Worth Picking Up OnePlus 5 Now a Days or Should I Be Looking at Something Newer - OnePlus 5 Questions & Answers

Title says it all. I'm looking to pick up a new phone as my current HTC M9 is finally showing its age.
This is what I'm looking for in a phone:
I am BIG on de-bloating and ad blocking so at minimum root is REQUIRED.
Not required but might as well be, 3.5mm jack
6" screen or smaller, would prefer to stay below 5.6"
must support US AT&T bands
some what new specs
would like to have a LED display
not a requirement but defiantly looked at is battery life/size
I use to be VERY big into installing custom ROMS and Kernels. I've slowly backed off a bit but still love to do it from time to time. My HTC is just running a de-bloated version of the stock developer ROM. My Shield Table on the other hand is running lineage OS as the stock ROM is garbage. Having custom ROM options for this reason makes me feel secure in my purchase which is another reason I'm looking at a OnePlus in general.
From the digging I've done there really isn't much that meets my requirements. The OnePlus 5 seems to be my best option that I can find. The one plus 6 goes outside of my size limits. From the reading I've done it seems like the spec upgrades to the 6 vs the 5 just aren't worth the size changes.
I've also looked at the Asus ZenFone 4 Pro and ZTE nubia Red Magic Mars. The Asus modding community is basically dead other wise it seems to be a great fit. As for the ZTE it just barley meets my size limitations and is a bit of a gamble being that I have no experience with this manufacture before. Other then that my only gripe with the device itself is the LCD display but I currently have a LCD on my HTC so its not to big a deal.
So would you recommend that I pickup a OnePlus 5 or should I be looking at something newer due to the 5 approaching 2 years old now?
If this changes anything I would be picking up the phone from Amazon due to OnePlus only selling their most recent device on their website. I.E. - No warranty / international version https://www.amazon.com/OnePlus-A500...0955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=mobile&sr=1-2

I would suggest looking for a Oneplus 6 that has proper camera implementation and other little issues resolved. Or a Google Pixel 2XL if you want something that will last you longer in terms of updates ( eBay is having many auctions lately). In general, I would not recommend buying a Oneplus 5.

BrownEye02 said:
Title says it all. I'm looking to pick up a new phone as my current HTC M9 is finally showing its age.
This is what I'm looking for in a phone:
I am BIG on de-bloating and ad blocking so at minimum root is REQUIRED.
Not required but might as well be, 3.5mm jack
6" screen or smaller, would prefer to stay below 5.6"
must support US AT&T bands
some what new specs
would like to have a LED display
not a requirement but defiantly looked at is battery life/size
I use to be VERY big into installing custom ROMS and Kernels. I've slowly backed off a bit but still love to do it from time to time. My HTC is just running a de-bloated version of the stock developer ROM. My Shield Table on the other hand is running lineage OS as the stock ROM is garbage. Having custom ROM options for this reason makes me feel secure in my purchase which is another reason I'm looking at a OnePlus in general.
From the digging I've done there really isn't much that meets my requirements. The OnePlus 5 seems to be my best option that I can find. The one plus 6 goes outside of my size limits. From the reading I've done it seems like the spec upgrades to the 6 vs the 5 just aren't worth the size changes.
I've also looked at the Asus ZenFone 4 Pro and ZTE nubia Red Magic Mars. The Asus modding community is basically dead other wise it seems to be a great fit. As for the ZTE it just barley meets my size limitations and is a bit of a gamble being that I have no experience with this manufacture before. Other then that my only gripe with the device itself is the LCD display but I currently have a LCD on my HTC so its not to big a deal.
So would you recommend that I pickup a OnePlus 5 or should I be looking at something newer due to the 5 approaching 2 years old now?
If this changes anything I would be picking up the phone from Amazon due to OnePlus only selling their most recent device on their website. I.E. - No warranty / international version https://www.amazon.com/OnePlus-A500...0955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&s=mobile&sr=1-2
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Existing thread for such discussions is this https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1620179

Here is my opinion about your question.
I recently purchased a op5 about 10 days back. I could have picked up the 6T but until the onscreen fingerprint is a few generation old I dont want to go that way. 6 was out of question due to the notch. 5t has a great screen and my friend is using it but I NEED my fingerprint on the front.(It is my use case could be different for u)
+ the metal body and 3.5 mm jack.
Also, the camera is good enough for daytime shots and the 835 with 6GB is very zippy and I am sure it will remain so for a couple of years. And it does have a great dev scene so later when my device is a year or so old i can just unlock the bootloader and go custom. I love custom rom and used to do that the 1st thing once i got my phone but nowadays i just dont have the time.
Overall i love the phone and feels very premium. I cant give my feedback about the other models u have listed above but personally for me OP5 checks all the boxes.

Go for 5 since it meets almost all on your checklist and besides, there's not much difference from the OP5 to 6/6T in terms of performance. Been using my OP5(6/64(Latest Beta)) for more than a year now but I hadn't have any hiccups or slow performance issues in all the applications. Plus, up till now; The Rom / Kernel development for OP5 is still alive and kicking.
Only issue that I had with my OP5 is the "Device temperature too low" which is already a hardware issue(Motherboard) as per the local tech and honestly speaking, I believe it was my fault as well. Maximing the usage of my OP5 and kept on using it even if it's charging then while I'm sleeping, accidentally covered the phone with my pillow(while AFK on Ragnarok Mobile) thus causing the phone to heat up to the maximum temp(Too hot to even hold the phone with it's case on). As of writing, I'm still waiting for my phone to be fixed by the tech.

Thanks everyone for the input!!
With the research I did today I ended up going with the Galaxy S9 (EXYNOS). Covers all my bullets, its a newer device then the OnePlus 5 with very close to the latest specs and was able to find the 128GB for $560. With it being the EXYNOS processor I should have no issues rooting and debloating it. And if I cant stand the stock rom it looks like they have good lineage OS development for it so I can just jump to that.

I just bought me a Oneplus 5 to replace my old Nexus 6. I bought the 8/128 variant in great shape for $260. I had the seller leave the bootloader unlocked for me so that I can easily root and flash ROMs when I'm ready. I haven't read into how any of that works on the OP5 or what I would need to do. I'd presume that I'd probably just boot into TWRP and flash magisk but I haven't checked any of that out.
So far, I absolutely love the phone. I knew my Nexus 6 was getting slow and was going to literally blow up at some inopportune time but I guess that I didn't realize how awful it was til buying the OP5. I haven't tried anything too taxing on it yet but this has been so smooth that it's hard to imagine anything else.

OP5 still a beast and will run all playstore apps for years to come. (6/8gb ram is insane for 99% of users)
-Also, less pixel (16:9 1080p) makes it faster and gives better battery performance.
-I love the out-of-display buttons, imo is the android signature.
- sound chip is awesome, big sell point for me on my ath-m50s.
I choose this phone especially to reduce my overcompensation (no, money isn't the problem). micro-technology is just killing the planet, so not changing my phone every year (hello apple fan boi) was a huge sell point for me.
Actually ram killed my previous phone, even with swap partition it was too slow ( HTC Desire Z from 2010). So I decided to get the best phone ram wise, xda support wise and chipset wise.
The only issue I have, is Oneplus refuse to sell batteries, this is just stupid, I mean yeah I get they want you to change phone model, or send them back your op for repairs, but still, how many people want to change the battery??? not much! so I dont get why they are so picky on that !
wife's OP3 still a very fast phone even in 2019, snapdragon 820, 6gb ram, but battery doesnt hold the charge. ebay batteries are ****, tired once, and got 1900 mha, phone shutdown @ 20% charge.
I love the op5, and if I dont loose/break it, I should be good for an other 4 years I believe ! :good:

I came from a Pixel XL, the OP5 looked great because of 8GB of RAM (which seems impressive for a phone), a better SoC, and a slightly lower resolution (better 3D performance). Along with all those things being true in-person, the speaker is also a bit better. It also has good LineageOS support.
My main reason for switching was for ease-of changing the battery if I needed to; the Pixel XL needed some adhesive heating and careful lifting of the screen; I wanted no part of that. The OP5 just pries open on clips which I find very nice, and the battery access is from the back.
I got a slightly damaged one (minor drop damage; insides and screen looks ok) for $200; the 8GB/128GB model.

Related

Upgrade Galaxy S6 for Oneplus 2?

