Considering other options in price range with better camera - Moto G5 Plus Questions & Answers

Love this phone but after seeing low light comparisons with an ancient Galaxy s5 I was massively disappointed with the low light photographs, which is important to me (as well as overall camera quality). I've familiarized myself with the custom settings and they still don't provide the desired quality.
Considering a 1st gen Google Pixel or Samsung S7 (leaning to the pixel). What phones, including older phones, in a similar price range would be a good trade off?

I don't care about your complaining. Would it help that you compares G5 Plus to 4 years old phone? It makes you feel better? Don't do off topic and just compare phones in the right topic. It's annoying.

maruchandd said:
Love this phone but after seeing low light comparisons with an ancient Galaxy s5 I was massively disappointed with the low light photographs, which is important to me (as well as overall camera quality). I've familiarized myself with the custom settings and they still don't provide the desired quality.
Considering a 1st gen Google Pixel or Samsung S7 (leaning to the pixel). What phones, including older phones, in a similar price range would be a good trade off?
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I have the Moto G5plus and I compared the shots to 3 other phones I have access to (not all mine). These are all $200 something.
1. iPhone SE - Out of all budget phones, this makes the best pictures in this price range , the reason I won't get it is because the screen size is just a no-go for me. But camera wise, it's top dog, maybe the Note 5 and the S7 would be beating on it (in $200 range)
2. Honor 7X (I owned this for 2 days and returned it, because it had some defects and I chose not to get another one) This makes great pictures IMO, makes better pics than any moto phone although still not as good as the iphone.
3. Moto ZPlay (1st gen) - Don't get this for camera, actually the G5Plus makes better pictures, the only reason it would look better, because of the AMOLED screen it has, but look at it on a PC or another phone and compare the pics, you'd realize that the G5plus made sharper pictures. The Zplay was a mid-ranger in 2016, don't know how the Z2Play is, but as far as I know it has the same exact camera as the G5plus. Moto uses good cameras, but they just can't get their software processing right.
4. Blackberry Priv. - Despite all the other shortcomings (heats up, not so great battery life) this makes really good pictures, has a curved, hres screen too.
5. iPhone 6S- Same camera as the SE. Again, the reason I don't consider it, is because I had it and I got spoiled by my Note 5 (which I broke and gone now) which was way better and the large screen made me hate my iphone screen.
6. Used Galaxy S7 (or edge, but it's $100 more) this has to be the best shooter if you can find one for $200 as a refurb or used. Same thing with the Galaxy Note 4 or 5. Unless of course you hate touchwiz.
7. If you can find a first gen Pixel, you gonna have a good camera. also LG G6 are going dirt cheap on ebay and it's a 2017 flagship. It has an awesome camera with secondary wide angle shot. As of right now I'm getting an LG G6 soon to replace my G5 Plus.
8. Sony experia - I don't know much about it, although people claiming to make as good or even better pics as the S7. Sony seem to be the primary maker of the best cams on most of smartphones so they won't wimp out on putting a really good one on their own smartphones.

maruchandd said:
Love this phone but after seeing low light comparisons with an ancient Galaxy s5 I was massively disappointed with the low light photographs, which is important to me (as well as overall camera quality). I've familiarized myself with the custom settings and they still don't provide the desired quality.
Considering a 1st gen Google Pixel or Samsung S7 (leaning to the pixel). What phones, including older phones, in a similar price range would be a good trade off?
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Click to collapse
Dude, this has the same imaging sensor as the S7 and Pixel, but it was held back by crappy (but fixable) software. There's no way in heck an S5 can compare once you've turned on Camera2 and run the Gcam HDR+ exposure. Out of camera the shots hang on my wall next to ones taken with my $3000+ pro DSLR, and editing the RAW images blows me away every time I try tweaking them in lightroom.
I call shenanigans. I want to see the examples the OP is talking about, or I lay claim that he is only comparing the crippled stock camera app.

