So got my Nexus 4 16GB during the week, its my first ever Nexus phone however have had a variety of Android phones from the HTC Desire right up to Galaxy S2, have to say I am not 100% sold on the Nexus.
I used to think skins where unnecessary but since getting the Nexus I have come to realise how much more user friendly they make things, simple things like pulling down the notification bar to put in aeroplane mode, orientation screen lock etc, or perhaps battery percentage up beside the battery?
My battery also seems to drain very fast, and I am not using the phone any differently than I did my galaxy S2, auto sync turned of and all the rest.
The camera while being 8mp acts like 5mp at best for some reason, Its not a patch on my SGS2, Ok I only take photos for instagram etc and its fine for that.
When you got your N4 did you instantly fall in love or did it take a while to grow on you? I'm not convinced yet.
But skins are so incredibly ugly and IMO they don't make the phone that much more user friendly (definitely not enough to justify their appearance and sluggishness). TouchWiz on the GS4 still looks like it's meant to run on Gingerbread and it causes random lag where no modern phone should have any trouble.
The quick settings in the notification bar are there, and I think it's just as good an implementation on stock because you can see more of your notifications at any one time. In TouchWiz they take up about half of the notification tray with quick settings, in stock a two fingered swipe or a tap in the top right corner will take you to them. You can edit them and make them easier to get to using a custom ROM, and while you may argue that you shouldn't have to do that it's ludicrously straightforward on a Nexus device.
A custom kernel should also fix your battery drain. I'm getting through a day without any issues and I'm perfectly happy with that. Currently my phone has had 1 day 1 hour of usage with 1 hr 30 minutes screen on time and 45% battery left. Note that the screen was on full brightness during this and Wifi and auto sync were left on.
When you say it acts like 5MP do you mean that the quality is crap or that it's literally taking photos at a 5MP size? If it's the first then that's true and there's really nothing that can be done. If it's the latter then open the camera, press anywhere on the screen to bring up the circle control, go to the settings option (the one that looks like a bunch of sliders) and change the picture size to 8MP.
Personally, I loved my N4 from the moment I got it. After calibration the screen was just about the best I'd seen (and I flashed it straight away, only used stock for a minute or two), it was the smoothest Android experience I had ever had and (unlike my HD2) everything just worked flawlessly for me.
Best phone I ever owned.
Flash a rom + kernel to get the features you're missing. If no likey, return and purchase other phone.
Tip: don't continue with praising skins of HTC or Samsung instead of aosp. Will only get you flamed..
Sounds about right. The best feature is being bland and featureless with the greatest potential to be customized. You are just at the most basic, boring, least impressive starting point. The rest is kind of up to you. Just my opinion.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
dweekie said:
Sounds about right. The best feature is being bland and featureless with the greatest potential to be customized. You are just at the most basic, boring, least impressive starting point. The rest is kind of up to you. Just my opinion.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd take this supposed 'blandness' any day over slow, sluggish and ugly OEM skins.
There are many things on this phone that make it great, such as the screen, silky smoothness and more. But first thing out of the box I was a bit disappointed as well because it has no battery percentage. It annoyed me because I can't tell how much battery life I have left unless I download a widget or pull down the bar. But, I ended up flashing the percentage mod, then flashing kernel, then a rom. Now I can't look back. Battery life got better, colors on my screen got even better and best of all I got a percentage on my battery.
If you compare the battery to something like GS3, this is better, so you might just have to let the phone settle in.
slugger09 said:
So got my Nexus 4 16GB during the week, its my first ever Nexus phone however have had a variety of Android phones from the HTC Desire right up to Galaxy S2, have to say I am not 100% sold on the Nexus.
I used to think skins where unnecessary but since getting the Nexus I have come to realise how much more user friendly they make things, simple things like pulling down the notification bar to put in aeroplane mode, orientation screen lock etc, or perhaps battery percentage up beside the battery?
My battery also seems to drain very fast, and I am not using the phone any differently than I did my galaxy S2, auto sync turned of and all the rest.
The camera while being 8mp acts like 5mp at best for some reason, Its not a patch on my SGS2, Ok I only take photos for instagram etc and its fine for that.
When you got your N4 did you instantly fall in love or did it take a while to grow on you? I'm not convinced yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Skins like Sense and TW only bloat the system. You will get use to the pure experience pretty quick and then you will grow to hate skins
I have always carried my devices naked (the device not me) and don't have any issues with the Nexus naked. It's a bit slippery but you will adjust to that quickly and hold the device a bit tighter.
The battery starts off horrid! It really takes several drain and recharge cycles for the battery to get up to par. Mine makes it through the day just fine now.
Mega pixels don't really mean much if you are not developing poster sized photos. Try using HDR mode and see if you like the photos better.
My .02
Did you not even do any research before getting this phone?? This is vanilla android and most people get this phone for that reason. If you are used to some added skins like Thouchwhiz, Sense, or Motoblur and like that, you should have stuck with one of those phones. Otherwise, root the phone and get to modding and theming or install a cost rom that is feature rich.
slugger09 said:
So got my Nexus 4 16GB during the week, its my first ever Nexus phone however have had a variety of Android phones from the HTC Desire right up to Galaxy S2, have to say I am not 100% sold on the Nexus.
I used to think skins where unnecessary but since getting the Nexus I have come to realise how much more user friendly they make things, simple things like pulling down the notification bar to put in aeroplane mode, orientation screen lock etc, or perhaps battery percentage up beside the battery?
My battery also seems to drain very fast, and I am not using the phone any differently than I did my galaxy S2, auto sync turned of and all the rest.
The camera while being 8mp acts like 5mp at best for some reason, Its not a patch on my SGS2, Ok I only take photos for instagram etc and its fine for that.
When you got your N4 did you instantly fall in love or did it take a while to grow on you? I'm not convinced yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi!
1. The airplane mode is there. Just swipe down the notification bar with TWO fingers. Then you get lots of toggle-settings including the airplane mode. The orientation screen lock is not there though. HOWEVER; installing custom ROMs will most likely ADD many more features in the toggles area (like orientation) and so forth.
2. For battery drain, try flashing a custom kernel, such as Franco.Kernel. Not only does it improve battery, but you may calibrate your screen (his app includes a preset for lovely colors + deep blacks), and much more. If you want you can undervolt/overclock as well. Note that you can have a custom kernel while still keeping the STOCK rom installed (default andoird 4.2.2 for example).
I personally enjoy stock android (so I haven't installed a ROM), but i felt francos kernel REALLY improved the device. The battery is improved (doesnt drain as much, nor does the phone heat up as much as before). Also the colors of the screen turned really wonderful aftering being calibrated to 2.2gamma.