So I'm kind of in a dilemma to get a a Oneplus 2 and selling my Galaxy s6 for it.
Regarding the specs and software experience, do you think that trading my Galaxy S6 for a 64gb Oneplus 2 is a good long-term idea?
I sold my gs6 and got the oneplus 2, no regrets so far. I mainly did it because I don't like touchwiz. I like using close to stock Android software. Battery life on gs6 sucks as well, much better on op2. Build quality is definitely better on the gs6 but aside from that this phone tops it in every way for me.
dzaster89 said:
I sold my gs6 and got the oneplus 2, no regrets so far. I mainly did it because I don't like touchwiz. I like using close to stock Android software. Battery life on gs6 sucks as well, much better on op2. Build quality is definitely better on the gs6 but aside from that this phone tops it in every way for me.
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yeah, even with the COI9 build of the S6, Touchwiz is shiity due to some stutterting with it's UI. If only there would be a CM build for this lol
I'm really in the verge of getting the oneplus 2, but there is also a part of me choosing between the Nexus 6P. what do you think, disregarding the price?
Go for 6P if you don't need dual sim.
Sent from Oneplus Two with Tapatalk
shigi1231 said:
So I'm kind of in a dilemma to get a a Oneplus 2 and selling my Galaxy s6 for it.
Regarding the specs and software experience, do you think that trading my Galaxy S6 for a 64gb Oneplus 2 is a good long-term idea?
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After having the S6, Note 5 and OP2 I would never leave an S6 for an OP2. The only reason I keep the OP2 is for the hope of an official CM build, that's all. If the S6 battery life is too poor for you to put up with THEN I would do it, that's the only reason. I don't like Oxygen OS particularly and after using the S6 the OP2 feels laggy to me. I would download package disabler from the app store for the S6 as it really helps improve battery life. I didn't have a problem with the S6's battery life, especially with quick charge. Obviously it may not meet your needs though since we're all different. Just my two cents.
dc82 said:
After having the S6, Note 5 and OP2 I would never leave an S6 for an OP2. The only reason I keep the OP2 is for the hope of an official CM build, that's all. If the S6 battery life is too poor for you to put up with THEN I would do it, that's the only reason. I don't like Oxygen OS particularly and after using the S6 the OP2 feels laggy to me. I would download package disabler from the app store for the S6 as it really helps improve battery life. I didn't have a problem with the S6's battery life, especially with quick charge. Obviously it may not meet your needs though since we're all different. Just my two cents.
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quite unusual to see from someone that the OP2 is lagging. Anyway, I also have the same reason why I'm considering the OP2 or Nexus 6p, because of the CM or near stock experience. I've recently installed some Custom roms in the S6, that fixed the touchwiz lag but not the ram management. I'm also waiting if there would be AOSP roms for the s6.
shigi1231 said:
quite unusual to see from someone that the OP2 is lagging. Anyway, I also have the same reason why I'm considering the OP2 or Nexus 6p, because of the CM or near stock experience. I've recently installed some Custom roms in the S6, that fixed the touchwiz lag but not the ram management. I'm also waiting if there would be AOSP roms for the s6.
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its very common for oxygenos to be laggy, coming from nexus 5 6.0 update, oxygenos with all this hardware is still no match in smoothness, they have ways to go. of course just waiting for the cyanogenmod to become official then you can kiss the lagg bye bye. tested the beta, and it is fantastic. hydrogenos is currently faster and almost lag free compared to oxygen.
xtachix said:
its very common for oxygenos to be laggy, coming from nexus 5 6.0 update, oxygenos with all this hardware is still no match in smoothness, they have ways to go. of course just waiting for the cyanogenmod to become official then you can kiss the lagg bye bye. tested the beta, and it is fantastic. hydrogenos is currently faster and almost lag free compared to oxygen.
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I have the latest OOS installed + AK kernel v15, and I see no lag whatsoever. Browsing through the UI is as smooth as it can get + battery life is amazing.
I did just that ,today is my first day with the oneplus 2 .I cant get over how heavy it is !.battery life seems a little better but I am not getting 4G which might be contributing to the battery life .I have to say that the S6 feels far more polished than the OPT over all ,the OPT reminds me of the days when I used custom ROMs where you encounter a few glitches here and there (not connecting to my wifi for instance ).
shigi1231 said:
So I'm kind of in a dilemma to get a a Oneplus 2 and selling my Galaxy s6 for it.
Regarding the specs and software experience, do you think that trading my Galaxy S6 for a 64gb Oneplus 2 is a good long-term idea?
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Click to collapse
The GS6 has one of the best camera's available on any phone today, but the OP2 isn't that far behind (with some software improvements it could potentially equal it). If you hate Touchwiz as much as I do, then trade it in. If you don't, then don't.. Because the GS6 is truly a fantastic device if you like a phone that just works. It's basically the iPhone of Android devices.
zaki67 said:
I did just that ,today is my first day with the oneplus 2 .I cant get over how heavy it is !.battery life seems a little better but I am not getting 4G which might be contributing to the battery life .I have to say that the S6 feels far more polished than the OPT over all ,the OPT reminds me of the days when I used custom ROMs where you encounter a few glitches here and there (not connecting to my wifi for instance ).
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If you can live without a fingerprint scanner for a while you should give Exodus a try. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
shigi1231 said:
quite unusual to see from someone that the OP2 is lagging. Anyway, I also have the same reason why I'm considering the OP2 or Nexus 6p, because of the CM or near stock experience. I've recently installed some Custom roms in the S6, that fixed the touchwiz lag but not the ram management. I'm also waiting if there would be AOSP roms for the s6.
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It's actually not unusual at all. Use literally any other current flagship phone and then go back to the OP2. Stock vs stock it's noticeable. I'd wait till the S6 gets marshmallow to make your determination if you can. Hardware-wise I think the S6 is better and that being the case, you can update software but you can't change hardware.
I hear there was a new update for the camera of the OP2 fixing the auto laser focus with filming videos
How's the display of the device? Is the 1080P LCD display not that farfetched from SUPERAMOLED?
Considering the SoCs of both Nexus 6P and OP2, do you think that the 64gb (with 4 gb of ram) would provide more RAW power than the nexus 6p?
I went from GS6 to a oneplus 2. I originally kept the GS6 and sold the Oneplus 2, but later changed my mind and bought a new Oneplus 2. (I don't understand all the whining about not being able to buy one!)
Here is why:
My main complaint regarding the OP2 is its size. The S6 is sleek and lightweight. When it comes to having one of the two in a pocket...I much prefer the size of the S6. But, phones aren't made for sitting in our pockets, are they? Also, I find the vibrating motor on the OP2 is lower quality than the one on the S6 and so I leave it turned off because it annoys me. The vibrating seems to slow down the use of the keyboard to me as well. I also don't find the quality of accessories like cases to be as good for OP2 as the GS6.
On the other hand:
I don't mind the lack of NFC because I don't keep a phone unrooted long enough to use Android Pay anyway. I think Oneplus realized most of it's users would be in that boat. I also don't mind the lack of quickcharging because I just plug in my phone everynight and I have a 15,000mAh battery charger that bought just in case, but I have used exactly 0 times. Despite all of the horror stories on these forums, I have stock Oxygen and stock kernel and get to the end of every day with about 75% charge left.
I think the TW on GS6 is fine, but I honestly prefer the stock experience. I found the camera on the GS6 to be better, but I would ALWAYS choose my DSLR for any serious video or photo of either and I don't find it $150 dollars better (The actual price difference if you watch for deals on websites such as Slickdeals).
I hear all sorts of whining about the quality of the hardware being less on Oneplus 2, but in the past half year I have owned 3 GS6 devices and two of them had to be sent in for RMA warranty. I have owned 2 Oneplus 2's and they were both without any faults. Also, if you think that Oneplus has software issues, you should see all the whining over on the S6 forums about the software problems. Samsung is arguably the most advanced android maker out there and still regularly have software issues! Samsung does not support the Dev community and takes every action to prevent any software modification (Ever heard of a Knox?). Oneplus has limitations on what they are able to provide the community with regard to drivers, but does what it can.
I used the fancy features like heartbeat sensor and pulse ox a total of once just out of curiosity...never found a need to use it ever again. The same goes for the remote control. It is a neat feature, but I would prefer to use my regular remote.
I also can't see the point in using Android Pay because it seems like half of all retailers out there still make me pull out my wallet to show my ID. Basically, at this point the Android Pay is about the same level of novelty as a 4k screen on a 40 inch TV and I'm fine without it. I can't drive anywhere without my wallet because it has my license, so I might as well carry a card in there too. If I go to a restaurant, I'm not going to hand a $400 to $650 device to the waiter to pay for my food.... With all of it's limitations, Android Pay just isn't THAT much of a convenience. So, I will choose to root my phone and do without out it whether the device has NFC or not.
The GS6 Super OLED is beautiful, but comes with drawbacks. One main problem is that they suffer from burn-in. I had one device that I couldn't stand using because it developed a severe burn in from having a background similar to the "never settle" on the OP2 that left words visible on the back of the device. The burn in occurred after a couple days of heavy use of the device and was permanent. Samsung will not fix that problem on warranty...they see it as your fault. IPS does not have this problem. With regard to battery use I don't think that the benefits of OLED outweigh the significantly larger battery on the OP2. Also, I should mention that I have a smartwatch so I could care less about features like having alerts popup on the display, but I doubt that this really consumes a lot more energy on the IPS displays than the OLED displays. I believe that more energy is probably being consumed in the wakelock anyway from those sort of events and really don't want my screen turning on to tell me about new alerts either way. I saw a fancy graph somewhere about how OLED really doesn't use that much less energy compared to IPS with LED anyway, and can actually use more in certain cicumstances.
