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HI all
I was wandering how is the build quality in this phone?
I would love to give it to my girlfriend but was just wandering after hearing/reading some negative comments about galaxy s 1 build.
Thank you in advance for any comments, or links to articles or such.
Regards
Kirior
I think it's awesome. Even it's plastic, it's really assertive and the back cover stays so tight. Just the opening is a bit tricky... But you only need to do this once, luckily. If you need to change sim-cards or memory cards daily, then I don't recommend this phone.
Samsung isn't known as "Samsuck" for no reason. Buy her an HTC phone. I would steer clear of any Samsung phones.
Sent from my HTC using XDA App
stop trolling, it's pretty good even though its plastic it feels solid
Its fine really, solid despite the choice of materials, feels a lot better in the hand than the original.
Link to more detailed thoughts:
http://blog.clove.co.uk/2011/05/16/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-real-user-reviewpart-one/
As the posts above is saying; Nothing to put on the build quality
/CK
PureH2O said:
Samsung isn't known as "Samsuck" for no reason. Buy her an HTC phone. I would steer clear of any Samsung phones.
Sent from my HTC using XDA App
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Click to collapse
God what a ****-nuckle..
Sent from the best phone in the world...
I think a light phone is better. Much less likely to break when dropped because over the same distance there will be much less kinetic energy to dissipate on impact.
Sent from my HTC Hero using XDA App
Not to be a fanboy, but you do want your phone made of lead or what?
PureH2O said:
Samsung isn't known as "Samsuck" for no reason. Buy her an HTC phone. I would steer clear of any Samsung phones.
Sent from my HTC using XDA App
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Click to collapse
To try and add some value to an otherwise useless post, I haven't owned a Samsung phone since the CDMA i730 Windows phone. It was a funky phone without a lot of joy and some really questionable design choices. From there I had a succession of HTC phones spanning six years. They were all solid, ran well, and gave me little to complain about. I got an LG phone which I kept for a whopping three weeks before realizing it was a pile of rubbish. So, with an unbiased view, I chose the Samsuck GS2 and couldn't be happier. Back on topic, the build quality is great. Fit, finish, style, feel are all what you'd expect from a high-end device. Alas, because it's shiny parts are exposed front and back, all that beauty has to be hidden by a case which makes it look pedestrian. I just got my Case-Mate tough case today and the phone now looks mummified. Oh well, at least it's protected.
I really dont understand the questions about build quality the sgs or sgs2. My orignal sgs(vibrant) was heavy duty. Yes its light and yes its made out of plastic. But ive dropped my vibrant from various heights and the battery cover never popped off, no marks on screen or anything. Both phones, specially the sgs2 feel like a lighter, thinner HD2. Niether feels flimsy, cheap, breakable.
One of the Hd2s ive owned fell from bathroom sink to tile floor, and shattered after a 3 -4foot drop.
Build Quality is important to me as I work with dogs(90%) and other various animals. Besides the psycho owners, I deal with psycho 200pound dogs on a daily basis. I get bumped, biten, jumped on, rubbed, attacked etc all day, everyday. Not a single scratch, scrap, dent on the sgs2 and thats with no protection for 3 weeks.
Now the only bad quality choice samsung and other manufactors use is the damn cheap silver/chrome/aluminum bezel around the phones. Since I dont use cases consistently im prone to scratch the bezel by the end of ownership.
Another plus is the couple cases I do have dont add extra bulk like other phones. Im waiting on quality extended batteries to come.
HI guys
Thx for all replies, all in all i have bought SGS2 for her. She is in heavens now i guess that's all that matters and she does take care of the phones so i know i will not land on the floor or such just wanted to make sure.
thanks again and for me the thread is closed.
Kirior
I find the build quality of the S2 pretty decent although I had my doubts when I just got the phone. After using it for a couple of weeks I think the build quality is fine and I'm sure this phone will last a long time.
However, today I had the HTC Sensation in my hands for the first time and I must confess that the build quality of the Sensaion is clearly better.
The build quality is much better than i expected. Yes, it is plastic, but feels pretty solid, no creaking or flex. I have an SE Arc also, similar thickness, but would say that the gs2 is easily the more high quality build of the two.
Regarding the battery cover, it is thin and flimsy, but i cant imagine a new one costing much if you needed one. What bothers me more is the texture, it feels more slick than a shiny back, but a case might fix that.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
last year ,i bought a oneplus one.but i want to change a fast phone now.i am entangled with xiaomi note and meizu mx4.so what about your suggestion?what will worth if compare with oneplus one?
Just One word: "ABSOLUTELY"
PS: Owner of OnePlus 2 since about 7 days now.
bob nguala said:
last year ,i bought a oneplus one.but i want to change a fast phone now.i am entangled with xiaomi note and meizu mx4.so what about your suggestion?what will worth if compare with oneplus one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's a great device, IF you get a good one! The same problems that bothered the OnePlus One, are coming back to the OnePlus 2.