Basicly, if you are unhappy, look into some ROMs and kernels. You can find almost anything you want :good:
Different strokes, different folks.. OP gave it a shot and gave an honest, un-smug opinion... It is what it is. Some people just like the gloss on top.. Nothing wrong with that.
slugger09 said:
So got my Nexus 4 16GB during the week, its my first ever Nexus phone however have had a variety of Android phones from the HTC Desire right up to Galaxy S2, have to say I am not 100% sold on the Nexus.
I used to think skins where unnecessary but since getting the Nexus I have come to realise how much more user friendly they make things, simple things like pulling down the notification bar to put in aeroplane mode, orientation screen lock etc, or perhaps battery percentage up beside the battery?
My battery also seems to drain very fast, and I am not using the phone any differently than I did my galaxy S2, auto sync turned of and all the rest.
The camera while being 8mp acts like 5mp at best for some reason, Its not a patch on my SGS2, Ok I only take photos for instagram etc and its fine for that.
When you got your N4 did you instantly fall in love or did it take a while to grow on you? I'm not convinced yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instant love with the N4. Sold it away after a couple of months, went around owning other phones like the iPhone 5, Note 2, GS3, Xperia ZL. Have now come back to the N4. But then again, I knew what I was getting into coz I had the GNex before this.
The point of stock android, is not that it offers features other skins dont. What makes it attractive is that it offers a solid, no BS foundation to which you can add tweaks and functionality suited individually to YOU. You say you want Airplane mode in quick settings, maybe battery percentage next to the battery? Guess what there is a tweak for that and much more. But what happens when you are on TW and you dont want to look like an idiot waving you hands all over the screen in public? Sure you can disable that, but it doesnt mean its gone. Still cramping the software and taking up space. Again, this is just an example. As for battery drain, try kernels like Franco or Trinity. Install BBS and cull out the rogue apps.
You said its your first nexus. Stick around, read and you'll find out what a great piece of hardware this is in perfect sync with the software.
Definitely the best android phone I've owned, coming from a one x and one s and those were great devices as well. Only problem I see is the battery..I leave school with about 10-30% usually around 3 but other than that I love this phone
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
styckx said:
Different strokes, different folks.. OP gave it a shot and gave an honest, un-smug opinion... It is what it is. Some people just like the gloss on top.. Nothing wrong with that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Btw if anyone thought my posts were meant to be insulting or rude they weren't, they're just my opinions on OEM skins.
OP should check out the Power Toggles app on the Play Store for notification bar toggles, works just like Sense type toggles with customizability.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.painless.pc&hl=en
Yes I think it just needs a few tweaks here and there, not going to the extent of a custom ROM just a kernel etc, first need to work out how to unlock the bootloader and root
Nigeldg said:
Agreed. Btw if anyone thought my posts were meant to be insulting or rude they weren't, they're just my opinions on OEM skins.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah not at all. I posted my thoughts without even reading the rest of the replies. I'm just so used to people taking a licking for daring to not like a Nexus I just assumed maybe OP got a little heat. Apparently it was rather civil.. :good: :laugh::victory:
I love mine, came from a phone with htc sense, and sense was one of the things that killed "skins" for me. That being said yeah there's pluses and minuses to both. Stock Android is just as capable but your going to have to dig and get some apps from the market to get all the features oems put in their skins. I prefer it that way, I can pretty much make my phone perfect to me. I really feel like with an oem skin you don't get the full customizing experience, and that's why I like raw android. However it's not for everyone. Different strokes for different folks
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Phones should come with a 24 hour buyers remorse warranty. Just return it if you're not satisfied. Though, if you're willing to follow the rabbit down the rabbit hole, I'm sure you'll be in awe on how much you can do with Android, let alone the Nexus 4.
slugger09 said:
Yes I think it just needs a few tweaks here and there, not going to the extent of a custom ROM just a kernel etc, first need to work out how to unlock the bootloader and root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if u really want to unlock the bootloader, you should do it right away, and before actually using the phone, because unlocking it would erase all your personal data (like a phone reset). or you can back up ur phone.
rooting is super easy. 1st, install custom recovery, 2nd, flash supersu zip, and done.
I really love mine, picked it up over a month ago. I thought LTE would be my major gripe but my carrier supports the N4's DC-HSPA radio so in most areas I can get up to 22-23 mbps download speeds where the S3 was getting around 30 on LTE in the same areas (although much better upload speeds). I'm pretty happy with that considering my older HSPA phone was only getting 6-7 max.
I was strongly considering also owning an LTE phone too since I still haven't used my upgrade yet, but I've played with both the One and the S4 and I simply disliked the button layouts of both phones. I'm going to hold off until one of the OEM's releases a flagship that stays closer to the standard layout. The new Xperia phones do, but they're using basically the same hardware as the Nexus 4 anyway which would basically be a sidegrade+LTE and not a significant upgrade. Looks like my final hopes for owning two phones is going to rest with Motorola or Nexus 5 now. I'm very satisfied with this for now though.
Related
For those of you who have purchased the Vivid, any regrets? Why?
None so far for me. I switched from an Inspire and it is a nice improvement in all areas except for development, for now at least.
The screen and improved camera were enough to make it an easy decision for me to switch.
I exchanged from the SGS2 to the Vivid. Wasn't sure which LTE device I wanted. I went with the qHD display because I liked it more so than the SA+. The one thing I regret at the moment is the lack of development so far. The Skyrocket being so close to T-Mobile's version is off to a great start in that department. I had an Atrix before, so I'm used to waiting anyway. With other carriers releasing HTC devices with 1.5ghz makes me feel like there will be a new HTC LTE device being rolled out shortly.
none yet.
I broke the screen on my Dell Streak back in March.
Heard about the HTC Holiday 2 days later.
Waited months for it to come to the US... all the while using a phone with a broken screen.
Became upgrade eligible in August...
I finally gave up waiting and bought the SGSII...
12 hours later (no, i'm not joking.) AT&T announced the Vivid(Holiday)...
I kept the SGSII for a week, seeing if it's annoying over-saturation and ultra light weight would grow on me...
Bought the Vivid on Launch Day.
---------- Post added at 01:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:35 PM ----------
GTTG_Atomik said:
With other carriers releasing HTC devices with 1.5ghz makes me feel like there will be a new HTC LTE device being rolled out shortly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't worry about it...
It appears our phone has the 1.5 in it as well, just underclocked to save battery life.