I find that the larger real estate of the 5.5 inch screen on the OP2 is a better size compared to the S6 in my experience and don't appreciate any decrease in quality in the 1080p vs 2k.
The S6 and Oneplus 2 are both pretty lag-free experiences. I do like having the 64gb of space compared to the 32 on my S6, but the OP2 seems to run with about 2GB or RAM free, so the 4GB or RAM is probably overkill. The S6 on the otherhand is bloated beyond belief and uses every bit of the 3GB of RAM. Anyone who has spent time on the S6 part of xda has seen tons of complaints about this. Meanwhile, OOS isn't perfect, but it does remain a bloat free experience.
Importantly, the dev support for OP2 is much better and we really owe these guys like Grarak and AK for all their hard work. Dev support for the S6 is very limited. CM will probably never be available for the S6 because it uses the Exynos.
I never had a problem with using the physical home button on the S6, but after using the home button on the OP2, I found that I was annoyed everytime I had to actually press down on that physical button on the S6. I don't know why, but it really bugged me.
dc82 said:
After having the S6, Note 5 and OP2 I would never leave an S6 for an OP2. The only reason I keep the OP2 is for the hope of an official CM build, that's all. If the S6 battery life is too poor for you to put up with THEN I would do it, that's the only reason. I don't like Oxygen OS particularly and after using the S6 the OP2 feels laggy to me. I would download package disabler from the app store for the S6 as it really helps improve battery life. I didn't have a problem with the S6's battery life, especially with quick charge. Obviously it may not meet your needs though since we're all different. Just my two cents.
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I was pretty much going to say the same thing said here......So I'll just +1 this.
Ok, I have to say a little more...
I like my OP2, the build is nice and it's a premium looking phone.....But I've only had it a month and have had several small, annoying bugs pop up over that time and a couple that required a full factory reset. I had my S6 for a couple months and had no real issues. I almost feel the OP2's software wasn't ready for release, but they went ahead and released it anyways. As bloated as the S6 is, it's a smooth and snappy user experience IMO. TouchWiz has really slimmed down from the S3 days too and I actually liked it as well as my go-to launcher, Nova. I hate saying that, because I generally don't like big corporate companies like Samsung, but they don't have one of the most popular phones in the world for no reason. But for the money, I was willing to take a chance on the OP2 as I'm sure development will be better in a few months and even the stock ROM will become more stable over time.
To what I see from everyone I think I can deduce like this:
Oneplus 2: DEV FRIENDLY (i cant emphasis enough how this is very important to me lol), can go toe to toe with the Exynos chip, better stock experience (Cyanogenmod is coming quickly), due to camera software updates OP2 camera is decent, build quality is premium, battery is good, better RAM
Galaxy S6: build is super premium but can be so greasy due to the glass back and front, Exynos chip is good, TouchWiz is decent, NFC, wireless charging, QHD but can be a set back due to battery
The S6 has been months out now, and it would seem there are no Developers working or at least having good progress on a AOSP rom.
tele_jas said:
I was pretty much going to say the same thing said here......So I'll just +1 this.
Ok, I have to say a little more...
I like my OP2, the build is nice and it's a premium looking phone.....But I've only had it a month and have had several small, annoying bugs pop up over that time and a couple that required a full factory reset. I had my S6 for a couple months and had no real issues. I almost feel the OP2's software wasn't ready for release, but they went ahead and released it anyways. As bloated as the S6 is, it's a smooth and snappy user experience IMO. TouchWiz has really slimmed down from the S3 days too and I actually liked it as well as my go-to launcher, Nova. I hate saying that, because I generally don't like big corporate companies like Samsung, but they don't have one of the most popular phones in the world for no reason. But for the money, I was willing to take a chance on the OP2 as I'm sure development will be better in a few months and even the stock ROM will become more stable over time.
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OK, I like the OP2 a lot.....for the money. It's a great phone for the money. You can't spend this "little" and expect a lot more. The screen is NOWHERE near as good as any recent AMOLED. To anyone claiming burn in is still an issue, I say that's overblown. I've had more phones than I care to even admit to and I've had burn in only once. That was with the N6 and that was an older Samsung panel. The op2 screen looks nice enough with no other phone as a reference. Put it next to any recent samsung and you see how washed out the OP2 panel looks. That being said. This phone is NOT a flagship killer, its simply a really, REALLY good phone...for the money. If this phone made by Samsung ppl would be up in arms about its shortcomings. But bc its made by an obscure Chinese company that makes ridiculous marketing claims we all buy in to a degree. Again, I love the phone. It's great..for the money. Don't expect perfection and you'll be happy with it.
dc82 said:
OK, I like the OP2 a lot.....for the money. It's a great phone for the money. You can't spend this "little" and expect a lot more. The screen is NOWHERE near as good as any recent AMOLED. To anyone claiming burn in is still an issue, I say that's overblown. I've had more phones than I care to even admit to and I've had burn in only once. That was with the N6 and that was an older Samsung panel. The op2 screen looks nice enough with no other phone as a reference. Put it next to any recent samsung and you see how washed out the OP2 panel looks. That being said. This phone is NOT a flagship killer, its simply a really, REALLY good phone...for the money. If this phone made by Samsung ppl would be up in arms about its shortcomings. But bc its made by an obscure Chinese company that makes ridiculous marketing claims we all buy in to a degree. Again, I love the phone. It's great..for the money. Don't expect perfection and you'll be happy with it.
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I just RMA'ed a S6 with burn in and got my replacement today which I plan to sell. So, it still happens and on my device it didn't take much. I hadn't had any problems with any of my prior AMOLED screens I would have agreed with you, but I used a background pic from the S6 promotional material that said "Six Appeal". After removing the background I could see the words any time I had a grey or white background... such as anytime I used XDA. Fortunately for me, the phone had a camera defect and I was able to RMA it. Regarding the burn in, they basically just said "too bad". Considering I just finished dealing with the issue, this is probably why I am so sensitive to it being a concern.
BTW, as mentioned, I have both phones and think the S6 screen is only minimally better after adjusting screen settings on the OP2. I have both of them in front of me right now. I will say, the default screen settings for the OP2 don't help the first impression and I originally thought it was very washed out comparatively.
As a point of mention just for anyone out there new to the technologies: burn in will always be a potential design risk with AMOLED technology. As any pixel is used it will wear ever so slightly. The rate of wear may improve in future generations, but the wear itself is an inherent part of the technology. The good news is that if you are careful, you can probably avoid the problem for the most part. Static parts of the screen with high contrast like the top bar are at risk because they often have the same pixels being used.
Also, "Super AMOLED" isn't actually any better than an AMOLED from the standpoint of screen quality. It is just Samsung's made up term for when they fuse a digitizer into the display vs having it as a separate layer. The underlying display is still the same.
Silvers91 said:
I have the latest OOS installed + AK kernel v15, and I see no lag whatsoever. Browsing through the UI is as smooth as it can get + battery life is amazing.
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I have the same installed, a stock nexus 5 with the official 6.0 firmware is much smoother. you'd say the UI is lag free, for the most part that's true, but once you open an app it takes a bit of time for the app to actually load, where in android 6.0 of nexus 5 you don't see that. none the less, the phone is fantastic, just needs some more working on before they can actually call it a well built stock firmware.
xtachix said:
I have the same installed, a stock nexus 5 with the official 6.0 firmware is much smoother. you'd say the UI is lag free, for the most part that's true, but once you open an app it takes a bit of time for the app to actually load, where in android 6.0 of nexus 5 you don't see that. none the less, the phone is fantastic, just needs some more working on before they can actually call it a well built stock firmware.
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I agree with you, I had a Nexus 5 but I sold it right before Marshmallow was released for it, but even with 5.1.1 it was smooth as hell, I'm yet to see a phone that is as smooth as the Nexus 5.. OnePlus 2 just needs some time to get the right software, it was only released 3 months ago anyway.
Silvers91 said:
I agree with you, I had a Nexus 5 but I sold it right before Marshmallow was released for it, but even with 5.1.1 it was smooth as hell, I'm yet to see a phone that is as smooth as the Nexus 5.. OnePlus 2 just needs some time to get the right software, it was only released 3 months ago anyway.
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agreed, OP needs to completely debloat their software, make it completely stock, optimize it, then add extra features to it. a rom that's 1.1GB in size tells you quite a lot vs the cyanogenmod .4GB. They need to take it from ground up to even match cyanogenmod in terms of performance and UI experience. I mean look at nexus 5, no matter what rom you put in it, the stock one was always better, smoother UI, better performance, at one point installing a custom kernel made the phone unstable and killed battery life faster.
right off the bat, OP2 users started installing AK kernel to eliminate lagg issues and battery life issues. What does that tell us? the underlying software is not very good, the kernel probably does lots of wasteful debugging and 2 cores almost always offline. The idea is there, but the implementation of the idea seems like to have "workarounds" rather than actual redesigning of the code to coop with the ROM's needs. I mean no one even bothered to create a custom ROM based on the official ROM. The first things that came out for the nexus was the custom ROM based on the official sources.
I'm sorry OP2, but nexus 5 was the real flagship killer, I still have the phone (though had to replace the power button). battery life was good for me, lasted 17-20 hours. Hopefully OP can start to understand that user requests and bug reports should not be worked with using the "workaround" style, but instead to fix issues from the foundation of the ROM, optimize it then release it. Maybe they can release a lightweight version, or a stock AOSP version with everything functional. CM will probably beat them to it at this rate.