SOFTWARE problems, then some potential problems with the touch sensor that is starting to crop up. If you remember some of the problems with ghost touches, that appear to be associated with grounding problems with the screen. People have noticed if they are gripping the oneplus2 with one hand, wrapped around the metal band, and try to use the touch sensor thingy, it may not work, or produce an unintended result. If you wear gloves, or have the phone placed on a table, the fingerprint thingy sensor works just fine.
If you have a problem, good luck with opening a ticket and returning it.
I'm of the opinion that OnePlus, is nothing more than a paper company, that does beta testing for Oppo, who owns them.
p51d007 said:
Yeah, it's a great device, IF you get a good one! The same problems that bothered the OnePlus One, are coming back to the OnePlus 2.
SOFTWARE problems, then some potential problems with the touch sensor that is starting to crop up. If you remember some of the problems with ghost touches, that appear to be associated with grounding problems with the screen. People have noticed if they are gripping the oneplus2 with one hand, wrapped around the metal band, and try to use the touch sensor thingy, it may not work, or produce an unintended result. If you wear gloves, or have the phone placed on a table, the fingerprint thingy sensor works just fine.
If you have a problem, good luck with opening a ticket and returning it.
I'm of the opinion that OnePlus, is nothing more than a paper company, that does beta testing for Oppo, who owns them.
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Click to collapse
Well, at some points I'll have to disagree.
With me, finger print censor works great. It depends on you how you've set up fingerprint. Ie covering your fingerprint in almost every possible way that you may use.
But you'd ask me, native camera app UI could be much better than this. There is HUGE space for improvement here.
Also, I don't know if battery life is that great as they claim. But I stay most of the time at home or at office so don't have problems.
My thoughts (I've had a Xiaomi Note and an MX4):
1. Much better build quality than both - be sure to Swap the sandstone back for a Bamboo or Apricot to finish the job. Seriously night and day between those and the OnePlus One.
2. Camera is better than both but slower to shoot. This needs sorting out via software. I'm surprised at this because Oppo (chief investor/owner) have always excelled in camera software. My find 5, find 7, and R5s have always been instant shooters.
3. Oxygen OS is much better than Hydrogen, MIUI, and Flyme. It's no coincidence that Chinese market focused OSs are dumbed down and quite childish in appearance - that's how most of them are (ColorOS is another example). I don't mind them, and they're certainly usable, but prefer the more mature and light skins... Preferably as close to stock as possible like Oxygen.
4. Battery is good. Similar to OPO and Xiaomi Note.
5. Performance is great. Smooth and fluid with no app refreshing issues. The SD810 may be underclocked but you will not notice it. And it doesn't get hot.
There's more but you need to try it yourself. As a OnePlus One owner, I upgraded and recommend others do too.
-- from my OnePlus 2 (A2003)
@kinghu,
Awesome summary!
Agree with every word you said.
Wanted to asked if Bamboo is really good?? I am quite confused between bamboo and kevlar
Rushyang said:
@kinghu,
Awesome summary!
Agree with every word you said.
Wanted to asked if Bamboo is really good?? I am quite confused between bamboo and kevlar
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Click to collapse
I don't have Kevlar yet but will probably order it next when I go for the Rosewood.
At the moment I just have Bamboo and Black Apricot. I prefer the Apricot's look as it matches the rest of the device. However, the Bamboo feels really great and doesn't show any fingerprints whatsoever and it looks good albeit in a different style.
The Kevlar will look awesome if you want to go ultra stealth.
To be honest, I think they all look good in their own way and want them to swap out depending on my mood. Before I saw and tried then I though they were a bit gimmicky and might feel cheap but it's the exact opposite.
-- from my OnePlus 2 (A2003)
kinghu said:
I don't have Kevlar yet but will probably order it next when I go for the Rosewood.
At the moment I just have Bamboo and Black Apricot. I prefer the Apricot's look as it matches the rest of the device. However, the Bamboo feels really great and doesn't show any fingerprints whatsoever and it looks good albeit in a different style.
The Kevlar will look awesome if you want to go ultra stealth.
To be honest, I think they all look good in their own way and want them to swap out depending on my mood. Before I saw and tried then I though they were a bit gimmicky and might feel cheap but it's the exact opposite.
-- from my OnePlus 2 (A2003)
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So, did you buy other styleswaps? Wanted to check your review for kevlar.
Rushyang said:
So, did you buy other styleswaps? Wanted to check your review for kevlar.
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The last two (Kevlar and Rosewood) are mid-delivery so will probably arrive tomorrow. I'll post a quick opinion when they land.