See Here
Skyrocket
PROCESSOR
Manufacturer: Qualcomm
Model: APQ 8060
Clock speed: 1.5 GHz
Number of cores: 2
Vivid
PROCESSOR
Manufacturer: Qualcomm
Model: APQ 8060
Clock speed: 1.2 GHz
Number of cores: 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC has done that before, underclock to save battery.
Nothing so far, everything work as expected, Wifi, GPS, call quality is great. I like the weight on the thing, don't really like litght phones, it's just me.
Sent from my HTC Vivid via Tapatalk
i switched from the iphone 4 and im kinda wanting to go back to it, but i think its just that im not use to android and im gonna give it time. the phone though i like a lot, its the browser and mail apps that bug me.
I wholeheartedly regret my decision, for now anyways....see the data connection problems thread.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk
This year I've had iPhone 4, inspire, galaxy SII and now the vivid.Every phone has its issues just be patient when they get a perm root and devs get on it , its going to be amazing.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium
None, somehow the Vivid feels more complete for me as a phone, maybe i am one of those few who love sense. i dont really care much of development, to me the phone works
Switch from crappy since launch day,love the sense. Always wanted a HTC,and it's as good as expected.
As for development,it's only out for a week. HTC is known to be the fastest mgf to release update,no worry. Not to mention HTC already already announce we will have ICS January.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using XDA App
Yeah I have to say I love this phone! Came from an atrixand wow, what an improvement. I know we get lower benchmarks but honestly its way better IMO, fast UI and smoother... Can't wait for Roms oh baby
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium
A benchmark to make ppl happy
Also battery life
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium
The phone's great for me so far. The only regret I have is the audio quality recorded from the camcorder, it's bad... I thought I'd be able to make it sound better by turning stereo recording off like I did on my Sensation, but unfortunately I was wrong. Hopefully this will be fixed in the future by HTC or developers. :l
So far I love the phone. My only complaint is the less than stellar battery life, but everything else is good, and my battery life seems to be getting better now that it's gone through a few charge cycles & I'm starting to return to using it as a normal phone and not a new gadget! I don't seem to have any of the connectivity problem others complain about, but I'm pretty sure at this point that's a network thing, because the Skyrocket experiences the same issues sometimes. The screen is nice and bright as far as I'm concerned (dare I say it's rather vivid?), and I like the qHD resolution. I think the speaker's plenty loud enough & call quality's pretty good. And overall I'm just a fan of HTC's Sense over Samsung's TouchWiz. Now if only we could manage to unlock the bootloader!
bjg222 said:
So far I love the phone. My only complaint is the less than stellar battery life, but everything else is good, and my battery life seems to be getting better now that it's gone through a few charge cycles & I'm starting to return to using it as a normal phone and not a new gadget! I don't seem to have any of the connectivity problem others complain about, but I'm pretty sure at this point that's a network thing, because the Skyrocket experiences the same issues sometimes. The screen is nice and bright as far as I'm concerned (dare I say it's rather vivid?), and I like the qHD resolution. I think the speaker's plenty loud enough & call quality's pretty good. And overall I'm just a fan of HTC's Sense over Samsung's TouchWiz. Now if only we could manage to unlock the bootloader!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep... what he said! Word for word, that's exactly how I feel about the phone too. Thanks for typing that up for me
SnoopHogg said:
Yep... what he said! Word for word, that's exactly how I feel about the phone too. Thanks for typing that up for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, glad I could save your fingers some effort!
Coming from a Tilt 2, this phone is amazing! No more worrying about running out of memory. No more watching the battery guage go from 100% to 70% just by sitting on my nightstand overnight! No more typing and watching the letters show up on the screen 5 seconds later! Also, I love the qHD screen.
For my first Android phone, I think I made a wise choice!
I have no regrets about the phone, but getting angrier by the day about the bootloader. Seems absurd that htcdev doesn't have the unlock tool on day 1, let alone day 10, especially since its brother models are up there. Grumble, grumble...
I went to the Vivid from my trusty Inspire. The Vivid doesn't seem to be as sturdy as the Inspire, but still a nice phone. The 1.2 GHz dual core proc keeps everything running slick and smooth, but all that power sure generates some heat! This thing gets super hot when I run GPS, Bluetooth Audio, and other stuff at the same time. As soon as this thing gets an AOSP rom... it will be great!
-TH
I regret getting this phone, but I couldn't tell you a better option it's so hard to tell with phones without living with one for a week beforehand, and I don't have that luxury. I am displeased with some things within this phone to the point where I would move if I was given the option. I look at other phones and really I couldn't tell if I would actually like them once I had them.
If I could get an android from Telstra with a full slide out keyboard, that wasn't a low/mid range 450Mhtz snooze fest, I would jump ship so very quickly, I'm a fan of physical keyboards. Next time around though I think my main guiding factor will be stock android (ie a Nexus of some variety, or a phone that gets stock android asap)
Pro's
1. Camera is pretty nice, microphone is rubbish for vid, but the picture quality is very nice
2. Battery is pretty good under ICS, no android has awesome battery, but this I am finding pleasantly surprising.
3. Lots of internal space for apps and media
4. microSD card slot.
5. LTE, in Australia this is the only LTE handset currently available.
6. MHL compatibility is pretty nice with video output to HDMI via the adaptor.
7. Cheap accessories from ebay, covers and stuff are common, they are however unheard-of in shops in Australia, cant even get a screen protector or a cover from Telstra themselves, and they offer no solution beyond ebay
Con's
1. This is the first "sense" android I have used long term, and I gave it a good run but I hate sense so very much, and the ICS update to sense 3.6 made sense worse for me, sure its lighter and faster now, but features I want are now gone. I came from mostly using GB MIUI on a HTC HD2 to this phone with sense, and sense is just so far behind MIUI it's not even funny, sense feels like winmo 6.5, I was so disappointed.
2. Due to many reasons, not necessarily the handsets fault, the development options and ROM selection is quite limited, I came from a HTC HD2, which could run anything under the sun, and had developers coming out of the wazoo, even supported dual-booting and running ROM's from the SD card, including full desktop operating systems, I miss that hack-ability of the HD2.
3. The back cover falls off all the damn time, I can't get the damn thing to stick. Even if under another cover, it slides up and interferes with the speaker and the flash/lens of the camera, all of a sudden my photos are darker and I'll be like, wait not again, YES THE DAMNED BACK COVER AGAIN! This is a retarded design.
4. HTC's version of exchange email support is rubbish, the stock android app is miles ahead of it, I don't know why they feel they need to rewrite it because they replace awesome with mediocre.
5. USB mounting of the drives are hit and miss, sometimes both volumes don't mount, or none mount, other times they are good for 50 disconnection/reconnection in a row.