Advice whether to still buy the Axon 7 in 2018

I have been looking to buy a new mobile phone since my LG G3 bit the dust a few months ago. The one that piqued my interest is the Axon 7 due to the audio hardware (dual DAC and stereo front speakers) which is the one thing I use my mobile for above everything else. I have been looking at the LG G6 with its quad DAC also but the cost difference is hard to ignore especially if the Axon can give me what I am looking for.
I realise that ZTE have discontinued the manufacturing of the Axon 7 but they are still available from some vendors and rumours have arisen about its successor appearing soon. ZTE is allegedly also releasing Oreo to the 7 in April.
So due to an eventual show of the 8, do you think I would be better waiting through January for the Axon 8 or just pulling the trigger on an Axon 7 right now?
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
What's your budget? If you're willing to go higher than $400, I'd say get one of the OnePlus phones. Released this year. They have an exceptional dev community (not that ours is bad but theirs is just incredible), and the phones are remarkably solid, especially given the price.
If you're on a budget, then yeah, get the Axon 7 or one of the older OP devices (OP3/3T). You wouldn't have the amazing audio you get with the Axon, but the phones are really, really good.
The Axon 7 is still getting dev support, which is great, but I don't think we'll get to see Android P on our device. Many devs are already losing interest and some people in the community are driving the ones that are left away.
Another option to consider is a used LG V20, which had amazing audio as well.
I am a poweruser so I tend to root my devices almost straightaway usually with magisk so I can use V4A.
I was tempted by the OnePlus 5T and it probably wouldn't be out of my budget, it looks like a really solid phone but with the reports of poor sound quality, lack of DAC and no SD card slot it just didn't fit the bill for me.
I did check out the LG v30 and the specs are an absolute beast on that but alas...so is the price being new on the market lol. The Samsung S8...ERM no...I vouched after they started the bit locking fiasco on the S4 I would never buy another Samsung.
The LG G6 is good for audio but even LG have started regionalizing features now.
These are partly the reason I decided mid to low tear was enough for me as they are easily obtainable from China sim free without ties to contracts and they have a habit of producing good value devices which compete with stupid money flagships.
I am trying to avoid going down the root of second hand devices as I am a big believer in you usually buy someone else's problems especially with manufacturer obsolescence being on the tongues of every techy these days. Its bad enough with the non replaceable batteries in devices!
Bang for buck the Axon 7 is still very desirable...its just the audio I can't ignore and for the price. Bit of a shame that the dev community is losing interest in the axon 7 though, seems a really solid device.
@Gases hope you don't think I am a whining my friend, just me obsessing about my next device lol
So do you think its worth waiting for the Axon 7's successor?
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
My view from a value consious type is that the A7 is great hardware for the money and importantly, it still runs fast. Getting O may help keep a little development on it but stock is good anyway. I personally wouldn't buy an LG phone, too many successive devices with serious problems like bootloop which never seems to be fixed. LG don't want their phones to last long.
If you're not the sort of person who must have the latest, then for the price the Axon 7 is still a compelling buy.
If you only choose a phone from the list of Daydream certified devices you ensure a well rounded performance and decent sensors etc. It really comes down to how much you want to spend and nothing much can touch the A7 for value versus it's real world performance. Forget benchmarks and all that junk, it's all numbers and running an Axon keeps reliable performance unlike say, a Samsung which will get the stutters sooner or later. I'm keen to see the O update being closer to stock Android on my Axon, but even on B09N it is still smooth and responsive leaving no reason to even consider buying anything else.
All that being posted, I would like to see the next flagship Axon but like all brands, ZTE will try to grow their price tag as public perception improves. Just look at Huawei as an example. Got too expensive and now put themselves beyond my price level. Wouldn't consider Samsung, HTC and all the others keeping prices double what they should be.
beastobadness said:
I am a poweruser so I tend to root my devices almost straightaway usually with magisk so I can use V4A.
I was tempted by the OnePlus 5T and it probably wouldn't be out of my budget, it looks like a really solid phone but with the reports of poor sound quality, lack of DAC and no SD card slot it just didn't fit the bill for me.
I did check out the LG v30 and the specs are an absolute beast on that but alas...so is the price being new on the market lol. The Samsung S8...ERM no...I vouched after they started the bit locking fiasco on the S4 I would never buy another Samsung.
The LG G6 is good for audio but even LG have started regionalizing features now.
These are partly the reason I decided mid to low tear was enough for me as they are easily obtainable from China sim free without ties to contracts and they have a habit of producing good value devices which compete with stupid money flagships.
I am trying to avoid going down the root of second hand devices as I am a big believer in you usually buy someone else's problems especially with manufacturer obsolescence being on the tongues of every techy these days. Its bad enough with the non replaceable batteries in devices!
Bang for buck the Axon 7 is still very desirable...its just the audio I can't ignore and for the price. Bit of a shame that the dev community is losing interest in the axon 7 though, seems a really solid device.
@Gases hope you don't think I am a whining my friend, just me obsessing about my next device lol
So do you think its worth waiting for the Axon 7's successor?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you say that you use your phone for music, what do you really mean? Hi-res, or just FLACs? With V4A or stock?
The AK4490EN is capable of like 768 kHz/32 bit, but ZTE limited to a hideous 96 kHz/16 bit...
Still it sounds much, MUCH better than a standard Snapdragon DAC. Even on custom ROMs. And even more so on custom ROMs with V4A, if you're using MP3s.
I think you have to completely avoid midrange devices. The best choice is to get a high-end CPU even if it's one generation old. The SD6xx series are a world apart in terms of performance.
Also, why do you say that the dev community is losing interest? We lost 1 or 2 devs this year. It was always rather weak, but we're a cozy community and seemingly managed to push enough to get ZTE to get a working Camera2 API and some other stuff (time will tell).
RobboW said:
My view from a value consious type is that the A7 is great hardware for the money and importantly, it still runs fast. Getting O may help keep a little development on it but stock is good anyway. I personally wouldn't buy an LG phone, too many successive devices with serious problems like bootloop which never seems to be fixed. LG don't want their phones to last long.
If you're not the sort of person who must have the latest, then for the price the Axon 7 is still a compelling buy.
If you only choose a phone from the list of Daydream certified devices you ensure a well rounded performance and decent sensors etc. It really comes down to how much you want to spend and nothing much can touch the A7 for value versus it's real world performance. Forget benchmarks and all that junk, it's all numbers and running an Axon keeps reliable performance unlike say, a Samsung which will get the stutters sooner or later. I'm keen to see the O update being closer to stock Android on my Axon, but even on B09N it is still smooth and responsive leaving no reason to even consider buying anything else.
All that being posted, I would like to see the next flagship Axon but like all brands, ZTE will try to grow their price tag as public perception improves. Just look at Huawei as an example. Got too expensive and now put themselves beyond my price level. Wouldn't consider Samsung, HTC and all the others keeping prices double what they should be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree on the LG thing, the G3 was a solid item on the outside but its internals were a different story...like I said manufactured obsolescence! Baking the motherboard on mine was its final death cry lol
Choose an username... said:
When you say that you use your phone for music, what do you really mean? Hi-res, or just FLACs? With V4A or stock?
The AK4490EN is capable of like 768 kHz/32 bit, but ZTE limited to a hideous 96 kHz/16 bit...
Still it sounds much, MUCH better than a standard Snapdragon DAC. Even on custom ROMs. And even more so on custom ROMs with V4A, if you're using MP3s.
I think you have to completely avoid midrange devices. The best choice is to get a high-end CPU even if it's one generation old. The SD6xx series are a world apart in terms of performance.
Also, why do you say that the dev community is losing interest? We lost 1 or 2 devs this year. It was always rather weak, but we're a cozy community and seemingly managed to push enough to get ZTE to get a working Camera2 API and some other stuff (time will tell).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I should have made myself clear when I said mid to low tear phone, I was talking about price not internal specs. Totally agree the SD 820/821 chips might not be the latest and greatest but they are far from obsolete and still perform great... would be nice to have say an 835 but I am not in it for the numbers anyway.
As for my audio format, its a bit of a mix...minimum 320 Kbps to lossless, it really depends on where I got the files from. The max impedance on my best cans are 40 ohms so no studio level stuff.
As for the dev community losing interest...no offence intended, was only expressing my feelings on what I was told by Gases. Cosy is a good thing, its a powerful tool, means there is a passion for the product and if ZTE are listening...even better.
BTW happy new year!
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
beastobadness said:
Totally agree on the LG thing, the G3 was a solid item on the outside but its internals were a different story...like I said manufactured obsolescence! Baking the motherboard on mine was its final death cry lol
Sorry I should have made myself clear when I said mid to low tear phone, I was talking about price not internal specs. Totally agree the SD 820/821 chips might not be the latest and greatest but they are far from obsolete and still perform great... would be nice to have say an 835 but I am not in it for the numbers anyway.
As for my audio format, its a bit of a mix...minimum 320 Kbps to lossless, it really depends on where I got the files from. The max impedance on my best cans are 40 ohms so no studio level stuff.
As for the dev community losing interest...no offence intended, was only expressing my feelings on what I was told by Gases. Cosy is a good thing, its a powerful tool, means there is a passion for the product and if ZTE are listening...even better.
BTW happy new year!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll be OK with the Axon 7's DAC -its soundstage is clearly better and it has a lower noise level. The community is nowhere near dying out since most devs maintain only a few devices. And the SD820 still works good.
I don't believe the Axon 9 (I think they'll skip 8, like 2019) will be released before at least May or June. They said absolutely nothing aside from 'there will be a successor to the axon 7'.
Happy new year
I would say yes, I bought mine in Nov last year and it was delivered in Dec. I am loving it every minute with zero issues that I am unhappy with. I bought it to replace a buggy Zenfone 3 (midrange) and I am totally pleased with it.
Cost is a major factor as I had already spent a load of money on the ZF3; it cost the same as a current midrange device (Xiaomi A1) and yet performance is twice of current midrange devices (double benchmark and QHD screen). Yes, it is nearly a 2 years old flagship, but the question is do I need that much firepower from a current flagship? My answer is not really, yours maybe different.
I do not root my phones, had a really bad experience when I hard bricked a device due to faulty instructions and then I got laugh at by the "community". So I only update my devices officially.
I also do not update my devices to the "last" update as I had bad experiences where a device became crap with the final update (likely due to it not able to handle the load?). So I update them once out of the box, and that it. My Axon 7 was updated from B11 to B09 when I got it and it is likely to stay on B09 until the day it dies, unless the feedback on future updates are very positive here. Again, you may use yours differently.
If you disregard all the numbers and technicalities and just want a good sounding phone to play your MP3 library off, you can't go wrong with the Axon 7.
I mostly use bluetooth but do plug in still.
I did this afternoon in the car. Feeding music to the car hifi by wire sounds awesome, for sure it's better than bluetooth and louder too. I just use MP3 and can still clearly hear a difference.
You don't need to be swallowing up 50Mb a song with hi res FLAC files to justify owning the phone.
I've got my Axon7 last month to replace dying Meizu MX4Pro. Few thoughts on the buy.
A7 is fantastic mid-range phone, I've managed to get it quite cheap in almost new condition (~€230).
Performance wise it is brilliant, no hiccups or anything (bear in mind I was coming from Android 5.0 2014 phone )
Now, the sound. I have mixed feelings on this. I'll tell you why.
The speakers are great, but when I say sound quality I mean the headphone out. I didn't have much time to compare it to MX4Pro and my DAP (Cayin N3 - same DAC chip as A7) but I still feel that A7 is lacking a bit. Defo less power than my old phone (or the DAP), I need to crank up the volume to get the detail and dynamics level I want. I'll be trying it with my old C&C amp to see if it will improve.
Don't get me wrong, sound quality is very good, I think it is just the power. But again, my only reference is DAP which has lot more power and one of the most musical phones that was manufactured to date (MX4 Pro has ESS9018 DAC and OPA1612 as an amp).
To sum up - lovely phone with good sound, sound is definitely better than 99% phones out there. If you can get it cheap(-ish) and don't mind 2 year old hardware go for it.
Well it is done...Axon 7 EU version is on it's way! Oooo new shiny's lol and the wait begins
And I put a sneaky order in for the BOBOVR Z5 daydream headset just to test the water with VR and daydream.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
docentore said:
I've got my Axon7 last month to replace dying Meizu MX4Pro. Few thoughts on the buy.
A7 is fantastic mid-range phone, I've managed to get it quite cheap in almost new condition (~€230).
Performance wise it is brilliant, no hiccups or anything (bear in mind I was coming from Android 5.0 2014 phone )
Now, the sound. I have mixed feelings on this. I'll tell you why.
The speakers are great, but when I say sound quality I mean the headphone out. I didn't have much time to compare it to MX4Pro and my DAP (Cayin N3 - same DAC chip as A7) but I still feel that A7 is lacking a bit. Defo less power than my old phone (or the DAP), I need to crank up the volume to get the detail and dynamics level I want. I'll be trying it with my old C&C amp to see if it will improve.
Don't get me wrong, sound quality is very good, I think it is just the power. But again, my only reference is DAP which has lot more power and one of the most musical phones that was manufactured to date (MX4 Pro has ESS9018 DAC and OPA1612 as an amp).
To sum up - lovely phone with good sound, sound is definitely better than 99% phones out there. If you can get it cheap(-ish) and don't mind 2 year old hardware go for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What version of the A7 did you get? Is it on Nougat OS? If it's A2017G on Marshmallow it should improve on stock Nougat.
beastobadness said:
Well it is done...Axon 7 EU version is on it's way! Oooo new shiny's lol and the wait begins
And I put a sneaky order in for the BOBOVR Z5 daydream headset just to test the water with VR and daydream.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got mine yesterday in the post from gearbest as a reluctant replacement for my Nexus 6 .
Reluctant, as I wanted to 'upgrade' so had to be amoled, stereo speakers, qhd etc to at least match the beast of a Nexus 6.
Just been using today and smaller screen size takes a bit of getting used to, but sound via speakers is on par with Nexus 6 I'd say not yet tried plug in headphones. Screen is much better and the build quality too.
Very pleased so far.
This weekend may see me attempt boot loader unlock, TWRP, Magisk and Lineage install; although I must say the ZTE implementation isn't half bad, and thats on Marshmellow.
May I ask where you found it for sale? Seems most places out of stock now, and felt quite lucky to snap one up.
8eaker said:
Got mine yesterday in the post from gearbest as a reluctant replacement for my Nexus 6 .
Reluctant, as I wanted to 'upgrade' so had to be amoled, stereo speakers, qhd etc to at least match the beast of a Nexus 6.
Just been using today and smaller screen size takes a bit of getting used to, but sound via speakers is on par with Nexus 6 I'd say not yet tried plug in headphones. Screen is much better and the build quality too.
Very pleased so far.
This weekend may see me attempt boot loader unlock, TWRP, Magisk and Lineage install; although I must say the ZTE implementation isn't half bad, and thats on Marshmellow.
May I ask where you found it for sale? Seems most places out of stock now, and felt quite lucky to snap one up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fasttech had it listed...missed all the holiday discounts though and I think the fact that every other company have sold out has driven the price up on FT slightly but I am not really bothered...I am now hoping it slips past the folks at customs discreetly lol.
I need this to get here asap as my 5 yr old S4 is on its last legs...I think it must have caught something off my deceased LG G3 haha!
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I've had mine 2 weeks, and absolutely love it. It replaced a Sony Xperia Z4 (with the 810 which allowed the phone to double as a hot plate, foot warmer or small space heater.) The sound is everything I expected from the Sony and never got. The screen is beautiful. Battery life is amazing. The Z4 had a max of 3 hours life, and this Axon 7 has seen me through 10 hour days listening to bluetooth most of the day, with 35% batttery left. I found mine on Amazon for $317, the box was scuffed up, but everything inside was pristine and untouched. I'm rooted with WRP, Substratum and Xposed. I have not felt the need to leave stock 7.1.1 as of yet.
Stock Nougat is quite good. I find that here a lot of people are way too trigger happy on the flash custom ROM scene. I only do it if the phone needs it. Custom ROMs usually have issues.
ZTE will release an official and reasonably light Oreo for it this year too.
I think after that, good custom ROMs will follow as they released O sources to a well known dev. I personally wouldn't be bothered with any current Nougat customs seeing as O is coming.
I will probably upgrade and run the axon 7 stock for a few months same as I did with my G3.
ZTE have certainly extended the axon 7's presence in the market though bringing Oreo to it, all the major brands would have EOL'ed support to a device by now especially with it starting on Marshmallow.
Has anyone had the need to swap the battery out yet?
I know there are a couple of good teardown vids on YT and it doesn't look too bad.
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RobboW said:
What version of the A7 did you get? Is it on Nougat OS? If it's A2017G on Marshmallow it should improve on stock Nougat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its A2017G on Nougat, it starts to grow on me. I've sold my DAP already because I like the sound so much.
RobboW said:
Stock Nougat is quite good. I find that here a lot of people are way too trigger happy on the flash custom ROM scene. I only do it if the phone needs it. Custom ROMs usually have issues.
ZTE will release an official and reasonably light Oreo for it this year too.
I think after that, good custom ROMs will follow as they released O sources to a well known dev. I personally wouldn't be bothered with any current Nougat customs seeing as O is coming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With my previous (pre MX4Pro) Android phones I was first to flash custom ROMs. But with A7 I'm happy so far with stock Nougat. Miss the root for few things, but I have too much stuff on the phone and too little time to bother with unlocking bootloader and rooting it as I understand I will loose all present data.
Now, when the Oreo comes, that might change

