how much battery usage will suffer from these changes but it looks like LG G6 is in battery optimization mode as default. I've turned on "ignore battery save optimization" for chrome and camera, and other apps i normally use everyday. I can notice ES file explorer opening faster and camera auto zoom reacting slightly faster now.

Not worth it
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

yeah I can concur with the bad camera, just recieved my G6 from ATT today, and it only lasted 3 hours, I have been using a IPhone 7 plus for almost for week after not using IOS for 6 years and I loved the feel and the screen but the rear camera and the front camera suck, the Note 5 I had took better pics and selfies by huge margin, so I had to take the G6 back, if it took the pics like my old note 5 did I would have kept it, but I take lot of pics and i want something that takes crisp pics, so maybe S8 might be in my future :good:
franki_667 said:
HI There! Just wanted to share my experience so far. I'm coming from an S7 and have used LG phones in the past. The user experience in general has been great. I love the screen, love the feel in the hand and I really enjoy software experience too.
BUT - The camera is not good. I have a little boy, so I literally take about 20 photos a day - So far this camera has been really disappointing. For this reason I will sell the phone and get something else.
I also received a really weird error / phone warning earlier today, which is actually detailed here if you wanted to take a look: http://g.co/ABH
edit: sorry I didn't explain why I don't love the camera. Colours look pretty good, however there is a massive issue with focus. Even just the slightest movement causes the picture to blur. This is very noticeable with the wide angle lens, which obviously doesn't have OIS, however this issue is still present with the primary shooter. If i didnt rely on the camera so much, I'd really love this phone. However I'd rather have a phone that i didn't love, for the sake of good photos.
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Click to collapse

2003vstrom said:
yeah I can concur with the bad camera, just recieved my G6 from ATT today, and it only lasted 3 hours, I have been using a IPhone 7 plus for almost for week after not using IOS for 6 years and I loved the feel and the screen but the rear camera and the front camera suck, the Note 5 I had took better pics and selfies by huge margin, so I had to take the G6 back, if it took the pics like my old note 5 did I would have kept it, but I take lot of pics and i want something that takes crisp pics, so maybe S8 might be in my future :good:
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Click to collapse
franki_667 said:
HI There! Just wanted to share my experience so far. I'm coming from an S7 and have used LG phones in the past. The user experience in general has been great. I love the screen, love the feel in the hand and I really enjoy software experience too.
BUT - The camera is not good. I have a little boy, so I literally take about 20 photos a day - So far this camera has been really disappointing. For this reason I will sell the phone and get something else.
I also received a really weird error / phone warning earlier today, which is actually detailed here if you wanted to take a look: http://g.co/ABH
edit: sorry I didn't explain why I don't love the camera. Colours look pretty good, however there is a massive issue with focus. Even just the slightest movement causes the picture to blur. This is very noticeable with the wide angle lens, which obviously doesn't have OIS, however this issue is still present with the primary shooter. If i didnt rely on the camera so much, I'd really love this phone. However I'd rather have a phone that i didn't love, for the sake of good photos.
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Click to collapse
There is software update scheduled for April 7th -Tmobile. Hopefully some of the camera issues will be addressed.
My V20 didn't take blurry or grainy pictures. I don't know.... I really like this phone but pictures are really important to my wife and I. I don't want to be forced to live in the "your pictures suck!" category.

echto said:
There is software update scheduled for April 7th -Tmobile. Hopefully some of the camera issues will be addressed.
My V20 didn't take blurry or grainy pictures. I don't know.... I really like this phone but pictures are really important to my wife and I. I don't want to be forced to live in the "your pictures suck!" category.
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Click to collapse
I Had the v10 and v20 before too, and I can`t believe LG would send a flagship out to market and have so many complaint about the camera, I`m with you..... the V20 took a lot better pics.

So I guess, the software update did not fix the blur issue.

The blurry pictures aren't a software issue. The main problem I see is that LG removed laser auto-focus from the G6, so technically the G5/V20 cameras are vastly superior when it comes to focusing on objects (especially when considering macro images). Also, LG chose to over-saturate colors resulting in less color-accurate images, not to mention lower sensor size = lower detail images (16/20MP G5&V20 vs 12MP G6). Downgraded cameras aside, the only other big gripes I have with the G6 are no removable battery and that they removed the IR blaster and notification LED. Having the older SOC isn't so bad these days as the SD82x series is still very fast. If I didn't already own the G5 (which I am very happy with for the most part) I might consider the G6, but probably would opt to wait for the V30 instead if it wasn't an urgent situation.