Related

Camera Discussion

Direct quote from Google:
An f2.0 lens and 13 megapixel camera with optical image stabilization capture great photos in daylight and low light. Using advanced computational photography technology and HDR+, the pre-installed Google Camera does the heavy lifting so you can effortlessly take great photos.
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Luckily it doesn't seem to be the same camera found on the Moto X (2014). Different sensor perhaps?
Moto X 2nd gen has the Sony IMX135
Nexus 6 has the Sony IMX214 (same as oneplus)
lookitzjohnny said:
Moto X 2nd gen has the Sony IMX135
Nexus 6 has the Sony IMX214 (same as oneplus)
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Which one is better?
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NardVa said:
Which one is better?
Sent from my LG-E980 using XDA Free mobile app
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http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/new_pro/april_2014/imx214_e.html
214. The OnePlus One can take some great pictures. The N6 should be similar if not equal but I am concerned that the camera app won't take full advantage of what that sensor can do. Hopefully it will.
It's super interesting to me that the front-facing camera has 1.4um pixel size vs the 1.12um.. even smaller than the Nexus 5's. I guess they prioritized good low-lighting shots for selfies not photos.
The hardware seems to be there. Google just needs to develop the software to take advantage of the hardware. Heck, even the Nexus 5 has decent camera hardware.. The software is where it was lacking.
lookitzjohnny said:
Moto X 2nd gen has the Sony IMX135
Nexus 6 has the Sony IMX214 (same as oneplus)
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Where did you find this info? For the Nexus 6?
0.0 said:
Where did you find this info? For the Nexus 6?
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http://www.motorola.com/us/Nexus-6/nexus-6-motorola-us.html
lensgrabber said:
http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/new_pro/april_2014/imx214_e.html
214. The OnePlus One can take some great pictures. The N6 should be similar if not equal but I am concerned that the camera app won't take full advantage of what that sensor can do. Hopefully it will.
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The important thing to keep in mind here is that this is a 1/3 sensor, like all other sensors out their in flagship phones these days. There is only so much you can do with a 1/3 sensor. So it will be fine, but nothing special. 1/3 sensors first debuted in phones, in 2006 with the Nokia N93 (at the time an advance over the 1/4 sensors). So this is eight year old tehnology. And yet it is the status quo in today's phones.
The only notable exception, I know of, is the Galaxy S5 that has a 1/2.5 sensor (and also the Xperia Z3 I think). The S5 takes pretty good photos. Nothing else is going to be as good as the S5. I promise the Nexus 6 will not hold a candle to the S5. The Z3 is not so good as the S5 for somewhat inexplicable reasons; I don't know why Sony can't get their act together, despite being the supplier of sensors to so many other companies, but the cameras in their recent phones have consistently underperformed.
And of course there is the Nokia 1020 with a huge 1/1.5 sensor and the Nokia 808 with and even huger 1/1.2 sensor, that's phsically five times larger than a 1/3 sensor. Those are great camera phones. But you have to sacrifice thinness to have sensors like that. Then there's the four year old Nokia N8 with a 1/1.8 sensor that still eclipses todays best of the best. And even the five year old Nokia N86 has a 1/2.5 sensor that takes as good photos as any phone today, including the S5.
Physical sensor size (not megapixels) matters because it allows the camera to take in more light, render colors better, have less noise, and perform better in low light. Everything else is pretty much gimmicks and fiddling around the edges (except OIS is a nice feature, I think--and resolution and frame rates for video has gotten better--though 4K seems like a stupid exercise when no one has a computer screen or television that can render that level of resolution).
Anyway, so the Nexus 6 has just another medicore 1/3 sensor that will take fine snapshots. Mainly it is an advance over previous Nexus phones that had subpar cameras, but other than that it is just catching up to the mediocre pack of today's flagship pones. If you want the best camera in a normal phone, get an S5. If you want a truly great camera and can stand Windows Phone or the defunct Symbian OS, get a Nokia 1020 or Nokia 808. Everything else is just whatever.
Isn't the Note 4 better than the S5 in terms of camera performance?
cb474 said:
The important thing to keep in mind here is that this is a 1/3 sensor, like all other sensors out their in flagship phones these days. There is only so much you can do with a 1/3 sensor. So it will be fine, but nothing special. 1/3 sensors first debuted in phones, in 2006 with the Nokia N93 (at the time an advance over the 1/4 sensors). So this is eight year old tehnology. And yet it is the status quo in today's phones.
The only notable exception, I know of, is the Galaxy S5 that has a 1/2.5 sensor (and also the Xperia Z3 I think). The S5 takes pretty good photos. Nothing else is going to be as good as the S5. I promise the Nexus 6 will not hold a candle to the S5. The Z3 is not so good as the S5 for somewhat inexplicable reasons; I don't know why Sony can't get their act together, despite being the supplier of sensors to so many other companies, but the cameras in their recent phones have consistently underperformed.
And of course there is the Nokia 1020 with a huge 1/1.5 sensor and the Nokia 808 with and even huger 1/1.2 sensor, that's phsically five times larger than a 1/3 sensor. Those are great camera phones. But you have to sacrifice thinness to have sensors like that. Then there's the four year old Nokia N8 with a 1/1.8 sensor that still eclipses todays best of the best. And even the five year old Nokia N86 has a 1/2.5 sensor that takes as good photos as any phone today, including the S5.
Physical sensor size (not megapixels) matters because it allows the camera to take in more light, render colors better, have less noise, and perform better in low light. Everything else is pretty much gimmicks and fiddling around the edges (except OIS is a nice feature, I think--and resolution and frame rates for video has gotten better--though 4K seems like a stupid exercise when no one has a computer screen or television that can render that level of resolution).
Anyway, so the Nexus 6 has just another medicore 1/3 sensor that will take fine snapshots. Mainly it is an advance over previous Nexus phones that had subpar cameras, but other than that it is just catching up to the mediocre pack of today's flagship pones. If you want the best camera in a normal phone, get an S5. If you want a truly great camera and can stand Windows Phone or the defunct Symbian OS, get a Nokia 1020 or Nokia 808. Everything else is just whatever.
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This was very informative. This really relieves me of not being so down about not having the imx214 in the Moto X 2014
Also, hello again. I've seen you before in the Moto X 2014 forums lol
sent from my Moto X (2014)
---------- Post added at 11:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:40 PM ----------
msal said:
Isn't the Note 4 better than the S5 in terms of camera performance?
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It should be, if it is using the same sensor as s5. On top of that, it is using OIS. The Note 4 should be the new benchmark in terms of camera quality for Android
sent from my Moto X (2014)
What about this camera compared to the LG G3? My G3 takes the best photos I've ever had from a phone. The megapixel count is the same between the two, but it has a Sony IMX135.. and it has that laser autofocus which is pretty nice for fast shots.
Also, what about the N6 being f2.0 aperture over the typical 2.2 or 2.4?
msal said:
Isn't the Note 4 better than the S5 in terms of camera performance?
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I'm not into phablets, so I don't know much about the Note 4. It looks like it has a Sony IMX240 sesnor, with a 1/2.6 sensor, so slightly smaller than the 1/2.5 sensor in the S5. It does have OIS though, which should help with longer exposures in low light. The S5 has an "Isocell" sensor, which is supposed to have barriers between pixels that helps improve color accuracy and sharpness (see: http://connect.dpreview.com/post/0315472077/samsung-explains-the-galaxy-s5-isocell-sensor). I know the S5 has atypically good color accuracy for a phone, though part of that is a choice on Samsungs part not to favor in the post-processing the oversaturated colors that many people like (i.e. that many people mistake for better photos--people often find more accurate colors to look washed out). Anyway, since Samsung usually does a good job in their flagships, I would not be surprised if the Note 4 is comparable or slightly better than the S5. But it's going to be minor differences, I think.
0.0 said:
This was very informative. This really relieves me of not being so down about not having the imx214 in the Moto X 2014
Also, hello again. I've seen you before in the Moto X 2014 forums lol