Is the V20 still worth buying for <$200 USD

Hi, long time XDA user here. I'm currently using a OnePlus X. I was considering springing for the new OnePlus 6, but I really shouldn't spend that much money right now. I saw that the V20s (a phone I was interested in previously) are very affordable now and I imaging for 200 bucks I can push my upgrade down the road for a bit, maybe until the OP6+ comes out. I've had an LG phone before and liked it , but it's been quite a few years.(Windows Mobile fellas, not even Windows Phone)
1. Is the V20 still viable, does it run well with current apps and networks?
2. How is the ROM support doing nowadays, and is the rooting process in general still possible from the firmware that currently ships on the phone? (I'm not sure what LGs stance on bootloader locking is)
3. Do custom roms make use of the secondary screen at all?
4. What are the phone's weakest points or biggest annoyances today? As in, what hasn't really stood the test of time?
Thanks for any info you can provide me.
Kevin1a said:
Hi, long time XDA user here. I'm currently using a OnePlus X. I was considering springing for the new OnePlus 6, but I really shouldn't spend that much money right now. I saw that the V20s (a phone I was interested in previously) are very affordable now and I imaging for 200 bucks I can push my upgrade down the road for a bit, maybe until the OP6+ comes out. I've had an LG phone before and liked it , but it's been quite a few years.(Windows Mobile fellas, not even Windows Phone)
1. Is the V20 still viable, does it run well with current apps and networks?
2. How is the ROM support doing nowadays, and is the rooting process in general still possible from the firmware that currently ships on the phone? (I'm not sure what LGs stance on bootloader locking is)
3. Do custom roms make use of the secondary screen at all?
4. What are the phone's weakest points or biggest annoyances today? As in, what hasn't really stood the test of time?
Thanks for any info you can provide me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs
cnjax said:
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. This is exactly what I was looking for.
cnjax said:
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say that with the active development of Lineage OS and Any Kernel.
Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk
cnjax said:
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This sums it up. Seems the v20 is dead. Maybe oreo will bring more development but I doubt it since a lot of people have moved on
WhiteWidows said:
I wouldn't say that with the active development of Lineage OS and Any Kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah lineage that half baked os that's unofficial and you lose main features of the phone and have to flash constant updates or use work arounds to have basic functionality, yeah that's development right there.
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs
LG V20 Still A good Phone
Well maybe you would like a different perspective. I fist laid eyes on the LG V20 in a Verizon store about a month ago but they would not sell it to me because it is not made anymore. So I just purchased an unlocked version from B&H in New York. My first attraction to this phone is the second screen which i think is extremely useful. Then i noticed that the LG V20 has a removable back panel so you can replace the battery. I have been looking for that ever since my NOTE 4 bricked two years ago. in the interim I had a Motorola Pure X which took a look for me to part with. SO that was all I needed to make the choice to buy it. now i do not have to carry a battery brick or make sure i am near a charger all day. i can carry a spare battery in my pocket. Next fringe benefit was finding out that this phone has 3 cameras, 1 front facing and 2 rear, one of them being a wide angle lens. But the love keeps getting better... add to that a removable SD card up to 256 GB or more when they come out with one, fingerprint censor, 64 GB phone and you have a pretty serious contender. I love this phone. I love it so much i but another one. Actually at the moment i have 3. Oh and yes, probably one of the only phones left that has both a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a type C charging port. The Audio and DAC units in this phone is better than most high end audio gear that you would find in a music studio, and i am a musician. I have heard of complaints about the camera quality, but to that i say if you want pictures with that kind of quality, go out and buy a Nikon! Also i have heard that manufactures are moving away form 3.5 mm jacks and removable batteries because they want to make the phones more water proof. Bull Hockey!! Are people so obsessed with phones that they cannot leave the thing alone for a 10 minute swim. The real reason is because the manufacturer doesn't want you keeping a phone more than 2 years so they make the batteries last only that long and if you cannot replace the battery, you need a new phone. (or you can go the route of trying to put a new battery in your phone and butcher it to death).
Long story to say do not count the LG V20 out yet. it is a superb phone, has many features that a lot of other phones just do not have. I am very pleased with both of mine and i love the second screen.
The only bad experience i have had is that in order to get Verizon's Visual Voice mail, i had to purchase a Verizon version, and the front camera crapped out after a week. It was supposed to be new, but the box looks like it has been ridden around the world, so i doubt it was new. SO i am sending that back but still have both of my unlocked US996's.
cnjax said:
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like, how is December 2016 is more that 2 years ago? Kid, are you sane? More so, Shap 820 even didn't existed more than 2 years ago, it is still actual chip not legacy like some 810, and 835 is pretty much == 820 rebranded and repainted
---------- Post added at 06:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:09 PM ----------
Kevin1a said:
1. Is the V20 still viable, does it run well with current apps and networks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, because it's powered by SD820, not Snap 430 or 600 or something
Kevin1a said:
4. What are the phone's weakest points or biggest annoyances today? As in, what hasn't really stood the test of time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The weakest point is battery somewhat degraded over time, I could have like 7hrs SOT on Wifi on the start but now after cold winters it shows its age and gives me around 4.5...5 SOT on same router. but battery is exchangeable easily and I hope to buy more fresh one
Some people claim they got screen retention, it's more visible the more southern country you live and more brighter you must set you screen to
I still am keeping it as a backup phone but I am using a different DD. I did take it on a trip though with the 10800 ma battery I have for it. I'm running a stock 918H and it still fairly fast. The SD card and headphone jack are nice too. Still a good buy at $150 or so
I love the second screen and the DAC but being forced to run the stock ROM is a PITA as it's very sluggish. I have a Mi A1 that runs circles around the V20 in terms of performance, which is sad. Meanwhile, if you try to solve the lag, running Lineage OS defeats the purpose and outweighs the benefits of the phone as you won't have the DAC, second screen nor full camera functionality.
Absolutely it is worth it. You can pick up a V30 with a slightly faster processor, and slightly better camera (and that is debatable) for $250. However, you will lose the replaceable battery, the second screen, the IR blaster.
The people that say they are having performance problems have hardware issues. Even stock non-rooted, runs plenty fast, but if you use Alpha ROM, and debloat all the carrier bullsh** then it runs like a beast.
-- Brian
runningnak3d said:
Absolutely it is worth it. You can pick up a V30 with a slightly faster processor, and slightly better camera (and that is debatable) for $250. However, you will lose the replaceable battery, the second screen, the IR blaster.
The people that say they are having performance problems have hardware issues. Even stock non-rooted, runs plenty fast, but if you use Alpha ROM, and debloat all the carrier bullsh** then it runs like a beast.
-- Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have hardware issues. The stock ROM (de-bloated or not) is well known to be sluggish. As I stated in my post, the phone is completely different if running Lineage at the cost of the unique functionality. Aside from many people complaining of the performance under stock as being sluggish, this guy describes it perfectly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZl2GpxekrQ&t=3s
So I have a slow phone? Holy crap! I had no idea!
Stop spreading FUD, and learn how to do things like disable rctd, ccmd, logging, CPU throttling...
-- Brian
runningnak3d said:
Absolutely it is worth it. You can pick up a V30 with a slightly faster processor, and slightly better camera (and that is debatable) for $250. However, you will lose the replaceable battery, the second screen, the IR blaster.
The people that say they are having performance problems have hardware issues. Even stock non-rooted, runs plenty fast, but if you use Alpha ROM, and debloat all the carrier bullsh** then it runs like a beast.
-- Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
runningnak3d said:
So I have a slow phone? Holy crap! I had no idea!
Stop spreading FUD, and learn how to do things like disable rctd, ccmd, logging, CPU throttling...
-- Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your sarcasm isn't appreciated and I'm not spreading fud - this is fact. I've done lots of tweaking and no amount of it will fix what LG did to the stock ROM. You're acting as if I'm the only person who has pointed out the shortcomings of the V20. The fact is, it is a fantastic phone with bad execution of the OS by LG. To be clear, I still use mine but it will soon be retired to secondary usage as my Mi A1 is way better as a DD.
No, I am sure there are plenty of others out there complaining as well -- that also don't know the first thing about how to get the most out of their phone.
Is the V20 the end-all / be-all? Nope, but it is the last great flagship phone that was released. Everything since is just a waste of money.
-- Brian
We just bought our T-mobile V20's this year. Great phones for about $150 in excellent used (hard to tell they were used) condition. Great photos and DAC, among other things. We couldn't find anything comparable for that price, new or used.
Mine is still great. Stock, unrooted, H990DS with a zerolemon 10000mAh extended battery. The image retention doesn't bother me - it's not permanent. I use the widescreen camera a lot, and charge the device once every 3-4 days. The IR transmitter sees plenty of use too, as does the DAC and the dual SIM.
There's nothing else that fits my needs. Dreading when it dies.
I just got me V20 H918 in excellent condition with 3 batteries and 4 cases for $185 shipped. I've come from G4 which started to have GPS lock issues, sometimes. My LG G3 GPS is no longer working at all. lol. Not sure what's up with that. Was this fixed in v20 or is this just tear and wear on GPS chip or something?
My main attraction point is camera manual controls and i mean white balance K numbers and mic for loud concert recording as well as removable battery and i prefer bigger screens and 5.7 upgrade from 5.5 on G4 is welcomed too. Oh and DAC was other feature that attracted me as well. What's weird that G4 concert recording was terrible but G3 was fantastic. Never distorted. Hoping V20 has great mic like G3 did. Let me know your thoughts.
I will NOT buy a phone if it doesn't have removable battery as i refuse to spend $800 on phone every few years and be forced by manufacturers due to profit.
Don't know any other manufacturer that lets you do white balance in K values. I wish aperture would be f=1.6 or f1.5 but had no complains with 1.8 on G4. Kinda sucks wide angle is f2.4, as it should be 1.8 or lower. It seems ppl use that camera more often. I guess night shots in standard angle is to use.
Thought about pixel but don't have manual control like LG does. If you guys have any suggestions on used phone <$250 that blows V20 out of water please let me know. I use to be Samsung Galaxy lover but since LG introduced manual controls i switched. There was pro photographer article on G4 camera so ppl that think iphone or samsung has better camera u should read that article. But let me know if there is something better.
P.S
In process of rooting it as i need it for kernel auditor for screen colors profiles (Vomer DeepRich) and kernel i/o scheduler control and kin screen and lux too, among few more other apps. Came with 10u so downgraded to 10p, bootloader unlocked already. Next will be laf exploid root method.
I just reflashed the excellent Alpha ROM on my V20 and managed to rid myself of a significant portion of the sluggishness I mentioned by getting rid of Magisk. I'm not sure what was going on but Magisk was definitely slowing everything down on my V20. Recommend if you buy this phone to stay away from Magisk or at least keep this is mind if you intend to root.
im on Mi A1 right now and im planning also to switch to V20.