Related

[Q] I need opinions on the Sony Xperia Z1

I just switched to TMobile yesterday and I got the LG G2. I am highly disappointed with the camera, specially the low light. I love taking photos on my cell (before this I had a Lumia 1020 which replaced my HTC One which replaced my S3) and the low light just didn't cut it.
The Z1s comes to tmobile in a week so I'm thinking of swapping it out for that. The thing is, I've heard so many mixed reviews about the Z1 and it's camera. I would love to have opinions from you all that own it. If you can compare the photos to any other phone that would be great. I was actually debating between the LG G2 and Note III and Z1, but I really think the Z1 (specs wise) might be the closest to the Lumia 1020 (which is the best smartphone camera I have EVER used....too bad it was on WP8)
Thank you in advance!
Rob
The Z1 camera is infuriating to use because it's obvious that the hardware is a beast. It's the best camera hardware you can get on an Android device. However, the software is a hit or miss. Superior auto is okay for daylight pictures but is almost unusable for lowlight pictures. However, if you take a bit of time to learn how to use the camera in manual, you will have no problem getting excellent images from the Z1. Lowlight performance is decent, better than the LG G2 but worse than the HTC One, it's just you cannot rely on Superior Auto mode to get you the best pics, usually they end up very noisy.
In daylight there is no contest, the Z1 is one of the best out there. 90% of the time Superior auto does the job well. The other 10% of time there is overexposure or noise but then you can use manual or try again and it should come out okay. Low light is tricky.
If you want a camera that 'just works' I would suggest looking at the HTC One or LG G2. However, if you are willing to spend a bit of time to explore the camera's features and functions you will love the Z1. It's definitely the most fun camera phone to use. Don't get me wrong, it's not 'bad', it's just not as good as it could be. Also, the viewfinder is one of the smoothest I've used. 60fps of awesome.
The thing about the Z1 is that is one of the best 'allround' phones. You get a premium feeling, waterproof body with the fastest processor available and an extremely good camera. There's almost nothing like it. The iPhone 5S and HTC One are probably the only other ones that can compete with the all-roundedness. The LG G2 is really good as well but IMO has a horrible, cheap looking and feeling body. For me looks matter as much as the internals because I have the phone on me at all times and is a part of me, so I want it to reflect who I am. The Z1's sharp looks do just that .
Hopefully KitKat will stabilize superior auto and make it better because it's infuriating having poor software when you have unbeatable hardware.
I will have to say that while the Camera software disappoints it really isn't that bad at all..
As far as low light pics are concerned, for me superior auto does the job well enough..and of course low light photos have the element of noise as on any camera phone but don't let it bother you too much. You will just have to compare for yourself lowlight photos between the G2 and the Z1 to see if its up to your expectations.
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk
robamacaf said:
I just switched to TMobile yesterday and I got the LG G2. I am highly disappointed with the camera, specially the low light. I love taking photos on my cell (before this I had a Lumia 1020 which replaced my HTC One which replaced my S3) and the low light just didn't cut it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The night sky shot you took with the 1020 has a shutter delay of 4s.
Z1 has a max shutter delay in night mode of 0.8s. This is the best you have currently with android. Also the Z1 has a 2.0 aperture to the 1020's 2.2. So about 25% larger.
bear in mind the nokia's can go as slow as 4s shutter delay because WP8 allows it. So even mid range WP8 phones with nokia camera app can get the 4s shutter delay. Android at this time does not even if the hardware can support it. I see no reason why this cannot be done in the future with android if mid range WP8 phones presently allow such low shutter delay. It's an OS limitation. Another limitation with android is its not possible to manually set shutter speed or do any manual focus unlike with WP8. This limits to a certain extent or makes it harder than it would have been been with say Nokia camera.
Whereas the slowest shutter delay with the G2, note3, N5 or S4 is around 1/8s (6x faster than 0.8). What they then do is take a HDR. They cheat. This means a relatively stable hand held low light shot but if an even slower shutter speed is required then you cannot do it. Has the low light video improved on the G2 since ? as the video from examples i'd seen earlier was mostly not usable.
i have a g2, ordered z1s, z1s is beatiful phone, liked the screen and mostly everything, little snapier then g2, for some reason z1s felt a little big, battery life i was not impressed, on the first charge, 15 min screen time and down 6%, comparing to g2 where you will loose 2% tops, great phone but going back to g2, will wait for somerhing else with better cam then g2
Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk
One Twelve said:
Another limitation with android is its not possible to manually set shutter speed or do any manual focus unlike with WP8. This limits to a certain extent or makes it harder than it would have been been with say Nokia camera.
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Click to collapse
Just as a side note, the LG G2 DOES have manual focus where you can move a slider (sorta like the 1020) to focus on things.
Thank you all for the opinions. I'll have to get hands on with it I think to really get a feel for it but I'm really leaning towards it. I'd get the HTC One again in a heartbeat if it had higher MP to actually have details in the photos
Check out this video mate:
The pictures were taken on the initial software release, the software has slightly improved since then but it should gives you a good idea on how well the camera perfomes.
shem2409 said:
Check out this video mate:
The pictures were taken on the initial software release, the software has slightly improved since then but it should gives you a good idea on how well the camera perfomes.
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Thanks for this. You put a lot of info into that video. I also watched the 3 min one you made with mostly low light pictures. Looks like the Z1 is def worth getting
robamacaf said:
Thanks for this. You put a lot of info into that video. I also watched the 3 min one you made with mostly low light pictures. Looks like the Z1 is def worth getting
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I absolutely love it
I only wish the screen was better. It's not bad by any means but due to poor viewing angles the experience is not on par with other devices (oppo find 5 etc)
universal
robamacaf said:
I just switched to TMobile yesterday and I got the LG G2. I am highly disappointed with the camera, specially the low light. I love taking photos on my cell (before this I had a Lumia 1020 which replaced my HTC One which replaced my S3) and the low light just didn't cut it.
The Z1s comes to tmobile in a week so I'm thinking of swapping it out for that. The thing is, I've heard so many mixed reviews about the Z1 and it's camera. I would love to have opinions from you all that own it. If you can compare the photos to any other phone that would be great. I was actually debating between the LG G2 and Note III and Z1, but I really think the Z1 (specs wise) might be the closest to the Lumia 1020 (which is the best smartphone camera I have EVER used....too bad it was on WP8)
Thank you in advance!