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Yes, the new Nexus phone and the 2nd Gen. Moto X are the two phones I'm looking at to replace my Nexus 4, so I've been hanging around both forums. For the moment I'm just trying to get over my raging disappointment that the Nexus 6 really is a huge 6" phablet. Sigh. It does have some nice upgrades over the 2nd Gen. Moto X, I think. (Though if it lacks the four microphone noise cancellation in the Moto X, that's a deal killer for me--I haven't been able to confirm anything about this yet.)
I wouldn't worry about the different sensors in the phones much. They're both fine and more or less in the same ballpark of quality, as 1/3 sensors. OIS on the Nexus 6 is nice and should help with low light photography (and video), that's the biggest difference, depending how important that is to you. In good light, I doubt you'd see much difference between the cameras. For just general snapshots of friends and things like that, I think all these phones are fine.
As I said above, I think people make way too big a deal of the differences between cameras in current flagships. Handset makers try to make a big deal out of small differences, for the sake of competition, because they can't acknowledge the truth that they've all just decided the eight year old technology of 1/3 sensors is good enough and they'd rather make super thin phones. If you're the sort of person who's really going to get into the small differences between one flagship with a 1/3 sensor and another, then you're probably the sort of person that would appreciate an S5 more, because of it's 1/2.5 sensor, and you're probably the sort of person will to take the Windows Phone plunge so you can get the truly amazing Nokia 1020 with it's 1/1.5 sensor and many other advantages (mechanical shutter, OIS, Xenon flash, pixel binning for over sampling, lossless digital zooming).
Nitemare3219 said:
What about this camera compared to the LG G3? My G3 takes the best photos I've ever had from a phone. The megapixel count is the same between the two, but it has a Sony IMX135.. and it has that laser autofocus which is pretty nice for fast shots.
Also, what about the N6 being f2.0 aperture over the typical 2.2 or 2.4?
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The LG G3 has the same IMX135 sensor as the 2nd Gen Moto X, but also has OIS. It's prefectly good, but still yet another 1/3 sensor. It's the same sensor in the LG G2, the Note 3, the Galaxy S4, and a bazillion other phones, so it shouldn't be meaningfully different from any of them, except for the potential low light advantage of OIS. (Check this out to see just how many phones have Sony sensors in them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exmor).
That being said OIS is not a miracle cure for smaller sensors. Neither is the f2.0 aperature on the Nexus 6. They're nice features, but you can only do so much with a smaller 1/3 sensor. Again, these are all ways manufacturers are trying to fiddle around to make the best out of mediocre sensors. The S5 and even the five year old Nokia N86 with 1/2.5 sensors will do almost as well in low light as a phone with OIS (I think the f2.0 will make less of a difference than OIS). And, again, the huge 1/1.8, 1/1.5, 1/1.2 sensors in the Nokia N8, 1020, and 808 (respectively) are going to way out perform a 1/3 sensor with OIS in low light (as well as in every other situation)--and of course the 1020 also has OIS, on top of a huge sensor.
At this point, I don't really know why all flaghips don't have OIS. It has some benefits. And it's stupid to have to choose between a mediocre 1/3 sensor with OIS and a larger 1/2.5 sensor without OIS. It's like two different choices of how to shoot yourself in the foot.
All that to say, I still think these are all pretty minor differences between phones with more or less similar image making capabilities. I wouldn't choose between the LG G3, Moto X, or Nexus 6 for the camera. I might (might) choose the S5 for the camera, but I hate Samsung phones, so I really wouldn't ever get an S5. If the camera really was the main issue to me, I'd get a Nokia 1020 and enter the wonderful world of Windows Phone (which I think is under rated as an interface anyway). But that's really for the serious photographers.
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A final word to the wise. Take the reviews of phone cameras you see online with a huge grain of salt. There are very few sites that do a good job and know what they are talking about. Most site reviewers are essentially amature photographers, making incredibly subjective judgments about images, with no real knowledge of how to take photos in a way that allow for good comparisons, and overplay the differences between today's phones (since they get the phones for free to review, they also have huge conflicts of interest and will mostly avoid saying anything too negative--like acknowledging that the differences between these phones a relatively minor). Dpreview.com is probably the best site I know of.
Great read dude. I've owned several Samsung's and nexus phones. None could take the quality pics my HTC DNA could. Would that be software related? I loved that damn phone.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
donnyp1 said:
Great read dude. I've owned several Samsung's and nexus phones. None could take the quality pics my HTC DNA could. Would that be software related? I loved that damn phone.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
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I'm not especially familiar with the DNA and can't find any information about its sensor, although it appears to have a decent f2.0 aperature. Seems like it had the same sensor as the HTC One X, which was a 1/3.2 backside illuminated CMOS sensor. Reviews seem to find that the HTC One, with it's ultrapixels, took better (more color accurate) photos.
Perhaps there was just something about how the DNA did post-processing on the images that you subjectively liked better.
This is a good example of how sensors have stayed in the 1/3 ballpark for a long time and an older phone can be just as good as today's "flagships," which is basically the point I've been making.
I think the Nexus 5 that your signature says you have (like the Nexus 4 before it) has as somewhat subpar camera by the current standards. So it's understandable that coming from the DNA you could be having a worse experience--though the Nexus 5 has a similar 1/3.2 sensor and OIS. The Nexus 6, if you're' in the market for one, ought to be a decent improvement over the Nexus 5 and better than the DNA. Especially since the Nexus 6 has OIS, on top of a newer and slightly larger 1/3.06 sensor. But, still, I think they are all in the same general range as cameras.
What's with the 30 fps stat listed on the google and moto specific pages... Up to 4k recording but no slow motion capture. I thought the OPO does slo mo.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
So if both the one + and the nexus 6 have the same camera, would the difference be night shots with flash?
I don't really know how software will play in, but I hope that the nexus 6 is more crisp than moto x. Hard to decide between this or an One+.
I also wonder why the people that are disappointed with the nexus 6's price and/or screen size don't get a one + instead.
Richie5767 said:
So if both the one + and the nexus 6 have the same camera, would the difference be night shots with flash?
I don't really know how software will play in, but I hope that the nexus 6 is more crisp than moto x. Hard to decide between this or an One+.
I also wonder why the people that are disappointed with the nexus 6's price and/or screen size don't get a one + instead.
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Because the stupid invite system ...you still can't get the freaking phone ....
One + is not available for Verizon as far as I know, or I would consider it.
Richie5767 said:
So if both the one + and the nexus 6 have the same camera, would the difference be night shots with flash?
I don't really know how software will play in, but I hope that the nexus 6 is more crisp than moto x. Hard to decide between this or an One+.
I also wonder why the people that are disappointed with the nexus 6's price and/or screen size don't get a one + instead.
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From a hardware point of view, the main difference will be that the Nexus 6 has OIS (optical image stabilization) and the OnePlus One does not. This should improve photography in low light, allowing for longer exposures. And it will allow for more fluid and stable video, when moving the camera and shooting at the same time. The OnePlus One does have digital image stablization, which OnePlus made a big deal about, but digital image stablization sucks and reviews of the OnePlus One demonstrated this, as if it really needed to be demonstrated yet again on another device.
There could be software differences, in terms of how the phones post-process the images. The OnePlus One, like many phones, produces over-saturated colors, because people tend to like that better (they see the bright colors and think it is a better photo, even though it is an inaccurate representation of the colors in the actual scene). I wouldn't hold my breath for Google choosing to do something different, however. Over-saturated colors are pretty much the norm, not many phones go for more realistic colors. Also, phones sometimes vary on how much sharpening they apply in post processing. Again, sharpening creates the superficial appearance of a sharper image, but actually eliminates detail in the photo, if you zoom way in. Of course, these are things that can be corrected later with image editing software, if you care.
We'll really have to wait for reviews on high quality sites, like Dpreview, before we know if the Nexus 6 and OnePlus One vary at all in how they do post-processing.