-- from my S6
I've got about 12 hours before my invite runs out. Has anyone tested to see if both sims are capable of 4g service simultaneously. I know it's dual standby. Thanks for any info.
sbellseb said:
I've got about 12 hours before my invite runs out. Has anyone tested to see if both sims are capable of 4g service simultaneously. I know it's dual standby. Thanks for any info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean use 4G (LTE) days on both SIMs at the same time? If so I'm afraid not. In the settings you have to choose s preferred SIM for data.
-- from my OnePlus 2 (A2003)
Sorry, no, not what I mean. Badly worded. I want both sims to be 4g active at the same time to receive calls / text. I do understand only one sim will be 4g active for data at anytime.
Rushyang said:
So, did you buy other styleswaps? Wanted to check your review for kevlar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Arrived today. Must say the Kevlar is real nice. Slightly textured so it grips but not like the sandstone; matte finish so doesn't show prints to badly; and of course it looks stealthy and themes well with the rest of the phone.
If I was going to have one cover for appearance alone, Kevlar would be it.
Small note: I do recommend changing from the sandstone cover because all other covers are slightly thicker, thus making the camera area slightly inset. This means you can go caseless and not have the camera scrape across a surface when you lay the phone down. With the thinner sandstone, the camera area sticks out just enough to be the first point of contact.
-- from my OnePlus 2 (A2003)
kinghu said:
Arrived today. Must say the Kevlar is real nice. Slightly textured so it grips but not like the sandstone; matte finish so doesn't show prints to badly; and of course it looks stealthy and themes well with the rest of the phone.
If I was going to have one cover for appearance alone, Kevlar would be it.
Small note: I do recommend changing from the sandstone cover because all other covers are slightly thicker, thus making the camera area slightly inset. This means you can go caseless and not have the camera scrape across a surface when you lay the phone down. With the thinner sandstone, the camera area sticks out just enough to be the first point of contact.
-- from my OnePlus 2 (A2003)
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Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for your review of Kevlar. Wanted to know user review rather than a YouTube videos.
Also, about the camera going slightly inset after putting on a styleswap cover, I observed that in videos and they were also telling it made a device little hefty. But on a positive side, since I don't like to put on any covers on my smartphone, I thought kevlar would be the best one to protect it from any accidental physical damage.
Again, appreciate your time!
Rushyang said:
Thanks a lot for your review of Kevlar. Wanted to know user review rather than a YouTube videos.
Also, about the camera going slightly inset after putting on a styleswap cover, I observed that in videos and they were also telling it made a device little hefty. But on a positive side, since I don't like to put on any covers on my smartphone, I thought kevlar would be the best one to protect it from any accidental physical damage.
Again, appreciate your time!
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Click to collapse
I prefer caseless too. With recent phones having protruding cameras it's almost been a necessity to protect it.
Kevlar + no case = best look and feel.
Got invite today a few hours left I have opo and happy with it is it worth getting three opo2 seems no much difference besides finger print scanner and no NFC. I keep changing my mind to buy one or not heard the battery life is 4 hours screen on time due to 810 CPU which is worse than opo what do you think
Sent from my A0001 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
kinghu said:
I prefer caseless too. With recent phones having protruding cameras it's almost been a necessity to protect it.
Kevlar + no case = best look and feel.
Click to expand...
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At the moment, my OP2 is in my hand with Kevlar styleswap on! It's really awesome feel and looks awesome as well..! Really happy that I went with Kevlar! Thanks again!
Op2 has been the most powerful device at its price..
What is your opinion now? Still think its a good choice?
Personally i think its a great phone sold short, looking at the hardware and potential i think the handset would easy have a 2 year life span.
But i would like to see bigger modular support, things like physical keyboard, physical zoom lenses etc. And i would like to see some of the software updated a bit closer to the V20.
My biggest concern? Physically will it last 2 years? The build quality aint bad but it aint great.
jamiee6610 said:
What is your opinion now? Still think its a good choice?
Personally i think its a great phone sold short, looking at the hardware and potential i think the handset would easy have a 2 year life span.
But i would like to see bigger modular support, things like physical keyboard, physical zoom lenses etc. And i would like to see some of the software updated a bit closer to the V20.
My biggest concern? Physically will it last 2 years? The build quality aint bad but it aint great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had it for 4 months, never Had a problem, just a bit of light bleeding, but it's visible only in Dark area with full brightness.
Best smartphone I ever had.
Last three were before it were Moto X Pure, Droid Turbo, and HTC M8.