Is it worth to buy a ASUS ZenFone Max Pro (M1) in 2019?

Main question in topic title… (new or used devices)
How to unlock the bootloader? What's the best maintained and stable ROM out there?
Or should I avoid it?
The device is now currently selling for ₹9000 (presuming you are in India). If you spend a little more the current gen Redmi and Realme devices offer much better specs.
If you still want this phone I would recommend ResRemix, DOT OS, Havoc OS or Pixel Experience.
Nope no never even not in your nightmare..if you want it to became more than worst nightmare
Depends on how much price you're getting, In some websites it goes under 7k with Bank offers and all that, It's a nice device for that price range. If you're going above 8.5k, then look aside, there are better devices in that segment of 10k or under. Hope that helps
Do not buy any Asus phone in 2019 because they do not have LTE band 41 (Sprint / Vodafone In) and even though the SD636 660 and 865 support LTE A, CA does not work. There are software glitches in M1, fewer on 340.
Yes, with discounts and offers it goes around 7k or so right? can anyone suggest better phone in this range? with 5kmah batt full hd screen 3/4gb ram, sd 636 or better
If you NEED big battery AND you live in a well signal area = yes, otherwise, the phone simply sucks.
If you choose this phone, use Havoc, Dot OS for M1 is slow af, and buggy (Titanium backup doesn't work after a while, lots of gcam also force stop), also not so good battery life, just tried it yesterday. Oh, and it's a clean flash, not dirty.
dangquoctrung123 said:
Dot OS for M1 is slow af, and buggy (Titanium backup doesn't work after a while, lots of gcam also force stop), also not so good battery life, just tried it yesterday. Oh, and it's a clean flash, not dirty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the review,
no
go for vivo z1 pro
killerbees19 said:
Main question in topic title… (new or used devices)
How to unlock the bootloader? What's the best maintained and stable ROM out there?
Or should I avoid it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For 8k it's a good Device...with decent development
If you are not particular about custom rom and development, skip this phone. Otherwise it is a good buy.
willmaxXD said:
go for vivo z1 pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you're SERIOUSLY recommending a phone thats almost DOUBLE the price?
are your eyes and brain working normally?
hey OP, ignore everything in this thread, go for a gold plated iPhone with diamond touchscreen.
because screw budgets, right?
I would say it depends upon your needs.
I am a person who prefers small to medium sized phones, but wanted a slightly bigger device for reading and media consumption that could still be operated via single hand. Max Pro M1 fit the bill pretty well.
Its got a nice screen, reasonable specs, lightweight stock UI, nice build quality and is affordable.
I found is the camera to be lacklustre, which can somewhat be improved via Google Camera app.
YMMV.
I got 4gb max pro m1 for 7.6k
And running miui10 benchmark 124000
Is it good buy or what?
gknaidu said:
I got 4gb max pro m1 for 7.6k
And running miui10 benchmark 124000
Is it good buy or what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For 7.6k its definitely good buy,redmi note 6 pro with same SoC is 11-12k.
I bought the 3/32GB variant for Rs 6,066 after all the Bank Discounts and an exchange. So far, it's proving to be a good purchase. I'm really impressed with the battery life on it. The UI is smooth being stock Android. I've added a 64GB Micro SD card. It works than my brother's Redmi Note 5 Pro. The Front Camera is where it lacks but apart from that it's great.
Bought this phone in February this year for my mother, the price itself in Indonesia is quite a good deal if we consider its mid-class spec.
But... turns out it is a big disappointment. My mom only uses this phone for about 2 months and after that, she doesn't want to use it anymore, even she beg me to have her old Redmi Note 4 back instead of continuing using it (too bad, I already sold her old RN4). She said, this phone is too minimalist, the camera is very bad, no convenient features and the stock UI is simply boring.
So, she handed it back to me and I bought her the Galaxy M20 for a replacement and she is very happy with it. Now, this phone becomes my test phone to play with several custom ROM from our talented dev here in XDA community. Currently, I am using Pixel Experience Plus Edition with Darkonah Kernel. Sometimes, I also use this phone for a hotspot device when I have to travel overseas (i just have to put the local 4G sim card in it), so I can connect my primary phone and laptop while I'm roaming in the city.
However, if you consider buying this phone in 2019, my advice is, just DON'T... Except, you can get it with a very cheap price and forget the stock ROM, it is just BAD.
Did you try flashing the MIUI10 ROM, which makes it exactly like a Xiaomi phone? I come from Mi Max 2, got this phone for 3 main reasons
1)5000mah battery
2)2 sim and sd card
3) multi colored led notification light
I am quite happy with it. However the new Mi9T/k20 pro has AMOLED screen which are quite nice for decent price. Smaller battery and no rgb notification though.
---------- Post added at 04:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:40 AM ----------
motherninja said:
Bought this phone in February this year for my mother, the price itself in Indonesia is quite a good deal if we consider its mid-class spec.
But... turns out it is a big disappointment. My mom only uses this phone for about 2 months and after that, she doesn't want to use it anymore, even she beg me to have her old Redmi Note 4 back instead of continuing using it (too bad, I already sold her old RN4). She said, this phone is too minimalist, the camera is very bad, no convenient features and the stock UI is simply boring.
So, she handed it back to me and I bought her the Galaxy M20 for a replacement and she is very happy with it. Now, this phone becomes my test phone to play with several custom ROM from our talented dev here in XDA community. Currently, I am using Pixel Experience Plus Edition with Darkonah Kernel. Sometimes, I also use this phone for a hotspot device when I have to travel overseas (i just have to put the local 4G sim card in it), so I can connect my primary phone and laptop while I'm roaming in the city.
However, if you consider buying this phone in 2019, my advice is, just DON'T... Except, you can get it with a very cheap price and forget the stock ROM, it is just BAD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try flashing the MIUI10 ROM, which makes it exactly like a Xiaomi phone? I come from Mi Max 2, got this phone for 3 main reasons
1)5000mah battery
2)2 sim and sd card
3) multi colored led notification light
I am quite happy with it. However the new Mi9T/k20 pro has AMOLED screen which are quite nice for decent price. Smaller battery and no rgb notification though
Iam planning to tell my friend to buy one from his trip to India. There is nothing even half good i can buy for that price ( around 80 Pound) here in the UK . Dear Indian friends do you have any other phones to suggest for that budget ?
@rkoforever90 Hi,
Only lack luster thing in this phone is- its camera performance. Ignore the trolls here, they might be just some teens, accustomed to Chinese vendors.
Slow battery charge is intentionaly done by Asus to keep its massive battery healthy.
Very few devices comes with sd636 in your budget.
I'll recommend moto one device if you want to compensate for camera and performance.
Skip realme, oppo, Mi etc. (You know why )
Htc u12+ and Nokias in budget but lacks battery power. Also upcoming month is festive month in India so may be some good device launch will follow.
Overall for an elderly I think its good device with good resolution and screen quality. With no lags. Stock rom is not as bad as this forum made it look like.