S7 vs G4

It's been troubling my mind for a while, so I'll say it here. S7 feels kind of disappointing. Why kind of? Because it's a great phone, but with a lot of nuisances.
I upgraded (or moved) from LG G4 after hardware failure and my first impressions are rather luke warm. Let's split it into categories:
Design:
This is where S7 absolutely smashes G4 to pieces. S7 is really beautiful (although M7 is still my favourite) and G4 is, well, it tries, but is still ugly.
Ergonomy:
I love the smaller display, but the phone itself doesnt seem as ergonomic as G4. The rear buttons on G4 are great. Once I got used to them, I really miss them even after a month with S7. Also typing while lying is uncomfortable, which is something I never experienced with G4, but I really like having hardware buttons on S7.
Performance:
This one is a little sketchy. Although the phone doesnt freeze and switches apps really fast, the whole experience is not that excellent. Sometimes the display doesnt seem as responsive as it should (especially compared to Apple's exagerrated sensitivity) and the Briefing thing is just garbage. It lags and stutters every time you swipe from home screen to Briefing. This is not acceptable on any flagship in 2016. HTC had similar thing called BlinkFeed and it never, and I really mean it, never lagged. The whole phone just seemed more responsive. Even compared to G4.
Other than that, this phone is really fast.
Camera:
The camera is a mixed bag as well. On one hand, you get the amazing autofocus and almost instant camera launch, but on the other hand you get only 12 MPx and aggressive software sharpening. Don't get me wrong, 12MPx is plenty enough unless you want to zoom and see the details, plus shots in low light seem not that great. It just somehow feel like the camera isn't even an upgrade over G4, especially in low light. Haven't tried RAW capture, though. The pictures are usually great, but the upgrade over G4 seems very minor if there's some. Of course, this is all subjective and if I had G4 with me now, the S7 would probably win 3 out of 4 shots.
Front camera is worse though. The camera cannot focus on the whole picture and the edges are usually blurry, despite having subjects that are in the same distance from the lens as the subject in focus. Plus G4 had 8MPx, while S7 has only 5. Yeah, I know, there are more important things than resolution, but G4's front camera just felt better.
Overall quality:
Samsung should really work on quality control. Even if we say that Note's faulty batteries are not directly Samsung's fault, design of S7 is. I had mine 2 days. I repeat, 2 days, when it got stuck at boot. What was the problem? Motherboard. On a brand new phone that's never been dropped. And I was not alone, according to people on the Internet. The thing that bothers me is, if you cannot compete with Apple's build quality and customer care, don't compete so close to their price level. Yeah, I know. Samsung offers much more in terms of hardware at lower price than Apple, but in real life, you scarcely know the difference and the quality is just not there yet.
Other thing is wifi signal strength. With my plastic G4, I had good enough wifi signal in my bed, with S7 I can't usually even see the network. Same goes for other parts of house. G4 could connect everywhere, while I can only wish for that in S7.
Okay, to be fair. I really like this phone, but I was disappointed that it didn't feel like an upgrade over older and much cheaper phone.
What are your opinions on this? Anyone feels similarly, or did I just expect too much?
rs70 said:
It's been troubling my mind for a while, so I'll say it here. S7 feels kind of disappointing. Why kind of? Because it's a great phone, but with a lot of nuisances.
I upgraded (or moved) from LG G4 after hardware failure and my first impressions are rather luke warm. Let's split it into categories:
(....................)
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I did the same switch a couple of weeks ago and it feels like a whole different world! The G4 wasn’t bad, and I had no bootloop problems like many others but the speed of the S7 is amazing! I can’t detect a SINGLE stutter and the gaming speed is out of this world, like always buttery smooth. The Snapdragon 808 of the G4 was no speed monster!
The display is really the biggest reason for the switch as I see it. There is no way I am going back to lcd now that I know that black can really be BLACK with amoled and not gray as with lcd. The white has a better clean look to it also. Over all it’s just like candy for your eyes!
The camera on the G4 is on the other hand in some ways better than the S7, mostly in low light situations. But the speed of the S7 camera, both start and focus, beats the G4 by miles. I think that the daylight photos in most cases looks better with the S7 to.
Here in Sweden the performance of the S7 with mobile network both LTE and WCDMA is just as good as the G4 if not better. I have the exact same coverage with my WiFi connections as I had with the G4.
And it’s the Exynos version as I live in Europe.
gerhard_wa said:
I did the same switch a couple of weeks ago and it feels like a whole different world! The G4 wasn’t bad, and I had no bootloop problems like many others but the speed of the S7 is amazing! I can’t detect a SINGLE stutter and the gaming speed is out of this world, like always buttery smooth. The Snapdragon 808 of the G4 was no speed monster!
The display is really the biggest reason for the switch as I see it. There is no way I am going back to lcd now that I know that black can really be BLACK with amoled and not gray as with lcd. The white has a better clean look to it also. Over all it’s just like candy for your eyes!
The camera on the G4 is on the other hand in some ways better than the S7, mostly in low light situations. But the speed of the S7 camera, both start and focus, beats the G4 by miles. I think that the daylight photos in most cases looks better with the S7 to.
Here in Sweden the performance of the S7 with mobile network both LTE and WCDMA is just as good as the G4 if not better. I have the exact same coverage with my WiFi connections as I had with the G4.
And it’s the Exynos version as I live in Europe.
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The stutters and delay are most obvious on homescreen when you try to swipe to the Briefing screen. I'm not saying the phone is not fast, but it just doesn't feel as smooth as, let's say an iPhone. Plus the delay when you press home button is a little annoying (if you disable double press for camera launch, it reacts immediately, but it's not worth the convenience of quick camera launch). Yeah, that's true that 808 wasn't the fastest processor out there, but G4 was at least as smooth as S7, though not as fast.
But I can only agree with you on the display, especially the part with black color. The other thing I just noticed is the low resolution of icons, both on homescreen and in app drawer. The icons are a bit blurry, while the text underneath those and widgets are perfectly sharp. I'm still not sure if I like TouchWiz, or whatever it is called today.
rs70 said:
The stutters and delay are most obvious on homescreen when you try to swipe to the Briefing screen. I'm not saying the phone is not fast, but it just doesn't feel as smooth as, let's say an iPhone. Plus the delay when you press home button is a little annoying (if you disable double press for camera launch, it reacts immediately, but it's not worth the convenience of quick camera launch). Yeah, that's true that 808 wasn't the fastest processor out there, but G4 was at least as smooth as S7, though not as fast.
But I can only agree with you on the display, especially the part with black color. The other thing I just noticed is the low resolution of icons, both on homescreen and in app drawer. The icons are a bit blurry, while the text underneath those and widgets are perfectly sharp. I'm still not sure if I like TouchWiz, or whatever it is called today.
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Most people install a decent launcher like Nova Launcher to replace the TouchWiz homescreen
I have double press home to open camera, and get no delay pressing home once
I never use the homepages supplied by the phone makers that force feed me with crap! Thats the first thing I remove, as with the HTCs blinkfeed. The next step is to buy Nova launcher Prime or Google launcher.
Try it, you will like it!
I switched from the G4 Dual (the only one disponible here in my country), and I feel like I was using a toy phone with the G4, leather all scratched out, the screen had pink marks (reflections of already used things, it appeared without any reason) and the motherboard gone, well i had all the G series but the G4 was a big let down for me (especially the dual sim one) the S7 smashes the G4 all the way to valhalla.
I also had a g4, still in my family now. It is complete garbage compared to s7. I don't have any stutter on the s7, it's not perfect but much better than the LG. And this coming from a Samsung hater, I dislike almost all their products. The camera is overhyped on both, g4 has better details but the app is garbage, very slow and 7 out of 10 photos on auto mode are crap. The s7 camera lacks detail but it's faster and consistent. Not to talk about the display and battery life where the s7 is much much better.
I still miss the soft android buttons and the fast updates on my old nexus 5... the only reason I don't have a nexus now is the manufacturer -lg- with crap hardware and materials (not interested in the phablets)
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
I never used G4 but i heard about poor battery so did not went for it. I bought Lg G5 but then sold it because camera was average though wide lense was awesome but pictures were lacking details as you zoom in....probably worse than what you see with s7. Lg G5 also had poor brightness ...I personally found nexus 6p/5X as best camera for still photography ..I kept changing phones from last few months from nexus 5x to lg g5 and then G5 to S7 and now waiting to try Huawei p9
The s7 is superior in every way, since it costs more and is newer than the G4. The only thing that the G4 beats the s7 in is the developer friendliness.
While I love and miss the LG G4 I had earlier this year, I now have a Galaxy S7 Active and from the moment I first took a picture with it I was disappointed in comparison to the G4. For me personally, from the first image I took with the G4 I knew there was something special about that camera (meaning the lens and sensor) in that smartphone and even now when I don't have one anymore that device produced the best quality image data I've yet worked with from such devices.
I know the GS7A has the same camera setup the GS7 has but even so, I just find that the G4 produced better images when all was said and done, even when using plain old Auto mode let alone really getting some fantastic images done with the Manual mode.
I like the GS7A, I really do, it has some great aspects to it and I'm happy to have a relatively "rugged" phone once again - I owned the GS4A when it first came out years ago and loved it till I sold it, was an amazing device for its time. But I'm practically itching to find someone to trade a G4 for this GS7A (and maybe a few bucks thrown in on the deal considering the GS7A sells for $794 at AT&T and I could get a G4 practically new for ~$200 these days).
I miss the G4, I really do, and I miss what I could do with that camera on the G4 even more - if I could get one of the new ones that (apparently) has finally resolved the bootloop issue (think they're marked as 603 or something meaning March 2016 build date) I might actually do a trade with someone.
opps. nevermind.
I also upgraded from my LG G4 after it died, to the S7. I've only had it for a short while but so far I think it's a worthy upgrade. The only things I'm missing are the FM radio and IR blaster, but I can live without these.
Maybe Samsung will bring back the FM radio like they did the microSD card slot.
Used a G4 for a year, the S7 since last spring.
I can say that I got equally good camera shots in all conditions as far as I can tell. I know what the reviews show, but picture quality is negligent for me. Camera is much faster on the S7.
I miss the back buttons and the tap to turn on the screen in the G4. I also miss the larger screen.
With the S7, I love the amoled, and outside viewing is much much better. I found the automatic brightness of the G4 to be terrible, and in the S7 it works great.
Battery life on the S7 has been better for me, but it's hard for me to compare fairly as I have a few wireless chargers that I pop the S7 on throughout the day, so I am topping up without thinking about it much.
Water resistance has been brilliant for me too. While I have not dropped my phone in water, I use it in the rain regularly.
Sent from my SM-G930W8 using XDA-Developers mobile app
My LG G4 also broke last week due to bootlop of death; not under warranty because of unlocked bootloader.
I would like to buy a new one (can be found in stores for about 310 EUR) but I'm afraid that bootlop could happen again, so decided to leave LG (V20 will not arrive in Europe) and to go for a plain S7.
I loved my G4, buttons on the back were great to use.
Camera was impressive; many friends with "better" handphones were stunned seeing pictures taken at night (manual mode).
Main concern is downgrading from 5.5' to 5.1'; when I got the G4 the screen seemed huge, but after some time you ged used to it and quality was also ok for my tastes.
Let's see how the S7 will perform; my old S3 was a good phone after all...
Can you plese tell if the battery is removeable or not ? I have read different opinions about. My concern is that in certain occasions (flashing...) the software reset (Pwr+VolDwn) could not work and lead to a mess. Removing the battery is often the best thing that helps...
Regards
S
@sandrinopi The s7 has no removable battery. It's built in. However,pressing the power button for some seconds results also to a restart.
Στάλθηκε από το SM-G930F μου χρησιμοποιώντας Tapatalk
sloany84 said:
I also upgraded from my LG G4 after it died, to the S7. I've only had it for a short while but so far I think it's a worthy upgrade. The only things I'm missing are the FM radio and IR blaster, but I can live without these.
Maybe Samsung will bring back the FM radio like they did the microSD card slot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S7 does have fm
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Dri94 said:
S7 does have fm
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not on European versions, where FM radio is not factory installed.
If I correctly understood a couple of articles I read, the unique attempt that one can do is to install an FM radio app from Play store and cross fingers.
Rgds
S
TheSproker said:
The s7 is superior in every way, since it costs more and is newer than the G4. The only thing that the G4 beats the s7 in is the developer friendliness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Marketers dream of customers who define superiority by highest cost. There are many of us who think developer friendless is the single most important factor. I think the S7 is a horrible phone and a very poor value. I'm glad my teenage son enjoys the one I purchased because I would have sold it within days of buying it if it were my phone.