I have since May, great phone. It has some issues but which phone doesn't. Ghosting happens on thia screen sometimes but nothing permanent, it goes away. I got scratches on the camera glass which is annoying (although easily replacable if you don't care about the warranty). Battery lasts around 4 hours SOT with around 30 hours of usage. I got the battery + external charger kit from Amazon for 30$ which is just great to have. Screen could be brighter. Super bright mode isn't stable enough. The camera is amazing! I love it (and I have a group of already 350 G5 photographers on Facebook). The speaker is one of the best in the market. It's fast, fingerprint sensor works great, colors are good.. I'm very happy with the phone! Oh.. important! The screen is curved on top which can be super annoying if you like to apply a tempered glass acreen protector. I don't have any issues with the build quality. I would prefer the V20 just because I like the big screen..other than that they are pretty similar. I think the G5 is the most underrated phone in the last in the last few years.
I got two of them - one for me and one for a friend. I am not really concerned about the quality, why shouldn't it last more than two years? It gives a great bang for the buck. If money isn't a concern, I would aim for the V20 (bought the G5 before it was announced and it may not be released where I live). I was with Samsung phones and Tablet for several years now but I think LG also does a good job here.
Love it. Great phone but I wouldn't have it for two years. I have Jump by T-Mobile for a reason. The only thing I hate is no matter how much they say the phone screen is scratch resistant, if I have my keys and phone in the same pocket it gets scratched. Planning on getting the V20 when it comes out. LG is taking forever to release it.
Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk
XAlexander_AlexanderX said:
Love it. Great phone but I wouldn't have it for two years. I have Jump by T-Mobile for a reason. The only thing I hate is no matter how much they say the phone screen is scratch resistant, if I have my keys and phone in the same pocket it gets scratched. Planning on getting the V20 when it comes out. LG is taking forever to release it.
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Yep, i can confirm this, and not only on my G5 but also on a S7 Edge of a friend, it seems that corning Got worse in these years on the scratch part...
I love the phone but I'm extremely disappointed in the GPS issue as I use my phone for navigation quite a lot. And my battery has never been to great. But that's probably because I'm used to the battery life I was getting on my iPhone 6 plus and Nexus 6P (wish I never sold my 6P). The camera is fantastic and as I have 2 little ones it's great for taking pictures of them.
Love my phone G5 coming from my G2 which I gave to my mother and she loves it. Camera, performance and the like are all great on my G5
GPS is fast and no issue.
bluerain28 said:
Love my phone G5 coming from my G2 which I gave to my mother and she loves it. Camera, performance and the like are all great on my G5
GPS is fast and no issue.
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Your lucky then. I try to use mine to navigate and it's hit and miss, most of the times miss and just says searching
Have had it since it rolled out. Not a single problem or issue. So impressed with it, in fact, that I recommended it to the wife and my parents when it was time for them to renew/upgrade. So now we all have g5's. Didn't recommend it to my in laws because..... They are my in laws. And because they are under the impression that "Apple is the only quality phone manufacturer". Their loss hahahaha.
I am honestly ready to throw mine through a wall. Gps is always searching and i use it alot for work. Wifi will just stop working for no reason. I am currently trying to get out of this phone. Worst phone ever.
Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk
Had mine for a month now only problem i've found is the GPS i'm gonna try some calibration software to see if there is a difference. This phone should be good for two years i think.
I like it a lot, especially camera and loudspeaker. Even better with Poetic Rugged case.
I got mine like 2 month ago and is pretty nice fast and non rooted yet just waiting how will move
I'm using it for a month now and I still can't find a flow. I like the design, love the camera, the software and hardware are doing well. Overall it's a great device. Oh, and I don't care about the moduls, don't plan to use them anyway.
Look at my warranty thread. It's been a nightmare. LG refused to switch out the housing when I sent it in, and they scratched it. Had to change the housing myself, luckily it wasn't that expensive. So far, most of the issues I had are gone. GPS is fine now, and the LCD isn't yellowing anymore.
Have had a Note 8 for about 2 months now (got it 20th Sept), and I've been fairly happy with it so far.
A few annoying things about it, let's start off with the screen. It looks fantastic, it's made by Samsung, why wouldn't it? The curve however, is something I've hated since the S7 edge, not a fan of it, completely useless. Can't even get a decent screen protector to stick on it because of the stupid curves.
Up next we have the software. It's great, very fluid, works very well, but I haven't received a single software update/security patch since the day I got the phone. We're still on the August patch, and haven't received anything newer.
Then there are the speakers. One word, garbage. They suck ass, I honestly think even the speakers on my S7 edge were better. You can try all you want to cup your hand around the speakers, but that doesn't help. There's also the placement of the headphone jack, I may be nitpicking a bit, but seriously having headphones plugged in while you're trying to watch something.... is impossible. It's so uncomfortable to hold and in such a stupid spot.