Rob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a G2 and while I liked it I decided to not keep it. Just got my Z1s on Monday and was very impressed with the handful of shots I took, and find I like the Z1s all-around more than I did the G2: better design, better android skin, better battery life & performance (and the G2 was no slouch in either of those two areas), and at least based on first impressions better camera.
I am exchanging my Z1s because of some difficulty getting it to acknowledge long press while holding the phone (started a thread on that), but other than that was very happy with it and am looking forward to getting my replacement.
Any opinions on the battery life? I know the G2 and Z1 and the same sized battery and so far I've had the G2 off of charger for 6 hours and it's only at 91%. I've made some phone calls, checked emails, sent hangout messages through out the day. Connected to WIFI and 4G. It's fantastic
Battery life is not G2 good but it's still excellent. I usually get 6-8 hours screentime on, which is much better than most phones out there.
Tough decision for me, sell my G2 and payoff my EIP or keep it and sell the Z1S and profit a bit and wait for something else.
Sent from my LG-D801 using xda app-developers app
robamacaf said:
I just switched to TMobile yesterday and I got the LG G2. I am highly disappointed with the camera, specially the low light. I love taking photos on my cell (before this I had a Lumia 1020 which replaced my HTC One which replaced my S3) and the low light just didn't cut it.
The Z1s comes to tmobile in a week so I'm thinking of swapping it out for that. The thing is, I've heard so many mixed reviews about the Z1 and it's camera. I would love to have opinions from you all that own it. If you can compare the photos to any other phone that would be great. I was actually debating between the LG G2 and Note III and Z1, but I really think the Z1 (specs wise) might be the closest to the Lumia 1020 (which is the best smartphone camera I have EVER used....too bad it was on WP8)
Thank you in advance!
Rob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check My Low light photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157637726566185/
you will also find Htc One set and Comparison Set between note3 vs z1
Me also swapped the htc one with the z1
reason: Purple tint camera and very long time focusing during night and mostly out of focus
how do i compare : Z1 blew away Htc faster lock never out of focus and Better lowlight
you can see in the sets both taken with htc and z1 ... Just to mention i never used Superior Auto i always use manual @all auto .. except if i want to capture a night landscape or scene with longer exposure i choose Night Mode from scenes and rest my arm on somethings
by the way
note3 camera at night it [email protected] !
ashouhdy said:
Check My Low light photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157637726566185/
you will also find Htc One set and Comparison Set between note3 vs z1
Me also swapped the htc one with the z1
reason: Purple tint camera and very long time focusing during night and mostly out of focus
how do i compare : Z1 blew away Htc faster lock never out of focus and Better lowlight
you can see in the sets both taken with htc and z1 ... Just to mention i never used Superior Auto i always use manual @all auto .. except if i want to capture a night landscape or scene with longer exposure i choose Night Mode from scenes and rest my arm on somethings
by the way
note3 camera at night it [email protected] !
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Click to collapse
Wow! Those are fantastic! Thank you
I've had a play with a G2 and it's a cracking handset, but not a patch on the Z1 in terms of the on screen user experience, the LG skin looks too much like Touchwiz, which is hideous. The camera rocks, all round anyway, no phone camera I've ever come across actually performs perfectly, but the Z1 comes close.
robamacaf said:
I just switched to TMobile yesterday and I got the LG G2. I am highly disappointed with the camera, specially the low light. I love taking photos on my cell (before this I had a Lumia 1020 which replaced my HTC One which replaced my S3) and the low light just didn't cut it.
The Z1s comes to tmobile in a week so I'm thinking of swapping it out for that. The thing is, I've heard so many mixed reviews about the Z1 and it's camera. I would love to have opinions from you all that own it. If you can compare the photos to any other phone that would be great. I was actually debating between the LG G2 and Note III and Z1, but I really think the Z1 (specs wise) might be the closest to the Lumia 1020 (which is the best smartphone camera I have EVER used....too bad it was on WP8)
Thank you in advance!
Rob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Z1 is really the best camera in an Android phone. The flash sucks, specially compared to the 1020's (and the 808's, still the best camera phone by a huge margin) xenon, of course; but it's bad for a LED. However, its low light, non-flash performance is way above the rest of the pack. More comparable to the 1020's non-flash pics than to the G2's. You will also have the benefit of some lossless zoom. As a camera, it's definitely an upgrade over the S3/One/G2, and a clear downgrade all around from the 1020.
This is an interesting comparison of the Z1 with Nokia's last few cameraphones:
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/features/item/18845_Smartphone_camera_shootout_the.php
Note that no non-Nokia phone had ever beaten the N8 on that site. But I'd suggest you to rate the pictures by yourself. Assign points to each, then assign a factor of importance to each category, and sum up the scores (multiplied by the importance of each category). You may come to a different conclusion than Steve.
Another interesting data point is this:
http://connect.dpreview.com/post/44...1-vs-nokia1020-vs-lgg2-vs-samsunggalaxys4zoom
Which includes a direct comparison between the Z1 and your previous two phones. I suggest the same approach, assigning your own scores and importances to come to your own conclusion.
Sorry to hijack the topic here but how does z1's camera compare to iPhone 5s' then? I was under the impression z1's was better even before the FW updates but after reading this thread I am not so sure..
fmmsf said:
Sorry to hijack the topic here but how does z1's camera compare to iPhone 5s' then? I was under the impression z1's was better even before the FW updates but after reading this thread I am not so sure..
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Yes, it's WAY better. I don't have the shots with me, but when we went on vacations, my Z1's pictures were always better than my wife's 5S's. The Z1 focuses better (and faster), isn't as noisy, and exposes much better on low light. Also, the 5S has an annoying tendency of keeping the flash on for 1-2 seconds while it focuses, while the Z1 does it way faster; that much time with the LED on makes the subjects uncomfortable, and spoils the images. Whenever we took pictures of the same scene on both phones, mine were better (so much better that most of hers were instantly deleted). I usually don't shoot videos, so I can't comment on video quality.
Steve_max said:
Yes, it's WAY better. I don't have the shots with me, but when we went on vacations, my Z1's pictures were always better than my wife's 5S's. The Z1 focuses better (and faster), isn't as noisy, and exposes much better on low light. Also, the 5S has an annoying tendency of keeping the flash on for 1-2 seconds while it focuses, while the Z1 does it way faster; that much time with the LED on makes the subjects uncomfortable, and spoils the images. Whenever we took pictures of the same scene on both phones, mine were better (so much better that most of hers were instantly deleted). I usually don't shoot videos, so I can't comment on video quality.
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Click to collapse
Ah, that's awesome! And how long does it take for the phone to bring up the camera app after you press the shutter button on the Z1? (That's a feature, right?)
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Droid Turbo Review.