6. on the stock OTA update for ICS, issues with the screen remaining dull/not adjusting properly and all of the missing options that GB had are driving me nuts.
7. if I roll back to GB and attach my phone to exchange using the same account, I can install APK's still, under ICS with the same account, the security option is hidden from me... I can no longer install APK's under ICS.
8. whilst streaming music to my A2DP car adapter, I cannot find any way to get the email notifications to NOT interfere with the music, even if I remove all notifications it still makes the music "skip" slightly when an email comes in... this is frustrating, thought I feel it is an ICS issue as this wasn't a problem with GB.
Just my experience, if someone offered to swap a galaxy nexus I'd probably jump at the opportunity, and I'm kicking myself that I didn't take it (it was an option available at the time I needed a new phone).
I have to say that i opened my new nexus this morning with excitement. The build quality and style of the phone is great.
That being said as soon as i turned it on i was really disappointed with the screen quality. The colours look washed out like a cheap budget TV in a sun drenched room. Next to an S3 it cant even compare. Side by side comparison with an S3 leaves the nexus looking awful. I put phasebeam live wallpaper on both phones and there really isnt a challenge from the nexus. The blue corner on the nexus is nearly white the colours are so far off. I tried another live wallpaper called Magic Smoke 3D and the blue areas on the S3 are nearly white on the Nexus. Blacks are almost grey too its really poor. I know the OLED vs LCD debate but i think this is more an issue of a very good OLED vs a very poor LCD or at least very poorly calibrated LCD. The Auto brightness is so dim its also useless and i have to set it manually. Its so bad that its dimmer than my OLED which is insane.
Battery life is a real issue. i had nothing of note installed on the phone and went from 74% down to 0 in less than a half days use.
The loud speaker is tinny and sounds pretty bad and the ear speaker is sounding very odd compared to other phones i own.
Stock android has some nice points which i can appreciate but its lacking in other areas which arent easy to live with. No battery percent is a real stupid omission and i know you can mod the phone up but seriously not being able to dial a phone number directly from an email is pretty poor. took me a while to get the copy and paste working to do it.
Whilst a few things are Goolges fault i squarely lay the blame at LG since i saw the Optimus G and i thought the screen was terrible on that also and the other hardware issues are down to cost cutting and lack of care when it comes to colour calibration.
This phone is worth every penny at £280 and thats all its worth. Its nowhere near as good a deal as i believed before i got it in the post this morning. Its certainly not a £400-£500 Phone. Since LG is a screen company its a real shame they screwed this one up so bad.
Its going back to Google on monday and ill think ill wait for the S4.
Maybe try to calibrate it. Mine came out of the box looking good. After some calibration it is not far from the best screen I've used. Also in bright rooms and sun the screen rocks. Maybe you got unlucky?
Also I can get up to 6 hours of screen time usually around 4 though worth heavier use so I cannot relate to this at all
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
If you don't like it then just return it. This really isn't a difficult concept. However, for the price you paid you really can't argue about it.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Couldnt disagree more with the OP ,
but everyone's allowed an opinion .... I think the screen is fantastic and sharp, the S3 imo is oversaturated, and some professionals have said the colours are much truer to life than the S3s , and like @hewettBR said , you could calibrate it to pretty much do anything ya wanted ..
Im a little confused, did you not know what you were getting with stock android? its stock, bone, clean, if you dont like it maybe try a custom rom?
Also the battery life on my device has been fine, gets me through a days usage with 30% left and 3 hours of screen on time, no problem what so ever. also some custom kernels people have got 5-6 hours of screen on time
Just my 2 cents
italia0101 said:
Couldnt disagree more with the OP ,
but everyone's allowed an opinion .... I think the screen is fantastic and sharp, the S3 imo is oversaturated, and some professionals have said the colours are much truer to life than the S3s , and like @hewettBR said , you could calibrate it to pretty much do anything ya wanted ..
Im a little confused, did you not know what you were getting with stock android? its stock, bone, clean, if you dont like it maybe try a custom rom?
Also the battery life on my device has been fine, gets me through a days usage with 30% left and 3 hours of screen on time, no problem what so ever. also some custom kernels people have got 5-6 hours of screen on time
Just my 2 cents
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know about stock android but i never realised just how lacking stock android can be in areas. Whilst some complex stuff is included other simple stuff is missing. You really dont know whats missing until a feature that you might use every day on an S3 is just not there in Nexus. This isnt as much as a deal breaker as the screen though.
I really dont want true to life screen quality anyway. its a phone and not a window. I want the red green and blues to pop and amaze everytime i look. The contrast should be high and blacks should be dark. With my nexus i have Blue which is actually White! Black which is grey and washed out. I really think i must have a bad sample or maybe its because i have a comparison phone to put the screen against.
irzero said:
I know about stock android but i never realised just how lacking stock android can be in areas. Whilst some complex stuff is included other simple stuff is missing. You really dont know whats missing until a feature that you might use every day on an S3 is just not there in Nexus. This isnt as much as a deal breaker as the screen though.
I really dont want true to life screen quality anyway. its a phone and not a window. I want the red green and blues to pop and amaze everytime i look. The contrast should be high and blacks should be dark. With my nexus i have Blue which is actually White! Black which is grey and washed out. I really think i must have a bad sample or maybe its because i have a comparison phone to put the screen against.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough, if thats how ya feel then thats how you feel
agree
italia0101 said:
Couldnt disagree more with the OP ,
but everyone's allowed an opinion .... I think the screen is fantastic and sharp, the S3 imo is oversaturated, and some professionals have said the colours are much truer to life than the S3s , and like @hewettBR said , you could calibrate it to pretty much do anything ya wanted ..
Im a little confused, did you not know what you were getting with stock android? its stock, bone, clean, if you dont like it maybe try a custom rom?
Also the battery life on my device has been fine, gets me through a days usage with 30% left and 3 hours of screen on time, no problem what so ever. also some custom kernels people have got 5-6 hours of screen on time
Just my 2 cents
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree with your answer, y asked a designer to choose which screen look better between the S3 and the Nexus 4, and she choose the nexus 4 because it has more realistic colors she said. I was a GSIII owner and I am not regreat about switching to the nexus 4.
Sorry about my english.
Just ordered mine last night. I too have an s3 right now.
I hope I'm not too disappointed.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
/Waaaaaaa
I mean really....
As someone who had an S3, went to a N4, then went back to an S3 I noticed the following things after going back to the S3:
The S3's screen is nowhere near as sharp as the Nexus 4's. I never thought the difference between pentile and non pentile was big, but it is. Text is far clearer. Colours between the two are preference. I like the pop of the S3s screen.