[VERSUS] LG G6 or OnePlus 5

Hello everyone, as to the reason why I'm asking in this thread. I'm personally favouring the G6 for unknown reasons. I just wanted some more input.
I cannot decide between the G6 and the Oneplus 5
What would you pick and why?
For me the G6 has unique features like the Waterproofing, the wide angle, the dac, Qhd display
Oneplus has software and power, better sensor(?)
I really want the better camera experience which is why I'm leaning towards the G6 for the wide angle.
At the same time, FCC is bad/average I read here which is sad, while the oneplus front cam is supposedly good but I probably use it only for video calling anyway
In low light, indoor pictures how do the G6 fair in your opinion? Satisfied by indoor pictures of people/pets etc??
Video calling with the front camera? Good bad?
what do you say?
Thank you for your insights!
Oh one more thing, this purchase is going to be a keeper, meaning 2-3 years if possible. What's the better buy?
dkimmortal said:
Hello everyone, as to the reason why I'm asking in this thread. I'm personally favouring the G6 for unknown reasons. I just wanted some more input.
I cannot decide between the G6 and the Oneplus 5
What would you pick and why?
For me the G6 has unique features like the Waterproofing, the wide angle, the dac, Qhd display
Oneplus has software and power, better sensor(?)
I really want the better camera experience which is why I'm leaning towards the G6 for the wide angle.
At the same time, FCC is bad/average I read here which is sad, while the oneplus front cam is supposedly good but I probably use it only for video calling anyway
In low light, indoor pictures how do the G6 fair in your opinion? Satisfied by indoor pictures of people/pets etc??
Video calling with the front camera? Good bad?
what do you say?
Thank you for your insights!
Oh one more thing, this purchase is going to be a keeper, meaning 2-3 years if possible. What's the better buy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better screen on g6 next to no bezzle on g6 them 2 things alone make the g6 better than op5 in my opinion
The only 3 things that op5 have better than LG it's fast updates , stock Android and the os it's faster. The rest the gym smocks op5
G6 24 month warranty! Love the IQ, very happy thus far.
Sent from my LG-H870 using Tapatalk
If you are concerned about the front camera on the LG G6, use the rear wide angle camera and easily take selfies! The LG G6 is one of the fastest SD 821 devices out there so compared to the One Plus 5 which use SD 835, You will save fractions of a second when using the faster One Plus 5, nothing major differences in performance! LG G6 is even better than the SD 835 or the Exynos specced Galaxy S8 due to the LG UX 6.0 being smoother than Samsung's software..
Well, this is ironic.
I have a G6 and my friend just got an OP5 so we compared a few things. I have a pretty good idea what the differences are.
Design: Of course this is subjective, depends what you prefer. The OP5 is thinner, but I like the G6 better. That's of course your preference, but once you go bezeless, it's hard to go back.
Battery: I'm actually getting great battery life on the G6, however, the OP5 is just better. The battery size is the same, but the 835 is more power efficient, the screen is 1080p instead of 2k, and Android 7.1 has more battery optimizations than 7.0. As well as less bloat running in the background.
Of course again, that depends on your usage. Speaking of display:
Screen: Both are gorgeous screens, 5.7 2k vs 5.5 1080p (and yes, the G6 is slightly smaller even with the bigger screen). Both are nice, and it's really your choice. The G6 screen is gorgeous, and LCD which is really one of the best. The OP5 screen is a nice dark amoled and has great colour. You won't be disappointed by either screen, it all depends on whether you really want the nicer denser screen, or of 1080p is nice enough, taking I told account battery savings.
Speed: Day to day usage, both phones are great. I really see no stutter or lags on either device, except for the occasional hiccup in an app. But that's the app more than the hardware.
That being said, the little things is where the OP5 flies. Unlocking it is nearly instant. The camera loads ridiculously quickly. And of course games load quicker. If the G6 could be rooted and some bloat deleted, it could probably do a bit better, but stock out of the box, the OP5 flies... unlike the G6.
Camera: I'm not a big photos guy, so I can only give you some simple experience with that. Both rear cameras are very similar quality wise. The OP5 gets the bokkeh effect, and the G6 has the wide lens. Again, kind of comes down to your preference. The front facing camera is better on the OP5. That's no competition. I assume LG could not fit a better camera on the small bezel. That being said, it's not a TERRIBLE camera. As long as you have some good light, you're fine. It's just low light that ruins things (like most cameras anyway)
Regardless, both phones are pretty awesome. They both do very well for day-to-day. They both look very nice as well. Although I'd give the "looks" advantage to the G6, especially since the OP5 looks just like the iphone7, which personally, I really don't like. But it doesn't mean its a bad look or anything, again, very subjective. The power though, goes to the OP5. Again, the G6 isn't bad by any means, but you can really tell which phone is more powerful when putting them side by side.
I tend to edge over to the G6. I feel it's a more no compromises approach. Despite being overall less powerful, it doesn't suffer in day to day, and looks great. The OP5 is definitely more of an enthusiast device, but I would pass on the looks.
So unless there is a specific reason to get one: like rooting, the front camera, the display tech (LCD vs amoled), the processor, etc. You'll be fine with either device.
Take a look at the pricing around you. I got the G6 from a carrier so I paid less up front, but overall the OP5 is a bit cheaper (at least here) so that's a consideration.
Good luck!
Leaning towards the op5
My LG G4 just died with the boot loop that's caused by the soldering problem admitted by LG themselves. Despite my phone still being under warranty, they've refused to fix it due to the phone being rooted. Luckily Amazon gave me a full refund regardless. Not happy with LG at all! I mean rooting is the whole point of owning an Android in the first place.
LG seems to be a better and cheaper phone here (maybe not so much in the battery department) but I'm weary of getting burned again by LG... Plus OP has better support and optimization. The battery life on the original firmware that LG G4 came with was absolutely appalling, 2.5h of screen on time. Smh...
Hope this helps in your decision.
I'm gonna carry on my research for another day or two I think.
I'm starting to regret getting the g6. Stuck on android 7.0 and probably getting only one more update to 8.0. First releases are always bug infested.....we...G6 owners are doomed to use buggy software till rhe end of days.
My prior phone (OP3) wasn't flawless but at least the software was up to date and it was rootable.
I'm waiting for the release of the new pixel and if that won't win me over...im jumping ship to the OP5.
ibila said:
I'm starting to regret getting the g6. Stuck on android 7.0 and probably getting only one more update to 8.0. First releases are always bug infested.....we...G6 owners are doomed to use buggy software till rhe end of days.
My prior phone (OP3) wasn't flawless but at least the software was up to date and it was rootable.
I'm waiting for the release of the new pixel and if that won't win me over...im jumping ship to the OP5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im actually expecting G6 to receive Project Treble support and 2 more android updates. Keep in mind G6 was released early this year with nougat (7), oem flagships usually support phones for 2 years, thus android 9 is not wishful thinking...pending support from qualcomm on 821 chip, but I'd imagine google will press qualcomm to maintain support as original pixels share same chip.