The phone has some slick features like the Moto voice services where you can wake up the phone with your custom voice command with the phone being up to 5ft away from you. It also detects when you are at home, work, in a car or sleep and automatically changes behavior of apps based on where you are. The home screen widget is nice too, it gives you up to the minute weather details and lets you know how soon it'll rain or snow down to the minute. The battery life is amazing, once you leave the house you never have to worry about using a charger for the rest of the day.
Now those are all great but the good ends there with me. The camera was subpar and all weekend I was out at events and parties and I wish I had my Note 3 with me to take pics. A lot of the pics came out blurry, the eyes on people where white devilish looking. The call quality sucked too, I had the volume as high as it can go and unless you are in a completely silent room you will have a hard time hearing. I went to the gym and had my beats headphones in and volume to the max and I could still hear the gym radio. There's no notification light on the front of the phone, this to me is a huge disappointment. I use the Lightflow app and i have a different color light for every notification and it comes in handy when you want to know what type of notification is awaiting for you without touching the phone.
I will be returning the phone this week and going back to using my Note 3 while I wait for the Nexus 6 or Galaxy Note Edge to come out.
Pros - Great battery life, premium metal feel, home screen widget, lock screen notifications look nice, Moto voice services.
Cons - Screen isn't too bright, low ear piece volume, low volume with headphones, poor camera, kind of slippery in hand, no notification light, no removable battery, no expandable memory.
Good review. I agree with all of it.
antjones21 said:
The phone has some slick features like the Moto voice services where you can wake up the phone with your custom voice command with the phone being up to 5ft away from you. It also detects when you are at home, work, in a car or sleep and automatically changes behavior of apps based on where you are. The home screen widget is nice too, it gives you up to the minute weather details and lets you know how soon it'll rain or snow down to the minute. The battery life is amazing, once you leave the house you never have to worry about using a charger for the rest of the day.
Now those are all great but the good ends there with me. The camera was subpar and all weekend I was out at events and parties and I wish I had my Note 3 with me to take pics. A lot of the pics came out blurry, the eyes on people where white devilish looking. The call quality sucked too, I had the volume as high as it can go and unless you are in a completely silent room you will have a hard time hearing. I went to the gym and had my beats headphones in and volume to the max and I could still hear the gym radio. There's no notification light on the front of the phone, this to me is a huge disappointment. I use the Lightflow app and i have a different color light for every notification and it comes in handy when you want to know what type of notification is awaiting for you without touching the phone.
I will be returning the phone this week and going back to using my Note 3 while I wait for the Nexus 6 or Galaxy Note Edge to come out.
Pros - Great battery life, premium metal feel, home screen widget, lock screen notifications look nice, Moto voice services.
Cons - Screen isn't too bright, low ear piece volume, low volume with headphones, poor camera, kind of slippery in hand, no notification light, no removable battery, no expandable memory.
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Click to collapse
Not sure what your problems are with the camera... I have an S5 and Turbo tends to take better pictures in most situations by far, especially in low light. It's not the cameras fault that you can't hold it steady when taking a photo...
I think your only valid complaint would be the LED notifications. Which if you did any research at all before buying the device, you would of known before purchase it did not have. Everything else can and most likely will be addressed soon. The storage complaint is old, 32GB is fair & they offer 64GB at a competitive price that no one else is really matching.
Go have fun with TouchWiz & Samsung plastic I guess.
Go into settings, sound, and audio effects. Disable the equalizer. Everything will sound miles better.
Camera is kinda slow though, I'm with you on that.
Andromjb said:
Not sure what your problems are with the camera... I have an S5 and Turbo tends to take better pictures in most situations by far, especially in low light.
I think your only valid complaint would be the LED notification, which if you did any research at all before buying the device, you would of known before purchase. Everything else can and most likely will be fixed relatively soon.
Go have fun with TouchWiz I guess.
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Lol wow, you act like my review was about you. I'm going to post a few pics and you tell me if they are great or not. I've seen other post where people had to tweak settings etc but my Note 3 took way better pics. Even when I use Snapchat the focus seems slow and delayed. It seems like you have to as still as a statue to take a good pic and that's not always an option. And as far as the notification light issue, I just figured that was standard. Even if I knew it wasn't there it's still a negative against the phone.
Here are some pics from my Note 3
antjones21 said:
Here are some pics from my Note 3
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Click to collapse
no offense but I don't think it's the camera...you're just bad at taking pictures
antjones21 said:
Lol wow, you act like my review was about you. I'm going to post a few pics and you tell me if they are great or not. I've seen other post where people had to tweak settings etc but my Note 3 took way better pics. Even when I use Snapchat the focus seems slow and delayed. It seems like you have to as still as a statue to take a good pic and that's not always an option. And as far as the notification light issue, I just figured that was standard. Even if I knew it wasn't there it's still a negative against the phone.
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Click to collapse
Nah. I just think a lot of the comments around here are quite silly towards this phone. It's like people went and purchased the phone without even doing any research and expected it to be better than anything on the market.
I agree, those pictures are quite bad. However, it's not purely because of the camera itself.
For one, you are using 15.5 MP 16:9 and not the full 21MP 4:3, which tends to produce a much better picture. Secondly, you are most likely just randomly snapping without even selecting a proper focus exposure. The pictures are blurry in most cases because of the low light situation, you probably have HDR enable for some reason and the fact you don't have a steady hand while taking the picture does not help. Third, I notice flash in most every shot, which on any smartphone will tend to produce a horrible picture.
You just point and shoot. So your pictures are bound to be bad.
tehmanmuffin said:
no offense but I don't think it's the camera...you're just bad at taking pictures
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Funny I knew that would be your comeback, but I had other people take pics when I wanted to be in the pic and they turned out bad. And when I take pics with my Note 3, people always say how they look great and even better than iPhone 5/5s.
The camera is slow on the Turbo and I'm not the only one to say that.
antjones21 said:
Funny I knew that would be your comeback, but I had other people take pics when I wanted to be in the pic and they turned out bad. And when I take pics with my Note 3, people always say how they look great and even better than iPhone 5/5s.
The camera is slow on the Turbo and I'm not the only one to say that.
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Click to collapse
That wasn't even me, some random guy. But he is right regardless.
At least you have taste, nice Moto 360.
---------- Post added at 04:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:14 AM ----------
Reason I do not agree with you on the camera -- here are some of the shots I took day one
http://imgur.com/a/NMd58
http://imgur.com/a/MQK0o
Unfortunately I don't have any more I have taken yet due to work. But the camera is fine.
Also see the samples here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/awmaxham/sets/72157648649197199/
antjones21 said:
Funny I knew that would be your comeback, but I had other people take pics when I wanted to be in the pic and they turned out bad. And when I take pics with my Note 3, people always say how they look great and even better than iPhone 5/5s.
The camera is slow on the Turbo and I'm not the only one to say that.
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Click to collapse
I have the note 3 and i kinda agree with you on the camera stuff... but I think your just too used to the really good quality camera on the note 3.
I completely agree with the OP, the Turbo produces mediocre pictures compared to other flagship phones. Landscape photos in particular lack detail.
FYI, taking photos in 16:9 format is what most people do, not everyone wants 4:3 photos.
Sent from my Droid Turbo
I'm actually pleased with the camera quality. Just not the shutter speed. It could be a tad faster.
geoff5093 said:
Landscape photos in particular lack detail.
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Huh? Small Pic is cropped from larger. You can almost read the numbers on the gauge. That photo was taken yesterday through the glass on the doors which probably degraded the image slightly also.
There's like 5 guys (not the OP really, I think he's new) posting over all the forum about how "mediocre" everything about the Droid Turbo is, changed the tone to negative in this section. They know who they are. It's an exclusive device with a locked bootloader so it's a small part of XDA, 5 butthurt guys can make a lot of noise.
Jay Evans said:
Huh? Small Pic is cropped from larger. You can almost read the numbers on the gauge. That photo was taken yesterday through the glass on the doors which probably degraded the image slightly also.
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That's what I'm talking about, close up photos seem to be great, it's really lacking in the distance area such as landscapes.
Just to show you where I'm coming from, this was my G3. I know it's not a fair comparison since they are different photos, but I've found the Turbo to really lack in the landscape photo department. Up close photos are great.
geoff5093 said:
Just to show you where I'm coming from, this was my G3. I know it's not a fair comparison since they are different photos, but I've found the Turbo to really lack in the landscape photo department. Up close photos are great.
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Click to collapse
What you see there is because of very Low light situations. Low light means a slow stutter speed and any movement (trees or camera) will degrade the image dramatically. I can't really comment on Turbos performance in low light because I haven't tested it yet. But it's ability to capture fine detail is there.
I had sort of assumed that the Droid Turbo has active notifications like the Moto X. Is that not the case? It makes an LED redundant.
Jay Evans said:
What you see there is because of very Low light situations. Low light means a slow stutter speed and any movement (trees or camera) will degrade the image dramatically. I can't really comment on Turbos performance in low light because I haven't tested it yet. But it's ability to capture fine detail is there.
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Click to collapse
I'm aware of that, here is another low-light scenario.
Turbo:
G3:
geoff5093 said:
I'm aware of that, here is another low-light scenario.
Turbo:
G3:
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Click to collapse
Um, ya. I personally think the Turbo took the better picture here. For instance, I can't even make out Toshiba on your G3 picture. Much more clear/crisp on the Turbo. Not to mention your G3 sample is fairly over exposed & extremely warm in color. But both pictures are relatively bad due to settings and hard to really use as a comparison. Unless you are comparing just a simple pull out of pocket point and shoot.
Your other shots (above) seem to just be point and shoot as well and not necessarily focus exposed or any effort really put into them (I could be wrong). You are also taking a lot of shots pointed/aimed in direct sunlight/sunset which will put out pretty poor quality pictures in general anyway.
Stop posting bad situations and try something that will actually yield a decent photo for comparison. The shots you are taking are really more aimed towards a more high end sensor.
In general you are expecting way too much out of a camera phone in most of your situations.
My 2¢