The S3 is a slow phone. The Nexus 4 craps on it for UI speed.
The Nexus is a beautiful device. It feels really nice in the hand and feels very high end.
The Nexus battery life is rubbish. I do not understand how people are getting 5 hours of on screen time - maybe they have everything turned off. I like to have wifi, gps, BT, 3g all turned on all the time and the Nexus 4 would barely get me through a day. The S3 easily does it and also has the option of spare battery. Also when gaming on the Nexus the battery goes down a % a minute at least. I played sworcery for 20 mins and my battery had gone from 80 to 50something%!
The Nexus 4 gets HOT during demanding gaming. Like, really hot. Changing the kernel fixed this - I don't know how.
I also missed the swipe left/right to call/message from touchwiz.
Stock android quick toggles, whilst looking really good aren't useful at all. All they do is take you to the settings menu.
I think that on screen buttons are far nicer and the back button being on the LEFT is the right place.
Forgot to add - The main reason I switched back was because of the Camera. It is ASS! Just take a look at the photo thread on these very forums for proof. Also lacks burst mode which is a bit annoying. It also took longer to render HDRs and they weren't that great. A lot of people think it's good because they came from a Galaxy Nexus , which had a mid 2010 5MP shooter in it.
I was a s3 user but I do like the nexus 4 color
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
I think the display is worse on the SGIII.
iPhone 5 for example uses Sharp IPS LCD panels and have won many tests against SGIII in terms of display quality and the Nexus 4 uses a newer and better display - though the IPS panel made by LG.
Or perhaps you just like oversaturated colors and the blueish tint that you get from OLED.
http://www.displaymate.com/Smartphone_ShootOut_2.htm
spoonboy said:
As someone who had an S3, went to a N4, then went back to an S3 I noticed the following things after going back to the S3:
The S3's screen is nowhere near as sharp as the Nexus 4's. I never thought the difference between pentile and non pentile was big, but it is. Text is far clearer. Colours between the two are preference. I like the pop of the S3s screen.
The S3 is a slow phone. The Nexus 4 craps on it for UI speed.
The Nexus battery life is rubbish. I do not understand how people are getting 5 hours of on screen time - maybe they have everything turned off. I like to have wifi, gps, BT, 3g all turned on all the time and the Nexus 4 would barely get me through a day. The S3 easily does it and also has the option of spare battery. Also when gaming on the Nexus the battery goes down a % a minute at least. I played sworcery for 20 mins and my battery had gone from 80 to 50something%!
The Nexus 4 gets HOT during demanding gaming. Like, really hot. Changing the kernel fixed this - I don't know how.
Stock android quick toggles, whilst looking really good aren't useful at all. All they do is take you to the settings menu.
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Click to collapse
Interesting points, but yes the s3 definitely has better battery life than the nexus, unfortunately that is something the nexus isnt good at. But its the fastest android phone, maybe the optimus g as well? I dont know but the nexus is ridiculously fast. Im confident that future android updates will adress those battery issues. In the mean time there are great roms and kernels that give extra juice like franco's kernel or matrix kernel.
I also missed the swipe left/right to call/message from touchwiz.
I agree on the screen, washed out and viewing angles are horrible.
italia0101 said:
Couldnt disagree more with the OP ,
but everyone's allowed an opinion .... I think the screen is fantastic and sharp, the S3 imo is oversaturated, and some professionals have said the colours are much truer to life than the S3s , and like @hewettBR said , you could calibrate it to pretty much do anything ya wanted ..
Im a little confused, did you not know what you were getting with stock android? its stock, bone, clean, if you dont like it maybe try a custom rom?
Also the battery life on my device has been fine, gets me through a days usage with 30% left and 3 hours of screen on time, no problem what so ever. also some custom kernels people have got 5-6 hours of screen on time
Just my 2 cents
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spoonboy said:
As someone who had an S3, went to a N4, then went back to an S3 I noticed the following things after going back to the S3:
The S3's screen is nowhere near as sharp as the Nexus 4's. I never thought the difference between pentile and non pentile was big, but it is. Text is far clearer. Colours between the two are preference. I like the pop of the S3s screen.
The S3 is a slow phone. The Nexus 4 craps on it for UI speed.
The Nexus battery life is rubbish. I do not understand how people are getting 5 hours of on screen time - maybe they have everything turned off. I like to have wifi, gps, BT, 3g all turned on all the time and the Nexus 4 would barely get me through a day. The S3 easily does it and also has the option of spare battery. Also when gaming on the Nexus the battery goes down a % a minute at least. I played sworcery for 20 mins and my battery had gone from 80 to 50something%!
The Nexus 4 gets HOT during demanding gaming. Like, really hot. Changing the kernel fixed this - I don't know how.
I also missed the swipe left/right to call/message from touchwiz.
Stock android quick toggles, whilst looking really good aren't useful at all. All they do is take you to the settings menu.
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Click to collapse
I agree on the sharp screen of the Nexus but thats LCD tech and any LCD with 300+ PPI gives that.
My S3 isnt slow though? i tend to use Omega Rom which is rapid. Its easily on par with nexus.
The 400 PPI S4 looks to be the phone for me that will give the sharp text
Dear soon-to-return-nexus-4-users,
You realize the Nexus phone, or any Nexus phone, runs Android WITHOUT any 3rd party skin/addon/UI/etc...?
Yes?
OK. Then Why you ***** about a certain feature exist in a certain 3rd party skin/addon/UI/etc... not available in plain Android?
Next, you should also realize that the pro of owning a Nexus phone is not only about getting updates faster, It's also about the development of Custom ROM/Kernels.
So if you buy a Nexus phone and expect to use it like S3 (i.e. without tinkering the device), you are buying it wrong and I do, REALLY do suggest you return it and go back to your TouchWiz phones.
Later.
it's true google calibration is a bit washed out and weak out of the box
but..
1) let the glue dry and screen burn in for a week or two
2) you can make the colours burn your eyes out with gamma control kernels if you want
irzero said:
The 400 PPI S4 looks to be the phone for me that will give the sharp text
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Click to collapse
You won't be able to tell the differences under normal usage conditions. Trust me.
And I can already forsee tons of website will use magnifiers to tell you how small the pixels are and how sharp things are.
Let the glue dry?
richteralan said:
You won't be able to tell the differences under normal usage conditions. Trust me.
And I can already forsee tons of website will use magnifiers to tell you how small the pixels are and how sharp things are.
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Click to collapse
Complete waste of phone battery and processing power IMO - why the **** would you want 400PPI when you can't even see the difference!