So for you XZ Premium owners, I've got a few questions:
1) I've been going through some battery life related posts, and they seem pretty good, but most of the screenshots are from when you guys were on Nougat. Has the battery life gotten worse/better since the Oreo update or has it remained the same?
2) How is the camera after the Oreo update? And was the distortion issue really that bad?
3) Is the phone uncomfortable to hold due to the large bezels and overall shape of the phone? Do keep in mind I'm coming from something with virtually no bezels at all.
4) Does the adb command to stay in 4K mode all the time still work on Oreo and does it revert after a reboot?
5) Substratum working fine on 8.0, anyone tried Swift Black?
Would appreciate all replies/answers.
Thanks
murtaza02 said:
Have had a Note 8 for about 2 months now (got it 20th Sept), and I've been fairly happy with it so far.
A few annoying things about it, let's start off with the screen. It looks fantastic, it's made by Samsung, why wouldn't it? The curve however, is something I've hated since the S7 edge, not a fan of it, completely useless. Can't even get a decent screen protector to stick on it because of the stupid curves.
Up next we have the software. It's great, very fluid, works very well, but I haven't received a single software update/security patch since the day I got the phone. We're still on the August patch, and haven't received anything newer.
Then there are the speakers. One word, garbage. They suck ass, I honestly think even the speakers on my S7 edge were better. You can try all you want to cup your hand around the speakers, but that doesn't help. There's also the placement of the headphone jack, I may be nitpicking a bit, but seriously having headphones plugged in while you're trying to watch something.... is impossible. It's so uncomfortable to hold and in such a stupid spot.
So for you XZ Premium owners, I've got a few questions:
1) I've been going through some battery life related posts, and they seem pretty good, but most of the screenshots are from when you guys were on Nougat. Has the battery life gotten worse/better since the Oreo update or has it remained the same?
2) How is the camera after the Oreo update? And was the distortion issue really that bad?
3) Is the phone uncomfortable to hold due to the large bezels and overall shape of the phone? Do keep in mind I'm coming from something with virtually no bezels at all.
4) Does the adb command to stay in 4K mode all the time still work on Oreo and does it revert after a reboot?
5) Substratum working fine on 8.0, anyone tried Swift Black?
Would appreciate all replies/answers.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Battery life is improved. In nougat I was getting ~6.5 hours SoT. In Oreo I can get ~7.5 Hours SoT. But it depends on usage.
2) The camera is good, I'm quite pleased with it but when zooming on a picture it's grainy due to the post processing algorithms.. You can compare pictures taken with the Note 8 and XZP at GSMArena. The distortion was visible when taking pictures if objects with lines,and square shapes as well as a bit distortion on objects,nothing too crazy , but now it's much improved.
3) I never had a bezel-less phone, but the XZP is very comfortable to hold. The bezels aren't that bad. When I'm taking pictures with one hand, the bezels helps. Or when watching movies or gaming, it helps rest your fingers. Also the XZP has also a curved front glass, so finding a good screen protector might be hard.
4) and 5) Im sorry, I can't answer these because I don't use them.
Also the speakers on the XZP might not be the loudest, but produce excellent sound quality. And the fact that it has dual front firing speakers is very good for gaming, videos, music.
Software wise, there are monthly security updates along with bug fixes. Samsungs have more software features such as night light. But if you watch videos on YouTube, the XZP had some nice software features as well. Smart battery charging, Xperia Actions, etc.
The whole phone is super smooth and as fast as day one. The display is truly amazing. The black levels are impressive for an LCD display. There are 3 display modes to choose from ( SRG-B, Standard and Vivid).
@Lazaros_K
Thanks so much for answering the questions.
I actually forgot to ask about something you mentioned in your post.
Night Light. I've been using it since Samsung included it in the 7.0 update, it's not available on the XZP? Is there an alternative that works without root?
Sent from my SM-N950F
murtaza02 said:
@Lazaros_K
Thanks so much for answering the questions.
I actually forgot to ask about something you mentioned in your post.
Night Light. I've been using it since Samsung included it in the 7.0 update, it's not available on the XZP? Is there an alternative that works without root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately apps from the play store aren't as good as a native night light. Unfortunately Sony won't implement night light.
Lazaros_K said:
Unfortunately apps from the play store aren't as good as a native night light. Unfortunately Sony won't implement night light.
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That kinda sucks.
You also mentioned the screen is curved, there are a few protectors on Amazon and a few local online websites in my country are selling normal tempered glass protectors for the XZP, so I guess it should stick fine?
Sent from my SM-N950F
murtaza02 said:
That kinda sucks.
You also mentioned the screen is curved, there are a few protectors on Amazon and a few local online websites in my country are selling normal tempered glass protectors for the XZP, so I guess it should stick fine?
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Click to collapse
I don't use any screen protector so I wouldn't know. There is a thread on screen protectors for the XZP here on XDA which might help you.
murtaza02 said:
That kinda sucks.