Wired magazine review of the Z3

Please take a look at this review from Brent Rose from Wired and voice your opinion in the comments section of the article. I have never seen such a slanted/poor review and think he should be called out on it.
http://www.wired.com/2014/11/sony-xperia-z3/
what an unusual review
The speaker/camera comparison was somewhat accurate though it seems a little exaggerated, but the rest of the review was crap. The Z3 UI is better than stock where you can't even custom arrange the app drawer. My Z3 is rock stable, I even went through 3 of them for cosmetic defects (on my 4th now) and none ever crashed. If you look at the comment section you can see most of them pointing out that the review was bad.
Wow that review is so ridiculously invalid
That was such a horrible review. There are some cons to the phone, but over-exaggerating them at the level is so unprofessional.
This is very similar to my Z3C experience and in that regard all bias off I believe everything he wrote was correct...This is the reason Z3c went back and I was reluctant to even try Z3 since the internals are the same with bigger screen which would result in even worst battery than z3c
-Goran
The review wasn't that bad. I pretty much agree with everything said, except for the stability issues. Not once did I have to reboot the phone due to apps crashing.
Don't get me wrong, I like this phone a lot. There is not a single phone out right now that I'd choose over the Z3.
Love the phone but the first thing I did was switch to nova because of the rubbage skin.
Also the camera post processing on auto is garbage too.
mfpreach said:
Love the phone but the first thing I did was switch to nova because of the rubbage skin.
Also the camera post processing on auto is garbage too.
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Click to collapse
Similarly, I've disabled many of Sony's stock apps, threw Nova on as the launcher, and have been plenty happy. I haven't had a single app crash, and I've gotten between 1d 16h and 2d 6h of battery. Sony says up to 2 days, so yeah, I'm good.
Besides, I can't remember the last time I trusted "Wired" for a review. Maybe they purposely did a negative review just to get a reaction for page views and ad impressions.
Absolutely agree with this review (except for the good points regarding the camera), its very accurate and the conclusion is spot on. Out of the box it is terrible, and not for Joe Public.
If it wasnt for the ps4 features, looks, waterproofing and memory card slot and me wanting to get away from Apple I would have something else. It could be much better. I've replaced or uninstalled all the pointlessly "Sony-ed" pre-installed apps, the Sony version of the calendar would constantly crash to desktop, the camera apps are horrible, the camera app is slow, clunky and terrible to navigate and all of it, really cheapens this phone. Coming from iPhone this was a very poor show.
Thankfully, after several hours of customising nova launcher, adding a new lock screen and notification handler its improved. Still lacking in many areas.
Still, I prefer this freedom over iOS so I can't complain too much! Well... apart from....
Excuse the rant here but this is the biggest issue I have with the Z3 (maybe android in general). There is one very glowing thing that the Z3/android still haven't really "got it down" on. The camera, I've noticed this on a few phones (S4, LG G2, HTC One M8, Z3, Nexus 5) too.
I'm an amatuer photographer in my spare time and without any bias I very quickly noticed that despite the extra megapixels, manual options in the software, upgraded lens etc etc the camera lags (lag the keyword) very much behind in the camera stakes to apple! The speed of opening the camera and taking a photo, the colours, the jpg processing profile, the autofocus speed and accuracy are all way way better even on an aging iPhone 4S in my mind. Its a phone, not an dslr, its designed to be there to take a "good" photo fast and I've not seen an android phone do this well. Especially in low light.
I was talking to an HTC One M8 owner who absolutely refuted this, so I asked a simple challenge, pull your phone out on 3 and take a photo of your bar snacks as quick as you can, he agrees... 3-2-1 bam, my old, slow iphone 4s (which I'm using while my broken z3 is awaiting repair) is out of my pocket at the same time but I'm done while his is trying to take focus (its as slow as my Sony as I tested this too) but not only that, his doesn't look great focus wise, colour wise etc, the iphone has sharp focus on the subject and a smooth defocused background, nice depth of field and really good colours, processing looks "interesting".
This is my general experience with a non iphone camera, in particular the Z3 and frankly the ONLY thing I miss :crying:
Lol I've been using the z3 for 3 days ago and I haven't had a single problem. Yes apps do crash but not the pre-installed apps.
Battery last me more than a day on heavy use. I still have about 32% after two days on normal use.
Camera has no washed out pictures like in the review.
The review is a load of bull.
Sent from my D6616 using XDA Free mobile app
batousan said:
Absolutely agree with this review (except for the good points regarding the camera), its very accurate and the conclusion is spot on. Out of the box it is terrible, and not for Joe Public.
If it wasnt for the ps4 features, looks, waterproofing and memory card slot and me wanting to get away from Apple I would have something else. It could be much better. I've replaced or uninstalled all the pointlessly "Sony-ed" pre-installed apps, the Sony version of the calendar would constantly crash to desktop, the camera apps are horrible, the camera app is slow, clunky and terrible to navigate and all of it, really cheapens this phone. Coming from iPhone this was a very poor show.
Thankfully, after several hours of customising nova launcher, adding a new lock screen and notification handler its improved. Still lacking in many areas.
Still, I prefer this freedom over iOS so I can't complain too much! Well... apart from....
Excuse the rant here but this is the biggest issue I have with the Z3 (maybe android in general). There is one very glowing thing that the Z3/android still haven't really "got it down" on. The camera, I've noticed this on a few phones (S4, LG G2, HTC One M8, Z3, Nexus 5) too.
I'm an amatuer photographer in my spare time and without any bias I very quickly noticed that despite the extra megapixels, manual options in the software, upgraded lens etc etc the camera lags (lag the keyword) very much behind in the camera stakes to apple! The speed of opening the camera and taking a photo, the colours, the jpg processing profile, the autofocus speed and accuracy are all way way better even on an aging iPhone 4S in my mind. Its a phone, not an dslr, its designed to be there to take a "good" photo fast and I've not seen an android phone do this well. Especially in low light.
I was talking to an HTC One M8 owner who absolutely refuted this, so I asked a simple challenge, pull your phone out on 3 and take a photo of your bar snacks as quick as you can, he agrees... 3-2-1 bam, my old, slow iphone 4s (which I'm using while my broken z3 is awaiting repair) is out of my pocket at the same time but I'm done while his is trying to take focus (its as slow as my Sony as I tested this too) but not only that, his doesn't look great focus wise, colour wise etc, the iphone has sharp focus on the subject and a smooth defocused background, nice depth of field and really good colours, processing looks "interesting".
This is my general experience with a non iphone camera, in particular the Z3 and frankly the ONLY thing I miss :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the HTC M8 right now and the pictures are realy bad. It's a hardware issue with the lens. Sounds from all the reviews that the Xperia camera is decent, but not great. Would you agree?
dspcap said:
I have the HTC M8 right now and the pictures are realy bad. It's a hardware issue with the lens. Sounds from all the reviews that the Xperia camera is decent, but not great. Would you agree?
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Click to collapse
In my opinion m8 has one of the fastest cameras in the market. Definitely faster than old iPhone 4.
Z3 biggest problem is how slow the camera is.
CandyAndy said:
In my opinion m8 has one of the fastest cameras in the market. Definitely faster than old iPhone 4.
Z3 biggest problem is how slow the camera is.
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Click to collapse
wth are you talking about? slow? with my Z3 I can take a picture from sleep, in less than 2 sec. .
rspy said:
wth are you talking about? slow? with my Z3 I can take a picture from sleep, in less than 2 sec. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So take a picture while you are moving and let's see how it looks.
It doesn't look good. M8 has faster camera and you can snap away while walking
I went through the review, and i am with him for most of the flaws except the STABILITY issues.
I had the Z3 for 15 days, and then i had to sell it off and back to Samsung S5 as it was not rootable.
The Camera definately is not as good, and even the phone body - especially the back glass, was too slippery for me, and i did drop it a few times, and its also a mega fingerprint magnet. I say the plastic back of S5 is way more superior.
Even the front speakers were just OK, yea, they were loud, and front facing, but thats it. the clarity isn't there and sounded very "tinny".
Otherwise, the performance, speed, os, battery were all brilliant!
I am now on the S5, and just a general comparision against the Z3, i like the size and finish of the S5 more better than the Z3. The S5 back (Especially the Black one) has a leather/slightly rubbery feel to it, which enhances the grip. The Camera in the S5 is excellent, capturing superb pictures! battery life is very good, though Z3 has better life. Performance wise, though the S5 has 2gb ram, never felt it under stress. Maybe it would be if i am playing some really heavy games, but as such never had a problem in regular usage.
CandyAndy said:
In my opinion m8 has one of the fastest cameras in the market. Definitely faster than old iPhone 4.
Z3 biggest problem is how slow the camera is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The issue here is the comparison is an iPhone 4 which was released in June 2010, there should be no excuse for any delay in camera boot 4 years on with much more powerful hardware.
batousan said:
The issue here is the comparison is an iPhone 4 which was released in June 2010, there should be no excuse for any delay in camera boot 4 years on with much more powerful hardware.
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Well I have allergy for Apple products so I cannot comment [emoji2]
CandyAndy said:
Well I have allergy for Apple products so I cannot comment [emoji2]
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Click to collapse
That doesn't mean you should bury your head in the sand on something so fundamental, surely thats just as bad than blindly buying apple products year on year? :laugh:
batousan said:
That doesn't mean you should bury your head in the sand on something so fundamental, surely thats just as bad than buying blindly buying apple products year on year? [emoji23]
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Well I never compared z3 to iPhone.
In fact I am right now on my way to buy my second z3 since I can't stand this current note 4, buy which I originally made because z3 camera wasn't good enough. But now I realize that I can live with a bit worse camera if everything else is so fantastic.
I am shocked how quickly the battery drains with the note, and it is supposed to have quite a good battery also