And no damn website would ever use 400PPI images - simply because they would be HUGE in size.
---------- Post added at 07:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:52 PM ----------
ferris2375 said:
Let the glue dry?
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Sarcasm i think.
Hello all! My name is Terence, and I've been dealing with Android devices and rooting for years now, so the first things I always look at when I'm searching for new devices are the Dev community, and the AOSP scene. Right the the device I have is the LG G2, and while its an amazing device, flashing ROMs (or hell, just owning the device in general) is a lot like playing Russian Roulette with the display. What I mean by that is, there is a known problem with this phone where permanent black lines would appear on the right side of the device, with no real explanation so far. At first, people thought it was because of flashing certain ROMs, or the phone overheating. Then people started vetted screen damage being just on stock. And I am one of those people with screen damage. So I started thinking, I can either get this fixed for $130, or search for a new device. I've found a good condition HTC One M7 for $150. My question(s) to you is, should I do it? Is it worth it just to buy this particular device? Are there any crazy issues such as my screen damage that pops up? I know the One isn't quite as good as the LG G2 on paper, but I'm not really a power user like that. I just love me some AOSP ROMs, and there's work being done on Lollipop, which is also a huge plus. Thanks for your time and answers!
I've never used the G2 so it's hard to compare, but I like my m7. The only crazy issue that pops up is that pictures taken in the dark can get a purple hue to them. The consensus seems to be that it's caused when the phone gets hot. Since I usually don't take pictures at night, it hasn't affected me much. As for the developer scene, we have some great developers here still. I can't think of a single ROM that was not created/ported to this phone. Also, HTC is still actively developing for it, so that's a plus.
iamterence said:
Hello all! My name is Terence, and I've been dealing with Android devices and rooting for years now, so the first things I always look at when I'm searching for new devices are the Dev community, and the AOSP scene. Right the the device I have is the LG G2, and while its an amazing device, flashing ROMs (or hell, just owning the device in general) is a lot like playing Russian Roulette with the display. What I mean by that is, there is a known problem with this phone where permanent black lines would appear on the right side of the device, with no real explanation so far. At first, people thought it was because of flashing certain ROMs, or the phone overheating. Then people started vetted screen damage being just on stock. And I am one of those people with screen damage. So I started thinking, I can either get this fixed for $130, or search for a new device. I've found a good condition HTC One M7 for $150. My question(s) to you is, should I do it? Is it worth it just to buy this particular device? Are there any crazy issues such as my screen damage that pops up? I know the One isn't quite as good as the LG G2 on paper, but I'm not really a power user like that. I just love me some AOSP ROMs, and there's work being done on Lollipop, which is also a huge plus. Thanks for your time and answers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
coal686 said:
I've never used the G2 so it's hard to compare, but I like my m7. The only crazy issue that pops up is that pictures taken in the dark can get a purple hue to them. The consensus seems to be that it's caused when the phone gets hot. Since I usually don't take pictures at night, it hasn't affected me much. As for the developer scene, we have some great developers here still. I can't think of a single ROM that was not created/ported to this phone. Also, HTC is still actively developing for it, so that's a plus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would go for the G2 simply due to the combination of performance, battery life, and awesome bezelness it provides.
The purple hue is actually a VERY widespread manufacturing defect. Sending the phone in for warranty repair fixes it - I have no idea how much it would cost without warranty. And really, the camera isn't all that spectacular even in good conditions. However, HTC seems to be committed to providing a great UX, with their Play Store apps, timely updates, and Dev support.
So it comes down to this: would you rather have a mediocre(honestly, that's being generous) phone with great dev options or a great phone with mediocre dev options?
sauprankul said:
I would go for the G2 simply due to the combination of performance, battery life, and awesome bezelness it provides.
The purple hue is actually a VERY widespread manufacturing defect. Sending the phone in for warranty repair fixes it - I have no idea how much it would cost without warranty. And really, the camera isn't all that spectacular even in good conditions. However, HTC seems to be committed to providing a great UX, with their Play Store apps, timely updates, and Dev support.
So it comes down to this: would you rather have a mediocre(honestly, that's being generous) phone with great dev options or a great phone with mediocre dev options?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that is a rather harsh.
Frankly if you are going for a used m7 which doesnt have a camera issue I think it is a very good choice to have because frankly this was awarded the best phone of 2013 and we will officially get the lollipop. Sense UI is one of the better additions as opposed to the rest
sauprankul said:
I would go for the G2 simply due to the combination of performance, battery life, and awesome bezelness it provides.
The purple hue is actually a VERY widespread manufacturing defect. Sending the phone in for warranty repair fixes it - I have no idea how much it would cost without warranty. And really, the camera isn't all that spectacular even in good conditions. However, HTC seems to be committed to providing a great UX, with their Play Store apps, timely updates, and Dev support.
So it comes down to this: would you rather have a mediocre(honestly, that's being generous) phone with great dev options or a great phone with mediocre dev options?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
muneebrocks said:
I think that is a rather harsh.
Frankly if you are going for a used m7 which doesnt have a camera issue I think it is a very good choice to have because frankly this was awarded the best phone of 2013 and we will officially get the lollipop. Sense UI is one of the better additions as opposed to the rest
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is, the whole reason why I'm even considering doing this is because of the G2's seemingly random problem with permanent screen damage on the device, which I will upload a picture of. People have gotten their displays fixed and either had black lines again straight from boot, or had everything be okay. I simply do not want to waste my money for a fix, so it'd probably just be better to get a new device altogether.
Maybe what I'll end up doing is fix the screen sometime in the future and then end up selling one of the devices, depending on which offers me better real-life performance and has a better development scene.
muneebrocks said:
I think that is a rather harsh.
Frankly if you are going for a used m7 which doesnt have a camera issue I think it is a very good choice to have because frankly this was awarded the best phone of 2013 and we will officially get the lollipop. Sense UI is one of the better additions as opposed to the rest
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did mention that HTC has really developed quite a rep for being Dev friendly and providing a great UX and timely updates.
However, they put WAY too much effort into making this device good looking and feeling (I'll be honest, this is, to me, the single best looking and feeling device ever built. Including the M8 and every other phone I have ever seen) and not enough into making this a good performer. The camera took the worst hit of all, along with battery life.
However, the G2 seems to have its fair share of problems. It seems that the tiny bezel may be the cause of those broken LCDs. The m7, however, is a solid phone, and will physically never fail you. It was tested to be one of the most durable devices out there.
sauprankul said:
The camera took the worst hit of all, along with battery life.