S8, HTC U11 or LG G6

Hi guys, I just went from S7 on OnePlus 5 recently and had it for two days but I hate camera in OnePlus so I'm selling it. My next chooses are S8, HTC U11 or LG G6.
What will be the best choose for me considering that:
- what's the most important for me is video stabilization (even in 1080p) and nice camera app
- I hate fingerprints scanners on the back like in S8 and LG G6
- I love the screen in S8
- I had S4, S5, S6 and S7 before but never had any HTC or LG in my life
- these bezels in U11 aren't a big thing for me. I can accept it. They are like in OP5
Or....I can always make a switch back to the S7 and buy it again haha I just loved that phone and S7 had everything I wished for but I just get bored of Samsungs to be honest.
But on this moment I would choose on HTC, what's your opinion?
Let me know guys, thanks a lot <3
i have the s8, its pretty nice yaeh. switched from the oneplus 3, that phone was faster, but that was about all it had on the s8
@timrock7 - How about that back fingerprint sensor? If Is it great to use? I can't imagine using that on S8 ;/ but I really like to use that feature on other phones with front fingerprint sensor.
Man, if not that sensor on the back I would buy it immidiately ;/
KamilKiri said:
@timrock7 - How about that back fingerprint sensor? If Is it great to use? I can't imagine using that on S8 ;/ but I really like to use that feature on other phones with front fingerprint sensor.
Man, if not that sensor on the back I would buy it immidiately ;/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
always had a phone with a fingerprint on the front, didnt have to many issues with switching to the back. The only downside is when the phone is lying on the table
In my opinion paying premium for a flagship with last year's CPU is pointless, which leads me to thinnk you shouldn't go for LG G6. Both HTC U11 and S8 are wise choice. U11 has Snapdragon so it will likely have better custom ROM support eventually cause S8 Exynos will never offer fully functional AOSP and US Snapdragon is locked afaik
What about camera comparision between U11 and S8? Which one is better? I saw youtube comparisions but one is on the S8 side and one on U11. Can't really choose a winner here. I saw that photos on S8 have a lot better colors. But Samsung incrases it a lot trough their software.
KamilKiri said:
What about camera comparision between U11 and S8? Which one is better? I saw youtube comparisions but one is on the S8 side and one on U11. Can't really choose a winner here. I saw that photos on S8 have a lot better colors. But Samsung incrases it a lot trough their software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it really depends on how much you care about the camera and the UI
samsung likely has the best camera. probably more features as well
HTC likely has the better/faster UI
I had OP 3 , then T.
Tried G6, pixel XL and S8.
Have in house Honor8, S7 and some Apple nonsense.
G6 felt sluggish and for a phone sold on its camera, it did not impress.
Pixel XL is pretty good. Great camera , great software. Looks very dated.
S8 just edged it on the camera front.
But as a complete device, it is way out front.
Everything else feels and looks like it is from 2013. FPS on rear has not caused me one single problem.
I'm in the same boat as the OP. Hardware wise the S8 is near perfect, but I really hate all the Samsung bloat. Custom ROMs would help, but I'd lose the camera software optimization provided by the OEM.
The U11 has less bloat and is nearly as good in every respect, but other than software and sound its always #2.
Sent from my ASUS_Z00A using Tapatalk
I've tried the OP5 and the Xperia XZ Premium before coming to the S8. I owned the S7E and I swore I wouldn't get the S8 and try something else but after being disappointed by both these 2 and reading review after review I was like **** it gotta try the S8 and if I still don't want it change again. This is were my downfall and love for the S8 came lol, everything about it is quite amazing. The feel of it, the design, camera, graphics, it all just seems they have done it right and its clicked together perfect. I know you can get S8 ports etc for the S7E which i had but the S8 feels so much more than that. The finger print scanner was my main issue of disliking the S8 tbh but it actually works and i mean it works as in placement so easy to use ofc the odd time you move your finger over the camera lense lol but not as often as you would think when you get used to it. Both OP5 and the Xperia had bezels which I didn't mind *until I got this* this screen is beautiful full size and being able to hide the navbar also so nice. As for bloat *what bloat* lol I have it rooted with Reno Ice and NOTORIOUS kernel = all bloat gone and couldn't be happier :good: FYI I'm not a Samsung fanboy in any way trying to promote lol this is my honest opinion to which I explained I swore never to get one :laugh:
Yeah I too had this decision to make, and considering I'm a photographer, the camera was always going to be one of the key deciding factors. My choices (at the time) were, LG G6, Pixel XL and the S8. After going back and forth over specs and testing different devices I decided on the S8 primarily because it was GORGEOUS and in regard to hardware it covered most (if not all) the bases (good camera, expandable storage, water resistance etc). Always had it in mind that if I didn't like it (as I've never been a Samsung fan - AT ALL) I could sell it and get something else.
That was 2 months ago and within that time this device has made me fall in love with technology all over again. Irrespective of what all the reviews say about the FPS location, its really not a problem, like REALLY. And as for everything else....this device just handles stuff like a boss. The camera is excellent, and yes in certain conditions there may be devices that do a slightly better job, but overall and all round, the S8 IS an outstanding piece of kit. Even with the notorious Samsung bloatware, this device is a pleasure to use, and actually feels like how I envisaged mobile devices would look and feel in the future. My advice, get an S8 (you don't even need to go for the plus, the screen size is awesome), if you end up not liking it, at least it will hold its value so you can purchase something else........but somehow, I don't think you will.
(Disclaimer, 100% not a Samsung fan, in fact have been a HTC stalwart since 2003....but this device is just too good!!!!!!)
I had been using the S8 for a week (and U11 for two days) and the s8 fingerprint scanner is very finicky, so I opt to use iris, facial, or pattern to unlock. U11 fingerprint scanner is much better. Also, the audio on the U11 earbuds are full and more detailed (USB C) compared to the included earbuds in the S8, but do prefer having the 3.5mm jack.
Are some minor camera differences. Both good in daylight, but at night the U11 bumbs up the ISO (on Auto) too high causing a lot of grain.
But overall, I like the S8 more. To me, it has more features, AMOLED Display (the U11 display looks good for lcd but I did have 1 pixel that was stuck on red), and I got the S8 for $450 after the $200 trade, while the U11 is $680 with tax. So not worth the price difference. I actually found the U11 a bit boaring.
filterxg said:
I'm in the same boat as the OP. Hardware wise the S8 is near perfect, but I really hate all the Samsung bloat. Custom ROMs would help, but I'd lose the camera software optimization provided by the OEM.
The U11 has less bloat and is nearly as good in every respect, but other than software and sound its always #2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless if the rom is still stock based and edited, you still have the same camera. Also, there's even camera add-ons for the S8.
Bloatware is not a problem at all. We can remove almost everything manually so yea...I'm only afraid of that fingerprint sensor on S8, don't know what to think about it. I need to drive to the nearest phone store and test both S8 and U11.

LG V35 vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, what do you say?