Moving from Sony Xperia Z2/Z3 to Galaxy S6 - your feedback

Hi Boys and Girls!
It's been a while since I last posted on XDA, maybe since I have been very content of my Z2 which was ticking almost all of my requirements. This phone is ALMOST all I need - legendary battery life, good camera, waterproofness, stereo speakers and so much more.
I want to upgrade and S6 is one of the options - others being considered are Galaxy S6 Active, Xperia Z4 later this year.
I would like to hear opinions from those of you who made the switch and it would be great if you gave some comparison on the following:
- Camera quality,
- Screen quality (sun legibility),
- Speaker LOUDNESS,
- Battery life.
My biggest worry is battery life. I know that Z2 has almost 25% more battery capacity, but Samsung has more energy efficient elements so really curious how this looks from your personal experience.
Any feedback from you and examples (your usage Z2 vs usage on S6) would be really appreciated!
Do you regret and if yes/no - why?
Already have forum.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3043183
Moved to S6 from which device & why
Read forum rules and do use search..
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
That topic is garbage, not only opinions but much off topic.
I am targeting this to more specific user group so no, don't think I have violated any rules and I have done search...
valdigre said:
That topic is garbage, not only opinions but much off topic.
I am targeting this to more specific user group so no, don't think I have violated any rules and I have done search...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree.
I had a Z2 then went to a Z3 C and then to a OPO and then to a SGS 6.
I much prefer the SGS 6 over any of the other devices.
For the sake of this topic I will compare it directly to the Z3C.
- Camera quality
SGS 6 hands down kicks the arse off of the Z3 C.. I believe the sensor on the Z3 is capable of competing with the SGS 6 but the processing done on the SGS 6 is unbelievably gorgeous, plus the 1.9 aperture really REALLY helps it out a lot. Oh and the pink spot issue was ridiculously bad as well.
Best camera in a mobile device. Simply as that.
- Screen quality (sun legibility)
Never had any dramas with the Z3 C in this regard, but the SGS 6 is marvellous in sunlight.. The Super AMOLED screen simply cannot be beaten in any way shape or form.
- Speaker LOUDNESS
Plenty loud enough, when I first got it and copied some music across I started listening to it (couple slider notches from maximum) and it was heaps loud enough while sitting at my desk. My ringtone volume and message tone sits at 3 notches from maximum and I can easily hear it across the house. Even while using my electric shaver! Plus the sound quality is spectacular.. By far the best I have ever heard on a mobile. HTC can bite it.
- Battery life.
The only point of the SGS 6 that isn't spectacular.
Medium usage it will last a full day easily enough, in fact I'd say the only time you'd have trouble with the battery not lasting a full day is if you were heavily gaming all day.
It really is not bad at all. It will easily get you a full day and two days light usage and Coming from an OPO that is a pretty strong opinion.
To be honest, I've owned an arse load of devices and have used/tested so many I can't even remember half of them and this device blows them all out of the water, it has every good quality you could possibly want from a device. The lack of removable storage I don't care about (OTG EXISTS PEOPLE!! AND ITS FASTER AND CHEAPER THAN MICROSD!!!) the lack of battery I don't care about, it's plenty enough for me. Buy a portable battery pack if you're paranoid or need to be out of electric power point range for a week.
I went off Samsung because I didn't like the whole plastic casing design choice, and I am glad to say I am back on the bandwagon with this beautiful device
By the way.. The Xperia devices are significantly let down by the lack of hardware buttons. Really pisses me off having such a nice large screen and having a chunk of that taken away with terrible soft keys.
I currently have a Z2, and I am almost certainly going to jump to the S6. Probably solely for the camera. The Z2 never really seemed to fulfill it's potential camera-wise. It takes aaaaaages for the thing to focus - a toddler will only sit still for so long!. The video is also a bit disappointing on it - it's a bit too mushy (not sharp enough) even in good light. The software stabillisation really helps eliminate handshake for videos, but again, it adds to the mushyness of the image.
Although, really well made, it's also a bit too blocky. I think the S6 looks about the right size and shape.
I will miss the battery though, which is fantastic - I still can't believe sometimes how much juice is left at the end of the day.
le_lutin said:
I currently have a Z2, and I am almost certainly going to jump to the S6. Probably solely for the camera. The Z2 never really seemed to fulfill it's potential camera-wise. It takes aaaaaages for the thing to focus - a toddler will only sit still for so long!. The video is also a bit disappointing on it - it's a bit too mushy (not sharp enough) even in good light. The software stabillisation really helps eliminate handshake for videos, but again, it adds to the mushyness of the image.
Although, really well made, it's also a bit too blocky. I think the S6 looks about the right size and shape.
I will miss the battery though, which is fantastic - I still can't believe sometimes how much juice is left at the end of the day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha yeah the blockiness was absurd! Forgot about that!
It was like carrying a thin brick in your pocket.
Now this is what I am talking about!
Thanks people and keep it comming!
Batter life worries me. If you get a full day of medium usage and end up with <10% battery life then in the long term, this will not be good for the battery... This stops me from going for it... Still thinking
Stevles said:
Haha yeah the blockiness was absurd! Forgot about that!
It was like carrying a thin brick in your pocket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stevles,
Do you have any feel for how it captures images of people in less than ideal light? I'm thinking specifically about taking photos of my kids indoors.
I remember I had a G2 a while back and it was TERRIBLE at this. Because it had OIS, the camera would always keep the shutter open way too long to let more light in. The downside of this is of course that any movement resulted in a blurry mess. Z2 is better at this, but still not very good.
le_lutin said:
Stevles,
Do you have any feel for how it captures images of people in less than ideal light? I'm thinking specifically about taking photos of my kids indoors.
I remember I had a G2 a while back and it was TERRIBLE at this. Because it had OIS, the camera would always keep the shutter open way too long to let more light in. The downside of this is of course that any movement resulted in a blurry mess. Z2 is better at this, but still not very good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the shutter speed goes to around 1/10 in low-light. Highly recommended to switch to "pro" and manually adjust the shutter speed to around 1/30 - 1/50 while keeping the rest of the "pro" settings on auto to account for it automatically. It will result in slightly noisier pictures but at least they won't be fully blurry like auto mode provides in fast-pace low-light situations.
Ultimately, best bet would be to either a) use flash b) pro mode with manual shutter speed c) Sony A7S (current low-light king MILC costing around $2600AUD)
With the SGS6 it will let you either use tracking focus OR Optical image stabilization, not both at the same time. Although I'm pretty sure that only effects the video taking, not 100% sure.
I'm sure you'll work something out
I think anyone coming from a z3c will be massively spoiled by its battery life. Its a freak. My s6 battery is average tbh but it's super fast and the camera is awesome. Sammy cam and picture software is really on point here
Stevles said:
Yeah the shutter speed goes to around 1/10 in low-light. Highly recommended to switch to "pro" and manually adjust the shutter speed to around 1/30 - 1/50 while keeping the rest of the "pro" settings on auto to account for it automatically. It will result in slightly noisier pictures but at least they won't be fully blurry like auto mode provides in fast-pace low-light situations.
Ultimately, best bet would be to either a) use flash b) pro mode with manual shutter speed c) Sony A7S (current low-light king MILC costing around $2600AUD)
With the SGS6 it will let you either use tracking focus OR Optical image stabilization, not both at the same time. Although I'm pretty sure that only effects the video taking, not 100% sure.
I'm sure you'll work something out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The s6 has two types of stabilisation: OIS which is mechanical and you can't turn off. This used for photo and video. The second is EIS (electronic image stabilisation) which is software stabilisation and can be turned off. This is only for video. Both can be used together for video. EIS is type is the one that can't be used with tracking focus, but the camera is still using OIS (as it isn't something you can switch off).
Apologies if you knew all this already.
le_lutin said:
The s6 has two types of stabilisation: OIS which is mechanical and you can't turn off. This used for photo and video. The second is EIS (electronic image stabilisation) which is software stabilisation and can be turned off. This is only for video. Both can be used together for video. EIS is type is the one that can't be used with tracking focus, but the camera is still using OIS (as it isn't something you can switch off).
Apologies if you knew all this already.
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Ah that makes sense, thanks. Knew there was something a bit "this sounds wrong" about my post lol
I owned z3 since its release although sold it two moth ago and got s6 last week. I can say this, s6 is vastly superior in every aspect except the battery life. You can really tweak z3 setting and that battery would last two days easy.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I mostly agree with everything that was already said. Battery life is far from equivalent to the z3c. Also I should mention size and one hand usability in favor of the Sony. Also another missed function that Samsung just doesnt want to implement is Tap to unlock the screen. I dont really use the photos on the laptop screen, so from a small screen point of view I sometimes liked the photos of the z3c more that those of the S6. Colors combinations and the final result was more eye pleasant for me on the z3c (many times). Sure S6 has a great overall camera.
Lack of microsd is annoying, but I solved it with OTG.
I still have both because I cracked the screen on the Z3 and I won't sell it until I get it repaired. But my opinion pretty much reflects what everyone else said.
The S6 does pretty much everything better except for battery life.
I love the fingerprint scanner. Way easier than having to use lock pattern or password.
I tested the speaker with the same youtube video and the S6 was actually louder. But the Z3 sounds better when you're watching something that pans from left or right.
Interesting, z3 louder than S6?
My z2 seems very quiet in comparison to other phones. My gf's 2013 motto g seems louder on 50 percent than z2 on 90 percent... No comparison with z3, maybe they actually made it louder.
I am also really tempted to wait on z4 but I have this bad feeling that nothing will change in terms of camera software and screen... Also worried about overheating snapdragon.
I guess z4 will not beat s6 in those regards and as you said, s6 is better in everything but battery...
If I only knew when S6 active is released and will it have better battery and same screen and camera...
Was just going through some videos I took recently with my Z2 and remembered another issue: the autofocus during video capture is diabolical. It's either out of focus or constantly going in and out of focus. It really affects the watchability of the recorded videos.
le_lutin said:
Was just going through some videos I took recently with my Z2 and remembered another issue: the autofocus during video capture is diabolical. It's either out of focus or constantly going in and out of focus. It really affects the watchability of the recorded videos.
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Good point. I noticed this as well, especially in worse lighting.
I've only owned my S6 for about 8 hours, but compared to my Z3,it blows it out the water. The only thing I preferred on the Z3 is the mostly stock Android UI, and the battery life. The camera on the s6 is crazy good. When you take a picture of say a cat or a dog, the amount of detail it picks up is amazing. My Z3 took some really nice pictures when the lighting was nice and sunny, but it was very inconsistent. The S6 is better in every condition by far. .
Display wise, the Z3 has a very bluish white balance, while the S6 is warmer. I haven't directly compared brightness yet but they both get bright enough in direct sunlight. The S6 kills it when it comes to resolution, and also them gorgeous deep blacks. The S6 display is easily the best display on any smartphone that I've ever seen. But that's not to say the Z3 has a bad display, it just isn't as good when directly compared.
Build quality, I would say they're both really nice, and I'm hesitant to give the win to either of them.
Ergonomics go to the S6. It's a smaller size, and just feels better in the hand as opposed to the square shape of the Z3. They're both quite slippery though.
Performance goes to the S6,but not by much. My Z3 was no slouch, and never lagged, but the S6 does seem faster by a little, and the animations are smoother more often.
Overall I would say the S6 is definitely the better phone. But if battery life is very important to you, and you really do prefer stock android to Touchwiz, then the Z3 is the better option. Honestly though, they're both awesome phones, and the only massive difference is the camera, and the S6 is noticeably better.
I came from an Xperia Z2 and the camera on this S6 is 1000x better. The focusing is fast and the pictures are sharp even in low light. The slow focusing speed on my Z2 drove me insane...