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Click to collapse
These are the two things people ding the phone for and I understand why, but for me, the battery lasts at least a day with bad reception and two days with good. I do admit though that I'm not on the phone a lot, but I can usually get 3-4 hours of screen time. As for the camera, I've taken some really good low light pictures with it (see attached for my favorites, one has my wife and mini-me in it).
I think that HTC one is meant for people who want all rounder phone. Its not the best at any aspect but is very good in most
LG is meant for people who actually do benchmark tests and compare numbers. Count the number of pixels. etc
Its focused on power users.
But Frankly i think smart phones these days are over powered anyways. I mean do you really need a octa core phone to play flappy bird?
I use HTC because its comfortable and friendly and good looking its not the most powerful one or with the most number of megapixel but it works.
Well I ended up getting it, and I'm... Well, I'm slightly disappointed. The phone is definitely smooth and fluid for being an older device, but what I did NOT know was how damn small this thing was. I really can't even type too well with this device because of the screen size. And I have he purple camera bug as well, but luckily for me, I actually don't use the camera too much, and all definitely points to heating issues, because once the phone cools down, the pictures go back to normal. Speaking of heat, this phone gets HOT. Like, hot for no damn reason. I could simply just have the screen on for two minutes and it'd already start cooking eggs. Which leads me to my next point. Battery drain. Holy Christ this thing doesn't know what it wants to do with it's battery. I could be at 15% then plug the phone in, reboot to recovery to flash a different ROM, then suddenly I'm at 52%, then I'll drop down to 36% after just setting up all of my apps.
In conclusion, I've come to terms that this device isn't just for me, and I will be selling it to fix my G2 screen.
You have a defective device lol that's sad because I honestly love my m7 and I don't feel the need to upgrade yet. My old m7 had horrid battery drain and the speakers blew put but my second one has been running smooth on stock for 6 months now (old one was 6 months but I dealt with those issues for about 2 months) . My battery life still amazes me. I love the size the form factor and the hardware keys. Honestly the only deal breaker for me is no SD card slot. I'm no where close to filling up 32 gigs but I like having the option for on the go pr0ns and what not.
Another major problem is the camera. I've come to the conclusion all m7's have the purple hue problem and its very annoying. I can't send nice pics unless I use the flash but sometimes it gets white washed its OK I deal with that fault because everything else is perfect especially the 4.7 inch 1080p. I was lookin to upgrade to the z3 compact but its only 720p
Sent from my HTCONE using XDA Free mobile app
iamterence said:
Well I ended up getting it, and I'm... Well, I'm slightly disappointed. The phone is definitely smooth and fluid for being an older device, but what I did NOT know was how damn small this thing was. I really can't even type too well with this device because of the screen size. And I have he purple camera bug as well, but luckily for me, I actually don't use the camera too much, and all definitely points to heating issues, because once the phone cools down, the pictures go back to normal. Speaking of heat, this phone gets HOT. Like, hot for no damn reason. I could simply just have the screen on for two minutes and it'd already start cooking eggs. Which leads me to my next point. Battery drain. Holy Christ this thing doesn't know what it wants to do with it's battery. I could be at 15% then plug the phone in, reboot to recovery to flash a different ROM, then suddenly I'm at 52%, then I'll drop down to 36% after just setting up all of my apps.
In conclusion, I've come to terms that this device isn't just for me, and I will be selling it to fix my G2 screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing about that sounds normal. I have an M7 and I have no intention of upgrading until "the next big thing" arrives. Maybe silicon anode batteries. Or lytro cameras that can do live HDR and supersampling.
This phone is really solid, and I can't imagine anyone actually hating it. Maybe you need to calibrate the battery by running it down completely then fully charging it (without turning it back on)?
And hey, 4.7" is perfect!
I dunno, choice is yours. Fixing the G2 sounds great, whatever.
iamterence said:
Well I ended up getting it, and I'm... Well, I'm slightly disappointed. The phone is definitely smooth and fluid for being an older device, but what I did NOT know was how damn small this thing was. I really can't even type too well with this device because of the screen size. And I have he purple camera bug as well, but luckily for me, I actually don't use the camera too much, and all definitely points to heating issues, because once the phone cools down, the pictures go back to normal. Speaking of heat, this phone gets HOT. Like, hot for no damn reason. I could simply just have the screen on for two minutes and it'd already start cooking eggs. Which leads me to my next point. Battery drain. Holy Christ this thing doesn't know what it wants to do with it's battery. I could be at 15% then plug the phone in, reboot to recovery to flash a different ROM, then suddenly I'm at 52%, then I'll drop down to 36% after just setting up all of my apps.
In conclusion, I've come to terms that this device isn't just for me, and I will be selling it to fix my G2 screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have a defective device. I did advise you to ensure you have no issues with the used phone before getting it
That device isnt meant for anyone I guess.
If the price is too good to be true I guess it really was too good to be true unfortunately for you
Nice to see y'all came to the same conclusions hahah. The g2 is a great phone none the less so you should prilly stick with it.
I also love the "wow what phone is that?" When I lay it on the table
Sent from my HTCONE using XDA Free mobile app
I'm a fan of HTC and I only buy their devices but not some of there craps. I bought a used HTC One m7 4 months back and I love it. Its solid, slim,easy to handle and excellent quality. It has very slight pink tint issue or almost not. I haven't had problems while taking photos day/night so far. It has ST sensor. Only problem is green tint when flash is turned on but I believe its software issue and will be fixed soon. Apart none of the issues I have that you have stated. I play Traffic Racer, Turbo Racing 3D and even Real Racing 3 for hours but the device will be hardly heated, Thanks to aluminum body. It is having CM11 official Nightly and I always update it.
Battery life is at-least 1 day on heavy usage and 2 days on light usage.
LG G2 has 5.2" whereas HTC One M7 has 4.7 so a difference of half inch makes you feel HTC One M7 is small. I did not had problems with typing but I think you have bigger hands so you need more then 5" of display or a note. Still bigger mean difficult to handle daily and its the reason we call smartphones for small devices and note for bigger.
Used devices will never be 100% working conditions unless seller is trusted. Sometimes seller hide the issues and sell it to get best price, so you have to be careful.
I never really post much but I do have to agree that if you do a little work this has been my favorite phone to date. I have viper one for my Rom. Took some time learning getting customized the way I want and have kangaroo kernel for double tap to wake.
I hate the sleep button so the screen wake was my last hurtle. Battery could be better I guess. That may be a sign how much I use it though.
I tried the Moto x for a while and it's a really nice phone however with my setup I'm not looking anymore for a while. Gave the moto to the wife.