They seem pretty competitive hardware wise (845 SD SOC versions for both). However, I was trying to weigh out overall user experience, software, and just first hand user experiences(are you happy with your decision? Would you still take the V35 over the S9+ given the chance today?)
When it comes to the LG V35's advantages I consider:
-Quad DAC (Huge plus for me, I use the V20 and thoroughly enjoy the high quality DAC and built in amplification)
-Current Price (seems to be dropping quite a bit)
Concerns I would have the LG V35:
-Timely software updates from LG(then again Samsung is not that much better in this aspect either)
-Long term Developer support... I respect and like the V35, however it is kind of a more niche/rarer phone, whereas the popular phones with a huge user base usually attracts more developers in the community for that phone.... I like to run the phone stock, but it's nice to have the option of continued support/upgrades through the community when the OEM drops support.
--------------
What do you guys say? Any annoyances with the phone? Any deal breakers? Or... any note worthy praise for the phone? Anything to know? I'd love to hear a user's advice/first hand experience.
TIA
I've had every G series phone since the LG G2. The LG G4 was the worst as you know...
I sold the S9, not plus, back in Sept to buy the AT&T LG V35. I disliked the Samsung curved edge screen.
The V35 battery and DAC are great. Software updates are slow but it's too be expected from LG. I wish they kept the headphone jack on the bottom of the phone but I can live.
If you're going to run it stock it'll run smoothly especially after you debloat it.
I no longer care about flashing as it coincides with games not working if I don't use a work around. We'd need an unlocked blootloader anyways.
Hope this helps
I came from a Pixel XL. It died a month or so ago. I'm on Google Fi and got the V35 for $500 ($700 minus a $200 service credit). Years ago I had a G2 and liked it a lot. I'm a little discouraged by the length of time updates take. On the Pixel XL they came first. I got Android Pie last October. Security fixes came out the first week of the month they were released. Not with LG. I just got the February security fix in late March. LG said that Android Pie would be leased for the V35 in the first quarter of 2019. Today is the last day of that quarter. I doubt it will come out today. But really, does it matter? The incremental changes are nice to have but quite small. Even from going from Oreo to Pie. As for developers, I rooted my G2 but I don't think it is really necessary now. Getting the V35 for half the price of a S9+ did it for me.
ssnova said:
They seem pretty competitive hardware wise (845 SD SOC versions for both). However, I was trying to weigh out overall user experience, software, and just first hand user experiences(are you happy with your decision? Would you still take the V35 over the S9+ given the chance today?)
When it comes to the LG V35's advantages I consider:
-Quad DAC (Huge plus for me, I use the V20 and thoroughly enjoy the high quality DAC and built in amplification)
-Current Price (seems to be dropping quite a bit)
Concerns I would have the LG V35:
-Timely software updates from LG(then again Samsung is not that much better in this aspect either)
-Long term Developer support... I respect and like the V35, however it is kind of a more niche/rarer phone, whereas the popular phones with a huge user base usually attracts more developers in the community for that phone.... I like to run the phone stock, but it's nice to have the option of continued support/upgrades through the community when the OEM drops support.
--------------
What do you guys say? Any annoyances with the phone? Any deal breakers? Or... any note worthy praise for the phone? Anything to know? I'd love to hear a user's advice/first hand experience.
TIA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would go with the samsung s9 plus.
I've owned the lg v30 (basically the same as the v35) for almost a year, then switched to the s9 for 2 months, switched back to the v30 for 1 month and I'm now using the s10 for a month now.
I loved my v30 but going back from the s9 to the v30 you realise samsung is in a league of its own. Its little details and annoyances but I'll sum some up.
What i love about the v30:
- design: I like the look of the v30 better. Gorgeous phone.
- love the v30 flat screen with minimal side bezels. Curved edges are annoying.
- double tap to turn the screen off and the knock code unlock are great software features i used alot.
- wide angle camera is awesome. Love it.
What i like better on the s9:
- screen: oleophobic coating on the s9 is way better. On the lg the smudges are very visible and they shift colors. Its visible when watching videos. On the samsung no such issues.
- screen itself: going back from s9 to v30 you do notice that the samsung amoled screen is better. If you've never had a samsung you wont realise it but going back you definitely do.
- camera: samsung s9 definitely better. Maybe the v30 can be great on manual mode but how many times do you actually use that. Its so much work.
On auto-mode the s9 photos look way better. Also at night. Shutter speed is wayyy faster on the s9 which also helps with getting sharp photos when the subject is moving,
Autofocus is also way better on the s9. Lg v30 photos have a higher risk of getting a crappy/blurred photo. Especially when the subject is moving. On paper the lg v30 camera looks great but in real life the s9 is alot better. Same goes for video. Im not a movie creator that edits all his videos and color grades them. Im a point and shoot guy and the s9 looks way better.
- front camera: Lg v30 front camera looks like its from the year 2014...... worst front camera on modern phone.
- samsung s9 has stereo speakers and Lg doesnt
- In my country samsung waranty is wayyyy better than lg.
- Samsung software works great. Samsung OneUi feels and looks very nice. Lg v30 feels very basic. Its fast and ok but i prefer samsung.
Also LG updates are very slow, still has not released android pie update.
- audio: quaddac on the v30 is awesome but honestly the s9 audio quality is also good. And the quaddac is actually only really useful when having very expensive quality headphones.
When you use regular good headphones you wont really notice anything.
-Also I noticed i started using bluetooth headphones and also use spotify, so the quaddac is useless for me.
Price: dont know where you live but the s9 plus is also cheaper here, maybe not as cheap as the v30 but i still rather have the s9 plus.
Ow and if you use snapchat, definitely get the s9 plus lol. The LG photos in snapchat are really bad. App is not optimised for LG.
So to sum it all up. If you want a great phone with the least annoyances and thats good at everything, get the s9 plus. Its a complete phone that can last you for years.
Valinorian said:
I would go with the samsung s9 plus.
I've owned the lg v30 (basically the same as the v35) for almost a year, then switched to the s9 for 2 months, switched back to the v30 for 1 month and I'm now using the s10 for a month now.
I loved my v30 but going back from the s9 to the v30 you realise samsung is in a league of its own. Its little details and annoyances but I'll sum some up.
What i love about the v30:
- design: I like the look of the v30 better. Gorgeous phone.
- love the v30 flat screen with minimal side bezels. Curved edges are annoying.
- double tap to turn the screen off and the knock code unlock are great software features i used alot.
- wide angle camera is awesome. Love it.
What i like better on the s9:
- screen: oleophobic coating on the s9 is way better. On the lg the smudges are very visible and they shift colors. Its visible when watching videos. On the samsung no such issues.
- screen itself: going back from s9 to v30 you do notice that the samsung amoled screen is better. If you've never had a samsung you wont realise it but going back you definitely do.
- camera: samsung s9 definitely better. Maybe the v30 can be great on manual mode but how many times do you actually use that. Its so much work.
On auto-mode the s9 photos look way better. Also at night. Shutter speed is wayyy faster on the s9 which also helps with getting sharp photos when the subject is moving,
Autofocus is also way better on the s9. Lg v30 photos have a higher risk of getting a crappy/blurred photo. Especially when the subject is moving. On paper the lg v30 camera looks great but in real life the s9 is alot better. Same goes for video. Im not a movie creator that edits all his videos and color grades them. Im a point and shoot guy and the s9 looks way better.
- front camera: Lg v30 front camera looks like its from the year 2014...... worst front camera on modern phone.
- samsung s9 has stereo speakers and Lg doesnt
- In my country samsung waranty is wayyyy better than lg.
- Samsung software works great. Samsung OneUi feels and looks very nice. Lg v30 feels very basic. Its fast and ok but i prefer samsung.
Also LG updates are very slow, still has not released android pie update.
- audio: quaddac on the v30 is awesome but honestly the s9 audio quality is also good. And the quaddac is actually only really useful when having very expensive quality headphones.
When you use regular good headphones you wont really notice anything.
-Also I noticed i started using bluetooth headphones and also use spotify, so the quaddac is useless for me.
Price: dont know where you live but the s9 plus is also cheaper here, maybe not as cheap as the v30 but i still rather have the s9 plus.
Ow and if you use snapchat, definitely get the s9 plus lol. The LG photos in snapchat are really bad. App is not optimised for LG.
So to sum it all up. If you want a great phone with the least annoyances and thats good at everything, get the s9 plus. Its a complete phone that can last you for years.
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Thanks for that detailed response. Sums up my concerns, but you broke it down and mentioned the specifics first hand, appreciate it. I have a V20 and the front facing camera is pretty bad as well, I can't believe how over exposed it looks and how the details are filtered out, sad thing is, it's all processed in to make the person look more "prettier" but it just looks too fake.
smartnphone said:
I've had every G series phone since the LG G2. The LG G4 was the worst as you know...
I sold the S9, not plus, back in Sept to buy the AT&T LG V35. I disliked the Samsung curved edge screen.
The V35 battery and DAC are great. Software updates are slow but it's too be expected from LG. I wish they kept the headphone jack on the bottom of the phone but I can live.
If you're going to run it stock it'll run smoothly especially after you debloat it.
I no longer care about flashing as it coincides with games not working if I don't use a work around. We'd need an unlocked blootloader anyways.
Hope this helps
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rklurfeld said:
I came from a Pixel XL. It died a month or so ago. I'm on Google Fi and got the V35 for $500 ($700 minus a $200 service credit). Years ago I had a G2 and liked it a lot. I'm a little discouraged by the length of time updates take. On the Pixel XL they came first. I got Android Pie last October. Security fixes came out the first week of the month they were released. Not with LG. I just got the February security fix in late March. LG said that Android Pie would be leased for the V35 in the first quarter of 2019. Today is the last day of that quarter. I doubt it will come out today. But really, does it matter? The incremental changes are nice to have but quite small. Even from going from Oreo to Pie. As for developers, I rooted my G2 but I don't think it is really necessary now. Getting the V35 for half the price of a S9+ did it for me.
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I appreciate the responses and feedback from you guys. I suppose the lack of an unlocked bootloader is something to consider, though as it usually goes, it's usually just a matter of time until it gets unlocked(safe to assume?), then again going back to the "niche" of the V35, it's such a rare phone with somewhat significant updates(SD 845 with 6GB of RAM is pretty decent) to keep it relevant, though it was kind of like a knee-jerk reaction too. Reminds me of "AGILE" manufacturing, haha, which I'm sure took place behind the scenes. For the current prices that I see it for, it's gotten my attention, and I haven't written it off yet, but I'm not in a rush to get a new phone just yet, still researching and who knows, the V40 might drop even further( I really appreciate that nice boombox speaker they put in there).