You also mentioned the screen is curved, there are a few protectors on Amazon and a few local online websites in my country are selling normal tempered glass protectors for the XZP, so I guess it should stick fine?
Sent from my SM-N950F
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just sharing what I know about XZP screen protectors (I might not be 100% correct):
- Tempered glass full coverage + full adhesive protectors do not exist other than the one that uses LOCA and UV curing as seen in this thread. The seller is in Singapore and they haven't announced plans to sell overseas yet.
- Other tempered glass options either do not have full coverage to the curved parts of the screen (ugly, IMHO) or do not have adhesive on the entire screen (which causes sensitivity problems). Some claim to have full adhesive but those don't have proper full coverage or have a weird dotted adhesive pattern.
- There don't seem to be any tempered glass protectors for the back.
- TPU based screen protectors are available for full coverage of front and back but are not as hard as tempered glass and might suffer from yellowing over time or have an orange peel effect (depending on brand).
- Regular PET film protectors are the cheapest of the lot and offer full coverage but these seem to come off the curved parts of the screen easily. They usually feel smoother than TPU ones though.
I am happy with battery life on my xz premium. It holds up well. Can't wait to get the update to try oreo out. Hope it improves the battery life further
Paid off?
Is your Note 8 paid off? May be willing for a trade I wanted a note 8 but needed a new phone before it came out so got the XZ Premium instead.
e8onbreak said:
Is your Note 8 paid off? May be willing for a trade I wanted a note 8 but needed a new phone before it came out so got the XZ Premium instead.
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Already sold my Note 8 earlier today.
Got a chrome XZ Premium an hour ago.
Besides, I'm in Pakistan so shipping to you would be very difficult.
Sent from my G8142
I think if you plan on installing a custom ROM, you'll have more development on the Note8. The XZP side is pretty barren in my opinion. My last phone was a Nexus phone, the custom kernels extended the SOT geatly.
I'd keep it IMO
I rooted my phone for the sole purpose of getting a night light similar mod on my phone. F.lux has issues with oreo, so I went with cf.lumen instead.
Battery life on Oreo is pretty much the same, maybe even a bit better for standby.
For the screen protectors, I got the skinomi. It's a TPU one. Great "self-healing" thing. Scratches and "impressions" do go away on its own after a day or two. I recommend getting that. Devilcase also has a nice TPU SP called "Luster", however it's self-healing thing doesn't really work well.
Basically I stopped looking for a screen protector for the phone. Where I live, we have this phone insurance thing that covers accidental damage + water damage. I'll just send it in if ever it breaks.
Enjoy your new XZP!
Patrck744 said:
I think if you plan on installing a custom ROM, you'll have more development on the Note8. The XZP side is pretty barren in my opinion. My last phone was a Nexus phone, the custom kernels extended the SOT geatly.
I'd keep it IMO
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Click to collapse
Not a fan of custom ROMs anymore. The XZPs stock ROM is good enough.
The Note 8 was also terrible with software updates.
iArvee said:
I rooted my phone for the sole purpose of getting a night light similar mod on my phone. F.lux has issues with oreo, so I went with cf.lumen instead.
Battery life on Oreo is pretty much the same, maybe even a bit better for standby.
For the screen protectors, I got the skinomi. It's a TPU one. Great "self-healing" thing. Scratches and "impressions" do go away on its own after a day or two. I recommend getting that. Devilcase also has a nice TPU SP called "Luster", however it's self-healing thing doesn't really work well.
Basically I stopped looking for a screen protector for the phone. Where I live, we have this phone insurance thing that covers accidental damage + water damage. I'll just send it in if ever it breaks.
Enjoy your new XZP!
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Click to collapse
Haven't gotten around to rooting yet, not sure if I will.
The lack of night light is a bit annoying but I'll just stick to using my other phone at night. Even the lowest brightness setting on this thing is really bright in the dark.
I also forked out extra for the insurance and accidental drops and whatever, cost me a sh*t ton but hopefully it's worth it.
Sent from my G8142
@murtaza02
Please before getting root keep in mind if you unlock your bootloader to getting root access then
1- all the DRM keys will be lost forever from your phone
and with lost of DRM keys these functions will stop for you. Bionz Engine for Low light photography, OTA updates, High Res Audio, Image & Video Enhancement
2- Lost your Warranty if you have
My suggestion is that do not unlock your bootloader until there is a method available here to backup TA Partition with DRM keys without root
Right now its not available
I am also from Lahore, and want to but XZ premium, from where you get yours and in which amount ?
zohaib0001 said:
@murtaza02
Please before getting root keep in mind if you unlock your bootloader to getting root access then
1- all the DRM keys will be lost forever from your phone
and with lost of DRM keys these functions will stop for you. Bionz Engine for Low light photography, OTA updates, High Res Audio, Image & Video Enhancement
2- Lost your Warranty if you have
My suggestion is that do not unlock your bootloader until there is a method available here to backup TA Partition with DRM keys without root
Right now its not available
I am also from Lahore, and want to but XZ premium, from where you get yours and in which amount ?
my number 03314901564
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Click to collapse
I got mine from a store in Islamabad.