Reviews of the OnePlus 5 from Real Users

My question is, can I get some real reviews from real users, not the YouTube paid reviews. Some people should have it for about 2 weeks now, and I wanna hear what you think. I've read where the camera is horrible, and others say it's OK. I'm buying the phone this Thursday, or next Thursday and am looking for some honesty.
How I typically use my phone is all day, everyday. It's a bit of an ADD thing where I have to keep myself busy. Games, XDA, more games. I play VainGlory a lot, and it's pretty heavy on my phone. Does anyone else play this, and how does the 5 perform while playing?
Can anyone post some pictures they took of scenery, buildings, etc... I'll post some of mine taken from my Nexus 6P, edited in Snapseed. The camera is a big point for me.
Please and thank you!!
I currently own OP5 and previous phone was Pixel XL.
If a camera is a big point for you, there are better options for sure such as Pixel , iPhone and U11.
If gaming, then this phone will perform way better than 6p or any other phone. 835 CPU, GPU and 8 RAM means solid performance.
Camera is great in good lighting; mediocre in low light. 1080 Video good and 4K video average.
Battery life for me has been incredible! Fast charging is awesome too.
OP5 is a fantastic phone and I would recommend to anyone. I say this even though I plan on returning OP5 and going back to my Pixel XL. Why? Camera and smoother overall experience in Pixel. OP5 is faster for sure.
I hope this helps. It was not an easy decision for me.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
I don't take too many videos, but I definitely like having the option of taking a good one. Gaming is a big selling point for me as well. As for the camera... I'm kind of hoping that some sort of fix is released in an update for whatever the issue is.
It definitely helps though. The price is also a factor, as I'm thinking I'll be able to sell my 6p for 325-350, with all the cases I have and the pretty awesome condition I've kept it in.
I've also haven't had a *new* phone in years. Last one I had was S6 Edge and I ended up having to give it to my Now Ex-girlfriends mom since it was on her plan and we broke up. I had it for like 3 weeks. So, a new phone under warranty would be pretty sweet to have.
Im going to buy it, I made up my mind. If anything, and the camera is way worse than my 6p and they don't release an update I can just sell it, right? Yup.
Bye-bye Nexus.
I'll break up a short review into a few sections.
Design - 9/10
I really like the build quality. The phone looks very similar to a certain device, but I don't mind this. The matte black color looks great and the device, while a bit thin, is the perfect weight (although I am going to buy a case as soon as they become available.) Although I do wish the camera was in the center because when you lay the device down, the protruding camera lens is what your device lays on and makes the device not lay completely flat. The good news is the camera lends is made out of sapphire so durability is there.
Performance | Daily Tasks - 9/10
I have read all about the "Jello effect." This does appear on my device, but it's very minimal and I don't see it as a problem. I did recently watch a video where it was a lot worse in that video. People on social media tend to be hive-mind associated so a lot of negativity tends to spread like wildfire while the positive items are left out of the spotlight. I think the device is extremely snappy and I have noticed the phone doesn't even get warm while playing Pokemon Go for long spurts at a time. No sluggish performance at all.
Wireless Connectivity | WiFi | 4G - 8/10
Cellular Performance
This aspect is generally very important to me. When I compare it to my brother's GS8 on T-Mobile US, we both have a consistent experience in strong signal areas. The OP5 doesn't support 4x4 MIMO on the 4G/LTE side, but it does support 256QAM and 3xCA which is more than enough for the typical power user. Overall, my brother's S8 tends to get slightly less than 10% more speeds on LTE than I do (for comparison, I hit 115Mbps in a spot whereas the GS8 hit 125Mbps.) However, I will note that edge-of-signal, the S8 does win outright. In a few areas where LTE signal is weak (sub -120dBm RSRP), the OnePlus 5 will tend to drop to HSPA or even Edge whereas the S8 will maintain a usable signal. In other words, VoLTE'ers, you may experience more dropped calls when venturing about in weak LTE areas.
WiFi Performance
The OP5 supports 2x2 MIMO and wireless AC so 5Ghz networks is vastly improved over the OP3/OP3T in regards to WiFi coverage/performance. In comparison, I can pull up to 540mbps in a corner of my house on the OP5 whereas the OP3T will only be able to pull 32mbps on the same network. Oneplus has really went above and beyond in terms of WiFi antenna design and has consistently matched the GS8's WiFi performance (Note: I do not have Gigabit internet so I wan't able to test higher-end speeds.)
Battery - 9/10
I am coming from a Le Pro3 (which is one of the best devices for battery), and I'm not too concerned with what I'm getting on the OP5. I am consistently getting through the typical work-day with around 30-40% juice left after a few hours of screen time. If I need a quick charge, Dash charging is there. I will mention that I wish Dash Charging wasn't so proprietary. Because almost all of my current chargers are Qualcomm QC which aren't compatible with the Oneplus. Although it'll still charge the device, just not rapidly like Dash would.
Camera - 7/10
I am not a photographer by any means and a good camera doesn't necessarily sell me on a device by itself. I will say though that while the pictures are not as good as what you'd get on the GS8, they are pretty good shots and I honestly can't see people looking at your facebook pictures and thinking "wow, whatever camera took this picture sucks." I am quite content with the camera because it is better than a mid-range device, but worse than a flagship.
Software/Customization - 10/10
This is the main reason I went with the OnePlus device. Oxygen OS is so smooth and AOSP-like. The nearly bloatless experience and ability to change the theme/accents of your device are amazing. That, and I know the community will be behind some massive developments for this device so I can satisfy my flashing urges as they come up. It all just works.
Sound/Speakers - 9/10
I would have preferred stereo speaker setup, instead of mono speaker. Still, I would say I have been very impressed with the mono speaker on the bottom with the amount of quality and loud sounds that come from it. Music in the car over Bluetooth/Android Auto also works great and is very clear sounding. I actually flashed the Viper/Arise sound mod and disabled it shortly after because stock sounds that good (I don't play around with the Viper/Arise settings too much, so maybe I can improve it but to me there's not much left to be desired.) Voice Calls, people are loud and clear.
Overall, I am very happy with my purchase and would recommend the product to a friend!
Man the phones on point. I went hard on my op5 & have yet to hit 34 °c I play the phone for long stretches so not worrying about my phone getting to hot is my favorite upgrade so far. The battery for sure last longer than the 3t but the 3t charges about 10 minutes faster
My phone was delivered on the Friday after the key note and have used this as my daily driver. My most recent phone was the Samsung s7e, but gave to my wife as I found it too slow (and I really wanted to try a one plus 5).
Initial impressions are similar to the (honest) reviews:
1. Damn this thing is quick
2. Damn the fingerprint reader is quick
3. Damn that charges quick
3. Oh, the camera isn't quite as good as it was hyped
I think it looks "fine" (i.e I couldn't care less what it looks like).
Battery life has been good, at least comparable to a 6 month old SGS7e (I bought that second hand) but not as good as my old Sony z3c.
The camera is good, don't get me wrong, and it can take better shots than the Samsung, but it's not as consistent. Low light isn't as good (but again, the Samsung is a very high bar). I'd say that 90% of my photos come out fine first time. It's very quick to take photos though (if Oneplus wanted a "speed" theme to come through in this device then they certainly succeeded)
1080p video is very good. Surprisingly good. Ok 4k recording lacks stabilisation, but hey, do people bother to record in this resolution? (I suppose that do, but I sure as hell don't). They've also said that 4k EIS will come in an update.
The screen is very good. Having had the S6 and S7e, I've experienced excellent screens (i.e. high resolution) but really don't see the point for 99% of the time (I played with vr for a couple of days about 12 months ago so I really do mean 99%). 1080p is absolutely great for a 5.5" screen.
My only complaints have been:
1. Jelly (yes, either I'm susceptible to seeing it or my device has it)
2. Camera not as good as hyped
3. Some vague software oddities which I'm sure will be sorted (notification issues with eBay)
I'll post up some photos...
Some photos #shotonaoneplus
The best thing about OnePlus 5 is support from this community. I ordered on the conference day and there was TWRP and root solution available before this phone even arrived to my home. Another great thing is overall performance, clean OS, no bloatware.
Time for bad things. It is always bad sign when the company behind any device lies to you. They lie about camera peformance, they lie about screen issues... I wonder what will be next. Had I waited few days and seen how OnePlus acts, I would not buy it again.