Phone drops signal calls on all roms, phone random reboots, twrp restore problems, camera dies

Hello. I have the G900V on Verizon and for the past couple days have been having trouble getting back to a stable rom. I've had signal drops at random especially when making calls and phone random reboots. I'm on lineage OS 14.1 / 18.1.
At times reverts to 3G and have to restart phone
Stock camera says "Media server died" and crashes
At times screen glitches out and can see artifacts
Phone gets super hot at times (Batteries are brand new)
Things i've tried numerous times over....
1. To restore backups on TWRP but sometimes getting error messages Error 255 and Signal 9
2. Restoring roms from stock but signal still drops (even when roms seems fine stock rom nothing restored)
3. Restored firmware thru odin
4. Flashed different version of TWRP
5. cleared out apps cache data for camera but still dies
6. Restored EFS (radios)
7. Re-installing roms from scratch with gapps and magisk
Currently again restoring Lineage 14.1 RR again now. Any ideas on what's wrong with my phone?
UPDATE: October 3rd I flashed a stock rom Android 5.0 LL. Went to use camera and it failed and my signal went out so sadly it's hardware failure for sure! Phone also keeps boot looping at random and real hot. I had this phone for 7 years guess it's time for a change.
Any thoughts on the S20 / S20 Ultra as an upgrade? Stay with Verizon or go to T-mobile? I read it can be rooted and have a paid service to have bootloader unlocked.
[CLOSED][SamPWND]USA Model BL Unlock Info [U/U1/W]
Note: This Thread is @svetius Approved! NOTE: Thread temporarily closed until OP returns SamPWND Bootloader Unlock Service Note2: This is an informational thread that links to a paid service. Paid service is not a service provided by XDA...
forum.xda-developers.com
Try a known good stock rom to rule out a mobo failure.
blackhawk said:
Try a known good stock rom to rule out a mobo failure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I flashed back to stock 5.0 and sure enough went to open camera and it failed and my signal dropped and went out. It's confirmed hardware failure. I finally got back to Lineage 14.1 after like a dozen stuck boot loops it finally booted into the rom.
I'm thinking of upgrading to the S20 / S20 Ultra on either Verizon or T-Mobile. S21 has no expandable storage. I read the bootloader can be unlocked for a service fee and phone can be rooted. I run Mac so I do not have windows so hopefully I can do this!
What do you suggest for a new device? This is a very sad day for me! But it's time for new and better things!
Droid9684 said:
So I flashed back to stock 5.0 and sure enough went to open camera and it failed and my signal dropped and went out. It's confirmed hardware failure. I finally got back to Lineage 14.1 after like a dozen stuck boot loops it finally booted into the rom.
I'm thinking of upgrading to the S20 / S20 Ultra on either Verizon or T-Mobile. S21 has no expandable storage. I read the bootloader can be unlocked for a service fee and phone can be rooted. I run Mac so I do not have windows so hopefully I can do this!
What do you suggest for a new device? This is a very sad day for me! But it's time for new and better things!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear that.
Avoid Android 11 at all costs. It's a dead rotting horse... a fubar.
I picked up a new unlocked Note 10+ 256gb, 12gb US Snapdragon variant running on Q for $800 a week ago. Overall Q has a few rude surprises but is far less restrictive than R.
If you like Notes, you'll love the 10+. I have two now. The first one is 2 year old and still looks and runs like new. One replacement battery in this heavily used device. Current stock OS load is 16 months old, still fast and stable with minimum maintenance.
This variant is not easy to root if that's your intention. Package Disabler though will let you clean it up nicely.
The 60hz display is still one of the best out there (excellent color, contrast, brightnessl, and even with older hardware it's downright snappy and fun to use. Even in a case because it's so thin it doesn't seem that big.
Get a Zizo Bolt case, put a .5-1tb V30 SD card in it and it's good to go
After the 10+ it's slim pickings from Samsung in my opinion... which is why I now have two
blackhawk said:
Sorry to hear that.
Avoid Android 11 at all costs. It's a dead rotting horse... a fubar.
I picked up a new unlocked Note 10+ 256gb, 12gb US Snapdragon variant running on Q for $800 a week ago. Overall Q has a few rude surprises but is far less restrictive than R.
If you like Notes, you'll love the 10+. I have two now. The first one is 2 year old and still looks and runs like new. One replacement battery in this heavily used device. Current stock OS load is 16 months old, still fast and stable with minimum maintenance.
This variant is not easy to root if that's your intention. Package Disabler though will let you clean it up nicely.
The 60hz display is still one of the best out there (excellent color, contrast, brightnessl, and even with older hardware it's downright snappy and fun to use. Even in a case because it's so thin it doesn't seem that big.
Get a Zizo Bolt case, put a .5-1tb V30 SD card in it and it's good to go
After the 10+ it's slim pickings from Samsung in my opinion... which is why I now have two
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I'd rather have the S20+ because its newer and it has the expandable sd card. The S10 / Note 10 is too old. This morning my phone finally got stuck in permeant boot loop and wont boot into any roms period after it was pretty much fine for about a week. Thanks for getting back to me I appreciate it.
Plus the S10 Note 10 doesnt have 5G. The S20 was the first and the S20 plus has 5G mw vs the slower 5G speed on the regular S20. If I have to upgrade I might as well get a 5G device this time. My last 2/3 Androids were 4G since 2012.
The 10+ is an exceptional phone. It's color rendering exceeds the N20U and new iPhone.
It depends entirely what you want to use it for though. The Snapdragon variant is a pain to root and I wouldn't recommended rooting it.
As a stock workhorse, watching vids and browsing it rocks. It's build and display qualities are exceptional which weighed heavily on my decision. My refusal to adapt R and no SD card sealed all the new junk's fate.
Lol, a faster processor and laser AF been nice but not at the cost of downgrading usability.
I will continue herding user friendly dinosaurs...
blackhawk said:
The 10+ is an exceptional phone. It's color rendering exceeds the N20U and new iPhone.
It depends entirely what you want to use it for though. The Snapdragon variant is a pain to root and I wouldn't recommended rooting it.
As a stock workhorse, watching vids and browsing it rocks. It's build and display qualities are exceptional which weighed heavily on my decision. My refusal to adapt R and no SD card sealed all the new junk's fate.
Lol, a faster processor and laser AF been nice but not at the cost of downgrading usability.
I will continue herding user friendly dinosaurs...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm being told as long as the S20 has a bit 1 bootloader it can be unlocked and rooted. I'm looking on Swappa right now.
I don't like the fact years ago with the new phones they sealed the batteries making them non removable and some of the phones you cant use an external sd card. I'm not so much about the screen specs as I just want a phone that has 5G that can be rooted. I do like all the new phones come standard with OIS on the cameras, as a photographer with an old Nikon that will come in handy. I didn't like the fact the S5 pictures would come out shaky at times, the Note 4 had OIS tho. If they had made the S10 / Note 10 5G I would consider it! But I've been on 4G for nearly 10 years now and if I'm going to have to spend a bunch of money I might as well invest in newer technology.
Droid9684 said:
I'm being told as long as the S20 has a bit 1 bootloader it can be unlocked and rooted. I'm looking on Swappa right now.
I don't like the fact years ago with the new phones they sealed the batteries making them non removable and some of the phones you cant use an external sd card. I'm not so much about the screen specs as I just want a phone that has 5G that can be rooted. I do like all the new phones come standard with OIS on the cameras, as a photographer with an old Nikon that will come in handy. I didn't like the fact the S5 pictures would come out shaky at times, the Note 4 had OIS tho. If they had made the S10 / Note 10 5G I would consider it! But I've been on 4G for nearly 10 years now and if I'm going to have to spend a bunch of money I might as well invest in newer technology.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sold on 5G. Many times it's net bandwidth increase is 20%. How badly it impacts battery life especially with less than optimum reception is a point of contention.
5G has shorter range and worse reach around objects than 4G. 4G should be around for another 10 years. Since I can browse and stream vids with no major issues I put 5G on the back burner. Lol, I still just adorn my 10+... so there's that. The square display, its 7mm thickness, it's stability, speed, all around usability and the spen really make it a killer phone even today.
I wouldn't recommend the 5G 10+ variant as it reportedly impacts power usage which is typical of the 1st generation of 5G. The Exynos chipset is a different animal from the Snapdragon. It may also have a different graphene heat sink on some of those phones. All Snapdragons variants to the best of my knowledge have the vapor cooled variant which is superior.
Be very careful buying any Samsung phone. A lot of misleading even outright fraud going on now.
Demand nothing less than full specs. Cross check device P/N and specs, always.
Many have reflashed roms and are the Exynos rather than the Snapdragon variants but the seller tries to hide that fact.
Best to talk to the seller by phone.
Buying a new older phone can be a better deal in spite of the higher price. The above issues are one of the reasons I rejected a N20U. A lot of the 8gb ram variants out there too and sellers trying to hide it, wtf? You want 12gb of ram if you can get it... it runs like a champ.
blackhawk said:
I'm not sold on 5G. Many times it's net bandwidth increase is 20%. How badly it impacts battery life especially with less than optimum reception is a point of contention.
5G has shorter range and worse reach around objects than 4G. 4G should be around for another 10 years. Since I can browse and stream vids with no major issues I put 5G on the back burner. Lol, I still just adorn my 10+... so there's that. The square display, its 7mm thickness, it's stability, speed, all around usability and the spen really make it a killer phone even today.
I wouldn't recommend the 5G 10+ variant as it reportedly impacts power usage which is typical of the 1st generation of 5G. The Exynos chipset is a different animal from the Snapdragon. It may also have a different graphene heat sink on some of those phones. All Snapdragons variants to the best of my knowledge have the vapor cooled variant which is superior.