76k with official 1 year warranty from Inovi (Sony's partner in Pakistan).
You can get the imported one without warranty for around 65k (new) or around 45-50k (kit).
Sent from my G8142
What do you think of the phone compared to the Note 8?
Phat-T said:
What do you think of the phone compared to the Note 8?
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Click to collapse
It's great. Stereo speakers, on-time software updates, a newer, faster quick charging standard, what's not to like? It even manages to give me better performance than the Note 8 which had 6 gigs of RAM.
Only thing I miss from the Note 8 would be the ridiculously quick camera. That thing focuses and takes the shot in the same time the camera app of this takes to open up. Not a deal breaker though. I really like this phone.
Sent from my G8142
Phat-T said:
What do you think of the phone compared to the Note 8?
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Click to collapse
https://youtu.be/bbZHuB05_K0
https://youtu.be/_FGBj0h26Ew
Ciro54 said:
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Click to collapse
Lol thanks for the vids but I had this phone since June and love it. I was just wondering how he liked it after switching from the Note 8
murtaza02 said:
It's great. Stereo speakers, on-time software updates, a newer, faster quick charging standard, what's not to like? It even manages to give me better performance than the Note 8 which had 6 gigs of RAM.
Only thing I miss from the Note 8 would be the ridiculously quick camera. That thing focuses and takes the shot in the same time the camera app of this takes to open up. Not a deal breaker though. I really like this phone.
Sent from my G8142
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just switched from the note 8 how are you finding the display I can't make my mind up if its better or not lol
Hey guys,
Just browsing this forum as I'm contemplating getting a used Essential phone after switching to Android from Apple on an LG G7 and being frustrated by its slow updates. I notice the Essential phone can easily be had for under $200 on eBay. Originally I've been trying to get a Pixel 2 or 1 but the not sure about the 1 quality and the 2 goes for too much even at auction.
Anyway, I like that this phone still gets updates quickly and in general looks very nice. But reviews for it always trash the camera. Just curious if updates improved the camera or if the GCam ports for the phone are stable and work well (the G7 ports are problematic).
Thanks for your input.
I just ordered one off ebay for $160 from yywireless (great support, 30 day warranty!) and I'm awaiting arrival. I can let you know how it performs in 2019 compared to my previous LG G6 and iPhone 6S Plus if you'd like! I have a very good feeling about this phone.
VCan25 said:
Hey guys,
Just browsing this forum as I'm contemplating getting a used Essential phone after switching to Android from Apple on an LG G7 and being frustrated by its slow updates. I notice the Essential phone can easily be had for under $200 on eBay. Originally I've been trying to get a Pixel 2 or 1 but the not sure about the 1 quality and the 2 goes for too much even at auction.
Anyway, I like that this phone still gets updates quickly and in general looks very nice. But reviews for it always trash the camera. Just curious if updates improved the camera or if the GCam ports for the phone are stable and work well (the G7 ports are problematic).
Thanks for your input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using Gcam can get better performance compare to stock
But my recommendation is doing some researches about signal reception before buying this phone.
chanh2018 said:
Using Gcam can get better performance compare to stock
But my recommendation is doing some researches about signal reception before buying this phone.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for that insight. I actually had a pixel 3 briefly but reception was the reason I had to change to another brand. I should have that in mind for this phone too.
VCan25 said:
Thanks for that insight. I actually had a pixel 3 briefly but reception was the reason I had to change to another brand. I should have that in mind for this phone too.
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Click to collapse
I can't speak for the US, but I have the essential phone in austria and I have LTE with full reception (symbol) -> even in the subway. In germany there were a few spots on the countryside where I only had Edge...and currently I am on vacation in australia (sunshine coast) and with Vodafone i get LTE everywhere -> with nearly always full reception.
So if you get any issues it's because of the carrier and not because of the phone.
btw - I'm rocking AOSiP Custom Rom...maybe it has a different Baseband...
I also just got this phone in 2019. All is good.
Reception seems just fine in my neck of the woods. United States, California, Los Angeles area. T-Mobile. LTE+ in the status bar.
Phone is a refurb via Amazon. No issues so far.