Still I have it, so let's talk about user experience. I am switching to OnePlus 5 from my 4 years old OPPO Find 7, so this is my point of reference.
Form factor. The phone is a bit slippery and uncomfortable to grip. It has some sort of additional sharp line on the edge, and I ordered a cover to make it feel better. Other than this, it looks great and sexy. Shame it is not original design, but it is still good if you don't care about such things (I personally don't).
Screen. Screen has great colors and real blacks. It doesn't have the best resolution but just looks better than 2K IPS of Find 7. Use some dark wallpaper and you will be in heaven. At the same time you have this jelly effect and before I got used to it, it felt wrong. If you are motion sick, you should stay away from this phone.
Camera. The only good thing I can say about camera is its tonal range. You get all the colors instead of washed whites when you shot something with high contrast. At the same time I have seen way more details on the Find 7, which is four years old than on the OnePlus 5. Maybe it is poor compression of images, maybe it is some de-noising algorithm... anyway when you zoom in, you will see only blur in the image. Also, the telephoto camera is almost never used indoors (easy to check - cover one lens and see yourself which lens your phone is using) and used outdoor only when light is perfect (hello sun). When you click this magical 2x zoom in your camera app you will newer know whether you are doing software zoom loosing even more details or actual optical zoom... which even in best case is software-processed.
OS. Is great. Clean, fast android. Easy to root, easy to mod.
Battery life. Mixed. It will give you a full day, easily, but also drops significantly when you don't use the phone. Still, you have the DaSH/VOOC fast charge, so that's not a big issue.
Summary - this phone is great when you love messing with your phone, you are going to try custom rooms, you need root and great community support. It should be your choice if you with to have hardware that has enough power to stay with you for years. If you are looking for "clearer photos" look somewhere else. This is outward lie, and camera peformance is just average. It is also not a device for you if you must have the latest technology in hand or a very decent screen.
It is also not a steal anymore. You pay a bit less than premium range and you get a bit less then premium quality. Consider what you are looking for, and if your boxes are matched go for it.
ab7casper said:
How I typically use my phone is all day, everyday. It's a bit of an ADD thing where I have to keep myself busy. Games, XDA, more games. I play VainGlory a lot, and it's pretty heavy on my phone. Does anyone else play this, and how does the 5 perform while playing?
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I've never played that game but I play some games (the Idolmaster rhythm games) that are pretty heavy and made my Nexus 6 very sad. They run very smoothly at highest settings on the 1+5, and thanks to the massive amounts of ram, I can switch between several games with no problem.
The one complaint I have is the placement of the speaker. If you are playing a game landscape orientation your hand will keep covering it. Big problem when playing rhythm games.
j0ff said:
Some photos #shotonaoneplus
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Those are more than acceptable pics for a smartphone. I don't expect DSLR quality, and it looks like it could be an improvement over my 6p.
I really appreciate everyone's responses. They all are very insightful, and definitely put my mind at ease about the purchase.
ab7casper said:
Those are more than acceptable pics for a smartphone. I don't expect DSLR quality, and it looks like it could be an improvement over my 6p.
I really appreciate everyone's responses. They all are very insightful, and definitely put my mind at ease about the purchase.
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You will be happy with it, I'm sure!
From the forums you might think it's nothing but problems, but overall it is still a really​ great phone. Keep in mind most of the folks who even know about this phone are the pickiest of the pickiest!
yubimusubi said:
You will be happy with it, I'm sure!
From the forums you might think it's nothing but problems, but overall it is still a really​ great phone. Keep in mind most of the folks who even know about this phone are the pickiest of the pickiest!
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Haha, true that. I might say that camera performance means a lot to me. But I have no actual "training" in being a photographer, or what is supposed to look like what. I just like taking pictures for myself, and I throw em up on Instagram. I use a lot of my pictures for wallpapers for my phone, mainly.
If anything, the better the phone is performing at games the better it would be for me, and this sounds like a beast. I'll be doubling my ram, and storage capacity so I'll be more than happy at that fact alone. Haha
Edit: I hope this post stays near the top for anyone on the fence about the purchase. I was just thinking about you're only hearing so many users complaining about the phone, but how many other users out there that are completely satisfied.
I bought it just an hour after the event, and I'm returning it tofay. I love taking pictures with my phone and I don't like op5 photos at all. I'm sending it back this week before the 14-day period is over, I'm moving to the S8 which I found at the same price...
I just hate how it deals with low-light and with colour, in particular in the details, which are just awful. I come from three and an half years with the Nexus 5, which had OIS and an awesome HDR. In this phone, HDR pics are way too noisy and sometimes colours look much worse than non-HDR photos.
Dual camera, horrible photos I'd say
I was really excited about this phone, so I'm very disappointed. I know they might fix it in the future, but I don't feel like trusting OnePlus seeing how they are dealing with the OP3 update and with the jelly effect
P.S. Sorry for bad English, I'm new to the forum world
giaesse said:
I bought it just an hour after the event, and I'm returning it tofay. I love taking pictures with my phone and I don't like op5 photos at all. I'm sending it back this week before the 14-day period is over, I'm moving to the S8 which I found at the same price...
I just hate how it deals with low-light and with colour, in particular in the details, which are just awful. I come from three and an half years with the Nexus 5, which had OIS and an awesome HDR. In this phone, HDR pics are way too noisy and sometimes colours look much worse than non-HDR photos.
Dual camera, horrible photos I'd say
I was really excited about this phone, so I'm very disappointed. I know they might fix it in the future, but I don't feel like trusting OnePlus seeing how they are dealing with the OP3 update and with the jelly effect
P.S. Sorry for bad English, I'm new to the forum world
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OK have fun in the s8 forums. deuces
I love it ?
Camera can't complain needs few extra features I think there's always pro mode but I'm not cam savvy so just use normal mode sure it will be improved in updates , ?
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
DoobyDroid said:
I love it ?
Camera can't complain needs few extra features I think there's always pro mode but I'm not cam savvy so just use normal mode sure it will be improved in updates , ?
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Nice pics
Here are some pics I couldn't update earlier. You can see how bad the camera works in some conditions (like in the tree in two of the photos, which looks very unreal). Also in low light HDR is too noisy and I had to take twice the photo in the square and still I couldn't get a sharp image. Also you can see some artifacts in the two road pics. This is what convinced me to send this phone back, I take lots of pics and my old Nexus 5 worked better in all of these conditions
Edit: I might sound crazy, but look at the details
DoobyDroid said:
I love it ?
Camera can't complain needs few extra features I think there's always pro mode but I'm not cam savvy so just use normal mode sure it will be improved in updates , ?
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Click to collapse
I figured I would take one picture and edit in Snapseed to see how that pans out. I'm posting both the original and edited.
Honestly, I don't think I'll be upset at all for the quality. I like it. The pro mode will be fun as well to play with,
Had a great time in NY with it this past weekend.
I have to say that I love the phone. I have an s8+ too and I actually don't miss it at all. I bought the LG G6 last month an lasted 1 day with it and some would, well do argue that it's a better phone than the s8.
What I like: The performance. That phone is fast in every aspect. The best example I can give is the setup. I have 161 apps. It took 2 and a half hours to download on the s8+. Guess how fast it was on the OP5 25 minutes. I've never see that before.
The screen is fine, the camera is no prize winner but no slouch either. I'm sure SW updates can make it better. The sound is good.
What I don't like: So far it's that damn screen that flips to landscape for no reason.
I didn't think of returning the phone until I saw the thread with all the people whining about the most trivial things.
The way I see it is. If the camera really matters to you. S8+, Pixel XL, U11. If not, by all means. You cannot go wrong with this. 8gb of ram 128 GB of storage and this community. Your kids can use it 6 years from now it will still be a top contender.

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