Be very careful buying any Samsung phone. A lot of misleading even outright fraud going on now.
Demand nothing less than full specs. Cross check device P/N and specs, always.
Many have reflashed roms and are the Exynos rather than the Snapdragon variants but the seller tries to hide that fact.
Best to talk to the seller by phone.
Buying a new older phone can be a better deal in spite of the higher price. The above issues are one of the reasons I rejected a N20U. A lot of the 8gb ram variants out there too and sellers trying to hide it, wtf? You want 12gb of ram if you can get it... it runs like a champ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I know my next phone won't be thru my provider or ebay that is for sure. I am putting trust into Swappa. I think I can email the seller but not able to call them. According to google the S20+ SM-G986U is a US variant with the snapdragon chip. They are unlocked meaning I can use them on any carrier. Swappa has a 30 day return policy and they verify devices. 5G is an investment and all devices are backward compatible. I know 5G has shorter reach but with it comes more speed. I was not aware of all the fraud going on with listings.
I had considered getting another Galaxy S5 or maybe a Note 4 but they are just too old. And knowing this one is in hardware failure isn't making me happy. I'm ok with 4G LTE but I just figure if i'm going to spend lots money might as well get something newer.
This is who I used. They answer their phone.
Shipped 2 day FedEx free, no screwing around.
All was as speced except OS was Q not Pie; check manufactured date to avoid this from happening. I'm not blaming the vendor for this. They buy lots of new unsold phones and resell them.
I have a high confidence level with this vendor.
blackhawk said:
This is who I used. They answer their phone.
Shipped 2 day FedEx free, no screwing around.
All was as speced except OS was Q not Pie; check manufactured date to avoid this from happening. I'm not blaming the vendor for this. They buy lots of new unsold phones and resell them.
I have a high confidence level with this vendor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a look on their site and They are kind of pricey but are these phones under warranty? They are brand new? I know the Ultra had camera problems vs the other 2 S20's. Oh lots people are trying to convert me to Apple iPhone still . I do have a 2012 classic Macbook haha! I've compared both phones!
@TheMadScientist said I have to ask them what the firmware number is in order to be able to unlock bootloader thru SamPWND. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...ock-info-u-u1-w.4201689/page-13#post-85751713
Droid9684 said:
I had a look on their site and They are kind of pricey but are these phones under warranty? They are brand new? I know the Ultra had camera problems vs the other 2 S20's. Oh lots people are trying to convert me to Apple iPhone still . I do have a 2012 classic Macbook haha! I've compared both phones!
@TheMadScientist said I have to ask them what the firmware number is in order to be able to unlock bootloader thru SamPWND. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...ock-info-u-u1-w.4201689/page-13#post-85751713
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The warranty question is one I have as well but not too concerned. The 10+ Snapdragon's have a solid hardware track record. Just keep it in a good case...
I will ask next time I talk with them about the warranty.
If they're list as new; they are. Factory sealed. I scruntinized and tested mine hard, it is perfect. All factory plastic guards are present and no finger prints or micro scratches anywhere. They battery was quite low as expected when unboxed. Zero hours showing.
Display is perfect, tested with ScreenTest. It's snappy fast and getting good battery life so far.
Checked the ram usage, sensors, all good with nominal readings.
Connected straight up to phone/internet when I put my sim and SD cards in. Access the memory card data with no issues. Even Poweramp recognized the library on the data card instantly after I imported it's save settings.
Apple? Hell no. The color rendering tests for the 10+ exceed the newest Apple flagship phone in some respects. Although it has no high refresh rates it's color rendering make it still one of the best and stylish displays out there. I love the borderless design and square corners. Lol, the fact that I own 2 shows you I'm so jaded
As for your latter question I don't know. I leave the boot loader alone. It's simply not worth it to me to risk trashing these phones as they run very well unrooted. This variant is hard to root.
blackhawk said:
The warranty question is one I have as well but not too concerned. The 10+ Snapdragon's have a solid hardware track record. Just keep it in a good case...
I will ask next time I talk with them about the warranty.
If they're list as new; they are. Factory sealed. I scruntinized and tested mine hard, it is perfect. All factory plastic guards are present and no finger prints or micro scratches anywhere. They battery was quite low as expected when unboxed. Zero hours showing.
Display is perfect, tested with ScreenTest. It's snappy fast and getting good battery life so far.
Checked the ram usage, sensors, all good with nominal readings.
Connected straight up to phone/internet when I put my sim and SD cards in. Access the memory card data with no issues. Even Poweramp recognized the library on the data card instantly after I imported it's save settings.
Apple? Hell no. The color rendering tests for the 10+ exceed the newest Apple flagship phone in some respects. Although it has no high refresh rates it's color rendering make it still one of the best and stylish displays out there. I love the borderless design and square corners. Lol, the fact that I own 2 shows you I'm so jaded
As for your latter question I don't know. I leave the boot loader alone. It's simply not worth it to me to risk trashing these phones as they run very well unrooted. This variant is hard to root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Meant to respond the other day. Your not BL unlocked and rooted? So today The seller you suggested finally got back to me about the firmware. They don't have that info so I guess i'll have to go with Swappa and get a mint like new device. I think Samsunghas a brighter display more nitz than iPhone from what I read. I know my S5 was hard to see during daylight tho. Is your phone easy on the pocket can it fit?
Droid9684 said:
Meant to respond the other day. Your not BL unlocked and rooted? So today The seller you suggested finally got back to me about the firmware. They don't have that info so I guess i'll have to go with Swappa and get a mint like new device. I think Samsunghas a brighter display more nitz than iPhone from what I read. I know my S5 was hard to see during daylight tho. Is your phone easy on the pocket can it fit?
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The N10+ Snapdragon variant is notoriously hard to unlock the BL and root. Simply not worth the risk for me as it can run very well stock. My oldest one has been in service 2 years unrooted and runs great.
The Exynos variant are easy to root but have their own hardware issues. All Snapdragon variants use the preferred vapor phase/copper heatpipe, some of the Exynos variant are randomingly using the inferior graphene heatpipe.
If the actual Exynos chipset its self is inferior is another debate. I can't really comment on that with any authority or knowledge as I haven't researched it much. It may simply not have as good of an instruction set as the Snapdragon or deeper architecture differences. Both are 7 um chips.
blackhawk said:
The N10+ Snapdragon variant is notoriously hard to unlock the BL and root. Simply not worth the risk for me as it can run very well stock. My oldest one has been in service 2 years unrooted and runs great.
The Exynos variant are easy to root but have their own hardware issues. All Snapdragon variants use the preferred vapor phase/copper heatpipe, some of the Exynos variant are randomingly using the inferior graphene heatpipe.
If the actual Exynos chipset its self is inferior is another debate. I can't really comment on that with any authority or knowledge as I haven't researched it much. It may simply not have as good of an instruction set as the Snapdragon or deeper architecture differences. Both are 7 um chips.
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I'm guessing you have the Exynos and not the Snapdragon variant? I know Snapdragons are harder to unlock and root. I read something about the upcoming S22 snapdragon having a different cooling method than the current you mentioned used. I can't wait months for a new phone tho. I do not trust Ebay as a seller and unfortnantley the one you suggested is of no help regarding the firmware.
Droid9684 said:
I'm guessing you have the Exynos and not the Snapdragon variant? I know Snapdragons are harder to unlock and root. I read something about the upcoming S22 snapdragon having a different cooling method than the current you mentioned used. I can't wait months for a new phone tho. I do not trust Ebay as a seller and unfortnantley the one you suggested is of no help regarding the firmware.
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Both are running with Snapdragon, deliberately.
To me a having fast, stable platform that fun to use and fulfills its mission 100% is far more important than having the newest, fastest device.
Mind you, I wuv speed and hate to wait.
I hate endless troubleshooting even more...
blackhawk said:
Both are running with Snapdragon, deliberately.
To me a having fast, stable platform that fun to use and fulfills its mission 100% is far more important than having the newest, fastest device.
Mind you, I wuv speed and hate to wait.
I hate endless troubleshooting even more...
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Click to collapse
Right and that is what I want too in a device. I'm tired of flashing ROMS after having my S5. It was non stop this past week or so and it would just bootloop and freeze and drop calls no matter what ended up being bad logic motherboard (was having issues sporadically past couple months). I just want to be rooted stock for now and be able to make recieve calls, texts without issue and restore things to my phone. Troubleshootng can be more trouble than it's worth hense all that troubles with my S5 towards the EOL (End of life).
What does wuv speed mean?
I'm having a serious problem with sellers not being able to tell me the firmware build number for S20+ 986U. This is becoming such a hassle! I'm looking at brand new sealed in box on Ebay and used mint on Swappa. The seller from Fusion Electronixs says they cant just order a phone and turn it on to see build number. I did mention the box and to check that. Should I just take my chances and buy one off Ebay or Swappa without knowing the build number?
I know once I got a temp phone years ago on Ebay and it was not as described was a different S5.

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