Essential PH-1, /e/ 0.5-n ROM, microG (NoGapps), XDA Legacy
Got this phone together with the 360 cam off Craigslist, with a cracked screen. After a DIY screen replacement, my total cost came to a whopping US$150, which is way more than reasonable. Absolutely love the phone. I never chase the latest tech (don't see the point), and for my needs in 2019 this phone does everything and then some. I hate huge phones, and by today's standards this device is very small given the screen size, which is a big deal for me. Can't complain about anything other than the lack of the 3.5mm jack, but I can live without it. Running full stock ROM (latest update, rooted). As for the camera, Gcam ports are definitely better than stock, and in my experience they work great apart from a broken slo-mo, but even the stock cam with the latest system update is OK for me in most shooting conditions. Overall, a great phone, and highly recommended.
Best phone I ever had. Love it both aesthetically and in term of features. I bought it 6 months ago for about 220 € by Amazon USA and I'm very satisfied. I use it with stock monthly updates and Gcam.
I live in Madrid, Spain and I've 80-100% LTE reception, even in the subway.
Im east coast US on cricket. i get decent signal.
as for camera... well... stick software is good enough fir most... me... i needed a little more fine tuning, but even without the fine tuning any of the latest gcam ports wotk great
While I definately like my PH-1, something to consider coming from the iPhone 6S AND LG G7 is that the vibration motor is EXTENSIVELY different and dare-i-say "bad". The strength is not too bad, but it definately is louder and significantly worse than your previous phones. If you do not desire good haptic feedback, I would say go for it! If it were not from a drop onto a concrete edge at the worst possible place and the very lack-luster vibration motor, I would definitely plan on keeping it until the battery got too weak. (I kinda miss OLED blacks though...)
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
I'm on Sprint and get very good reception, my previous phones had lots of problems getting even voice calls in my office, whereas on this one I can actually do video calls without issue. Phone is plenty fast for 2019 and the 128GB of storage is really nice after my previous two phones (Nexus 5x and a 2013 Moto X) being pressed for space all the time. I did have to break down and get a Tulia case for it, this phone is super slippery and I've cracked the screen 2x.
I just rebought one last week... This phone is goooooood...
Yeah it’s still a very good phone bought 2 sprint recently from eBay 70$ and 90$ with small crack. Easy free unlock. Great phone.
xarekusu said:
Yeah it’s still a very good phone bought 2 sprint recently from eBay 70$ and 90$ with small crack. Easy free unlock. Great phone.
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$70 is just crazy for this spec phone, even with a crack!
IronRoo said:
$70 is just crazy for this spec phone, even with a crack!
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Got mine for 76 with a crack on the back front had a few scratches..but still I have a sd835 beast
IronRoo said:
$70 is just crazy for this spec phone, even with a crack!
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Click to collapse
I bought mine off CL with a cracked screen but otherwise in mint condition for $100 Canadian (US$75), including the 360 camera. Spent about the same on the replacement screen, so US$150 in total. Super happy with the phone after a couple of months.
kt-Froggy said:
I bought mine off CL with a cracked screen but otherwise in mint condition for $100 Canadian (US$75), including the 360 camera. Spent about the same on the replacement screen, so US$150 in total. Super happy with the phone after a couple of months.
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Is it easy to replace em? I watched a YouTube video it it scared me off even trying it...
Tech_Savvy said:
Is it easy to replace em? I watched a YouTube video it it scared me off even trying it...
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Click to collapse
Well... It depends. If you've never done a screen repair, I'd say this one may be a bit tricky - not the easiest for the first time. I replaced about a dozen screens on different phones (Sony, LG, Samsung, Apple), so it was no big deal. Took me about 30 minutes overall. For a video tutorial, I used the one from fixez.com for a reference. You need to know how to use a heat gun to remove the screen. Also, this phone has a very narrow bezel to mount the screen to the frame, so working with an adhesive may be challenging. Rounded corners don't cooperate well with an adhesive tape, but liquid glue would probably make things easier. The area under the earpiece slot is kinda difficult to work with, because it's extremely narrow, but you definitely need to put an adhesive there to seal the perimeter.
You can read my review of the replacement screen on Amazon, with some points on installing it. If you decide to do it, and have any specific questions, feel free to PM me, so as not to hijack this thread... Good luck!
Tech_Savvy said:
Is it easy to replace em? I watched a YouTube video it it scared me off even trying it...
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Click to collapse
that must have been the one they froze which shattered, use a heat gun (gradually) is the go.
I've been using mine since March of 2017 on Stock non-rooted with GCAM and performance is excellent. I'm using Straight Talk here in the US and it works phenomenal (AT&T band). Pictures with GCAM are far superior than stock camera but, I will praise the stock camera for the monochrome photos in low-light as they are amazing. If you play any games this phone handles them pretty well even games like Fortnite, PUBG, and the new Elder Scrolls Blades play excellent.