edit: reading through the forums I see that runningnak3d is working on unlocking the bootloader, so looks like there will be some developer support afterall, which can give users an option to keep their phones updated, even if LG decides to stop giving updates.
I just got the V35 last week. Great device, highly recommended for the low price. Other reasons to pick LG over Samsung is Quickcharge 3.0 and wide angle camera. LG phones are underrated because reviewers assume retail price. But if you wait at least a few months after release date then LG devices are way, way cheaper. As far as software updates go both LG and Samsung are pretty bad. If timely Android updates matter best bets are either Pixel or OnePlus.
Valinorian said:
I would go with the samsung s9 plus.
I've owned the lg v30 (basically the same as the v35) for almost a year, then switched to the s9 for 2 months, switched back to the v30 for 1 month and I'm now using the s10 for a month now.
I loved my v30 but going back from the s9 to the v30 you realise samsung is in a league of its own. Its little details and annoyances but I'll sum some up.
What i love about the v30:
- design: I like the look of the v30 better. Gorgeous phone.
- love the v30 flat screen with minimal side bezels. Curved edges are annoying.
- double tap to turn the screen off and the knock code unlock are great software features i used alot.
- wide angle camera is awesome. Love it.
What i like better on the s9:
- screen: oleophobic coating on the s9 is way better. On the lg the smudges are very visible and they shift colors. Its visible when watching videos. On the samsung no such issues.
- screen itself: going back from s9 to v30 you do notice that the samsung amoled screen is better. If you've never had a samsung you wont realise it but going back you definitely do.
- camera: samsung s9 definitely better. Maybe the v30 can be great on manual mode but how many times do you actually use that. Its so much work.
On auto-mode the s9 photos look way better. Also at night. Shutter speed is wayyy faster on the s9 which also helps with getting sharp photos when the subject is moving,
Autofocus is also way better on the s9. Lg v30 photos have a higher risk of getting a crappy/blurred photo. Especially when the subject is moving. On paper the lg v30 camera looks great but in real life the s9 is alot better. Same goes for video. Im not a movie creator that edits all his videos and color grades them. Im a point and shoot guy and the s9 looks way better.
- front camera: Lg v30 front camera looks like its from the year 2014...... worst front camera on modern phone.
- samsung s9 has stereo speakers and Lg doesnt
- In my country samsung waranty is wayyyy better than lg.
- Samsung software works great. Samsung OneUi feels and looks very nice. Lg v30 feels very basic. Its fast and ok but i prefer samsung.
Also LG updates are very slow, still has not released android pie update.
- audio: quaddac on the v30 is awesome but honestly the s9 audio quality is also good. And the quaddac is actually only really useful when having very expensive quality headphones.
When you use regular good headphones you wont really notice anything.
-Also I noticed i started using bluetooth headphones and also use spotify, so the quaddac is useless for me.
Price: dont know where you live but the s9 plus is also cheaper here, maybe not as cheap as the v30 but i still rather have the s9 plus.
Ow and if you use snapchat, definitely get the s9 plus lol. The LG photos in snapchat are really bad. App is not optimised for LG.
So to sum it all up. If you want a great phone with the least annoyances and thats good at everything, get the s9 plus. Its a complete phone that can last you for years.
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Click to collapse
Isn't the V35 better than the V30? Are you comparing the S9 to the V30 or V35? I'm sure it would make a difference?
ScottsoNJ said:
Isn't the V35 better than the V30? Are you comparing the S9 to the V30 or V35? I'm sure it would make a difference?
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Differences
- V35 has snapdragon 845 vs snapdragon 835 on V30
- Ram is 6gb on V35 vs 4gb on V30
- Wide angle camera is 16mp vs 13mp (main camera is exactly the same)
- Front Camera is better indeed.
Those are the differences.
If you read my experience, all the things i like the s9 better have not changed like screen and main camera and UI.
I did not complain about overall performance so snapdragon 845 and 6gb is great but snapdragon 835 with 4g was also good.
Same with wide angle, its better on v35 but I was allready happy with it, its in my positive list.
Only negative point in my v30 comparison is the front camera and that they did change so yes I cant compare that, I hope its way better now.
But what I do know is that samsung s9 has a great front camera also.
Valinorian said:
Differences
- V35 has snapdragon 845 vs snapdragon 835 on V30
- Ram is 6gb on V35 vs 4gb on V30
- Wide angle camera is 16mp vs 13mp (main camera is exactly the same)
- Front Camera is better indeed.
Those are the differences.
If you read my experience, all the things i like the s9 better have not changed like screen and main camera and UI.
I did not complain about overall performance so snapdragon 845 and 6gb is great but snapdragon 835 with 4g was also good.
Same with wide angle, its better on v35 but I was allready happy with it, its in my positive list.
Only negative point in my v30 comparison is the front camera and that they did change so yes I cant compare that, I hope its way better now.
But what I do know is that samsung s9 has a great front camera also.
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Click to collapse
Screen is supposed to be better on the V35 vs the V30. LG had inconsistent quality screens on the V30, if you got a good one it was great but many did not. Regarding the main camera, the V35 is supposed to have the same one as the G7. I don't know how much better the G7 camera is vs the V30, though.
htcnext said:
Screen is supposed to be better on the V35 vs the V30. LG had inconsistent quality screens on the V30, if you got a good one it was great but many did not. Regarding the main camera, the V35 is supposed to have the same one as the G7. I don't know how much better the G7 camera is vs the V30, though.
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I luckily had a good screen, one of the later "improved" ones because the V30 got released here very late.
The main camera hardware specs are the same.
Camera software: Dxomark about the LG G7 "The only image quality category that shows a marked improvement over the V30 cousin is Color."
So everything else is the same.
This was the exact switch that I made recently S9+>V35. It was more boredom with the S9+ and I absolutely regret changing phones. It's not to say that the V35 is "bad", it's just that Samsung has done well honing their skills in smartphone design, especially with regard to S-AMOLED tech. The P-OLED panel on the V35 is no comparison. I've had a decade's worth of experience with AMOLED panels and the dreaded "panel lottery", so I speak from experience - I have never seen a bad panel on an S9...it's not to say they don't exist, but i've never seen one. LG's P-OLED tech is about on par with Samsung's AMOLED tech from maybe 5 years ago. I was unlucky and got a screen that's blue on the bottom and pink on top, of course the colors shift at even minute angle differences, so it depends how you hold it. Looking straight on it's distracting, but i'm just going to live with it vs. sending it back and being stuck without a phone for a week or two. All OLED panels have color shift to some degree, but it's much, much less noticeable on Samsung's most recent screens from what I can tell. If panel quality is high on your list, you might be disappointed with the V35.
Camera is another issue, compared to the S9 it isn't good. Zoomed in there's less detail, more noise, more purple fringing, and what seems like less ability to deal with very contrast heavy scenes. Dynamic range isn't the camera's strong suit. The wide angle lens to me is far more useful than the telephoto unit on the S9, but all things considered i'd rather have the better photos. As someone else mentioned, in auto mode it's harder to get a clear photo. With the S9, day or night, auto seems to almost always yield a good photo.
The DAC is nice, sound quality is excellent, but for me that's ultimately secondary, and nowhere near important enough to overlook the other flaws. The last of the main 3 being the software. I briefly had a G6 a couple years ago and i'm not sure why that experience faded from memory the way it did, but going back to LG's take on Android is a good reminder to stay away in the future. Again, it's not that it's "bad" per se, it's just that Samsung has so much of a better handle on making the OS usable and the features relevant. Little things like swipe gestures are absent on the V35 (hides nav buttons, swipe up in place for back/home/recents). There are other little additions Samsung adds that LG doesn't and I miss them. I'm not sure if Pie will bring dark backgrounds to the V35, if it does that will be a nice bonus. LG provides a "high contrast" mode, but for whatever reason it's just not as nice looking as the "night mode" option on the S9. The stereo speakers also make a very nice difference on the S9. The single speaker on the V35 is excellent for what it is.
I suspect I'll hold onto it until the S10 falls in price some, and then go back to Samsung.
kgbeezr1 said:
This was the exact switch that I made recently S9+>V35. It was more boredom with the S9+ and I absolutely regret changing phones. It's not to say that the V35 is "bad", it's just that Samsung has done well honing their skills in smartphone design, especially with regard to S-AMOLED tech. The P-OLED panel on the V35 is no comparison. I've had a decade's worth of experience with AMOLED panels and the dreaded "panel lottery", so I speak from experience - I have never seen a bad panel on an S9...it's not to say they don't exist, but i've never seen one. LG's P-OLED tech is about on par with Samsung's AMOLED tech from maybe 5 years ago. I was unlucky and got a screen that's blue on the bottom and pink on top, of course the colors shift at even minute angle differences, so it depends how you hold it. Looking straight on it's distracting, but i'm just going to live with it vs. sending it back and being stuck without a phone for a week or two. All OLED panels have color shift to some degree, but it's much, much less noticeable on Samsung's most recent screens from what I can tell. If panel quality is high on your list, you might be disappointed with the V35.
Camera is another issue, compared to the S9 it isn't good. Zoomed in there's less detail, more noise, more purple fringing, and what seems like less ability to deal with very contrast heavy scenes. Dynamic range isn't the camera's strong suit. The wide angle lens to me is far more useful than the telephoto unit on the S9, but all things considered i'd rather have the better photos. As someone else mentioned, in auto mode it's harder to get a clear photo. With the S9, day or night, auto seems to almost always yield a good photo.
The DAC is nice, sound quality is excellent, but for me that's ultimately secondary, and nowhere near important enough to overlook the other flaws. The last of the main 3 being the software. I briefly had a G6 a couple years ago and i'm not sure why that experience faded from memory the way it did, but going back to LG's take on Android is a good reminder to stay away in the future. Again, it's not that it's "bad" per se, it's just that Samsung has so much of a better handle on making the OS usable and the features relevant. Little things like swipe gestures are absent on the V35 (hides nav buttons, swipe up in place for back/home/recents). There are other little additions Samsung adds that LG doesn't and I miss them. I'm not sure if Pie will bring dark backgrounds to the V35, if it does that will be a nice bonus. LG provides a "high contrast" mode, but for whatever reason it's just not as nice looking as the "night mode" option on the S9. The stereo speakers also make a very nice difference on the S9. The single speaker on the V35 is excellent for what it is.
I suspect I'll hold onto it until the S10 falls in price some, and then go back to Samsung.
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Well said.:good:
DAC and price, the reason I got the v35 and v30.
Lg v35 ia way good then s9+. U get the extra features like DAC, Great OLED, great battery etc. I Know lg is very bad when it comes to the software updates but trust me u will be not happy with s9+. I had a s9+ but i was npt happy with that. Then i purchased a v35 and v40. I'm so happy with my two favorite phones

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