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Free mobile app
There seems to be plenty of people moaning about what they don't like, there is a Note 4 Let Down Thread, so I wanna read some positive comments about what we DO like about the Note 4 in General, it doesn't matter which model you got, but if you feel happy about it please share your positive thoughts.
-Personally I Like the style of the phone.
-I also like the fact that its made from metal (well most of it) except the battery door which comes always in handy and its another pro about this phone, the access to the battery and micro sd card.
-Of course it runs on Android which I love.
-I like the screen which is amazing
-I like the camera, both, the front camera and rear camera.
-I like the S-pen and yes I use it everyday when I go to the gym, I keep track of my workouts, weights, reps, all in one place, I have a phone, a music player, a great camera shooter, and a notebook, and we all must thank Samsung for this, if not go back and read about what people though about the first Note device.
-I like the fact we still have the LED for notifications, which a lot of manufactures still forgetting about it.
-I like the battery life, yes I know, I have read about all the complains, but its not in my case, yes I have 90% of Samsung bloatware turned off, I just use what I like and what I need.
- I like how easily I can access a hard drive or any external storage via OTG.
-I like the IR Blaster, which not a lot of devices have it, and they should.
-I like the S Health app, and yes, i use the heart rate monitor, im into fitness, and yes this app help me track all my workouts, ive even improve in my diets.
Of course there are plenty of stuff I just forgot right now, but I hope you guys help me to remember them by commenting your positive thoughts and everything you like and what makes you feel good and special about the Note 4,
IF YOU WANT TO COMMENT COMPLAINS AND NEGATIVE COMMENTS PLEASE SEARCH AROUND THERE ARE PLENTY OF THREADS, NOT HERE, THANKS
I love my note 4. I like it's size, the display is beautiful, the battery life is far better than my note 2. It has more space. I like the way it feels in my hand. I paid cash for it so I don't owe tmobile a dime lol...
Overall I love my note 4 and I'm extremely happy with my purchase. I don't have any complaints and I haven't at all since I've had it
It's a hulk, which for my Neanderthal-esque hands helps out a ton.
The screen is gorgeous
The camera is top notch and helps me, who happens to be one of the worst picture takers of all time, take good pics.
I use S-Note in my meetings every day.
Build wise it feels great in the hand without a case.
Eventually I can pick up an additional battery pack.
One day it will get an update that stops the ferocious lag lollipop has at times.
Dat screen doe.
Overall, 9/10
It's better than my previous iPhone 6
ixon2001 said:
It's better than my previous iPhone 6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Comment your reasons...cheers:fingers-crossed:
I've only had my Note 4 since 4/30 but I've yet to find anything that I don't like.. Running stock 5.0.1 using the TouchWiz launcher, and only have the Google apps that don't have a Samsung equivalent enabled! Love this thing!!
mistah_mumford said:
I've only had my Note 4 since 4/30 but I've yet to find anything that I don't like.. Running stock 5.0.1 using the TouchWiz launcher, and only have the Google apps that don't have a Samsung equivalent enabled! Love this thing!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please post everything you like specifically, everything you use, thanks, cheers:fingers-crossed:
I like the battery, the screen size and that is Amoled, Touchwiz features, and that it fits ok in my hand because it's thin. Also I like Samsung is okish with software updates compared to other manufacturers.
Everything the OP said, plus now that we're on Lollipop I can use my MicroSD card properly again with Solid Explorer and other properly updated apps (without rooting). Also like the battery life, regularly 20-30% left at the end of the day with normal usage. Finally, I'm on the N910C with the Wolfson DAC which is giving great sound paired with my Sennheisers - so much so that I just sold my trusty old Sony Walkman on eBay! The sound with PowerAmp, to my ears, was as good if not better. Best smartphone I've owned to date by a long shot. Oh... and the IR, getting that set up now
Forgot that it's also my remote control for every room I visit. I watch whatever I want at the bar now
Best phone ever, I like every single thing about it! It's such a powerful, flexible, customisable phone that can do it all, looks and feels great and I never have to worry about the battery before the end of the day!
Like the metal, is gorgeous to hold. Love that battery and Sim are accessible - wish for nicer back cover though, or at least a larger selection.
Multitasking is fabulous, very effective.
Excellent screen!
Stylus.
Sent from my SM-N910H using XDA Premium HD app
best phone ever
It's the best phone I've ever had hands down, I like the way it feels in the hand, I use a case during the day, but I can't wait to get home to take the case off. That shiny metal rim is the best.
I use public transportation to get to work, and I have caught people reading the news with me.....That screen is just awesome. I have even downloaded 4k videos just for show.
And dont get me started on the stylus.... How did I ever get by without it?! I use it at work to jot down orders, phone numbers, reminders...
The camera experience has probably impressed me the most: from the responsiveness of the camera app to the quality of the photos and videos and finally viewing them on that gorgeous 5.7 inch screen.
Overall since I prefer the 5.7 screen size and like the S-pen features I think the Note 4 is still the best smartphone and will remain so till the Note 5.
Note 4 has been the best phone I've owned bar none.
I just wished there was a way to get updates and not rely on the carrier.
I have an att phone. The only way I can get updates is to borrow an att chip and then I can update my rom.
Totally sucks since I'm on another carrier.
Anyways, enjoying the note 4 experience thus far.
Camera the best.
Lollipop over all is a great experience on the note 4
before i was going to buy a new mobbile i was looking for good looking phone, excellent outdoor brightness, great camera ... developers support good audio ..... big screen..... so i got xperia z3 with big screen compromise but it was way better looking and water and dust proof and front firing speakers and very slim ..... after buying i regretted because there was abbsolutely no developers support..... almost negligible ...so then i got note 4 ....i like it alot ... becauser .. back cover is removable ...... amoled screen ..... super bright ..... developers support is good.... but touchwiz is bad and on aosp roms brightness is very low....
z3 over note 4- had better sound of speakers, better looking, battery life way better , very thin
note 4 over z3- has better brightness , better developer support, back cover removable...i put a leather one on the back ... battery removable, camera is better, screen is bigger. its an amoled which i love because of deep blacks and saturated colors. i love popping colors , the best thing is fast charging.
Hmmm, where do I start?
-That screen is unbelievably good. Bright, vibrant, and there's no way you'd notice the subpixels without a VR headset. Makes me wish we had AMOLED PC monitors on the market already.
-None of that screen space is wasted with onscreen buttons, either! As much as people complain about the physical Home button and all, I actually prefer it and wish the other two buttons were physical like the S Active/Sport line.
-Wacom digitizer support in OneNote and Clover Paint is excellent. The Note 4 even boasts tilt sensitivity!
-I wasn't expecting Gear VR to be immersive due to the obvious performance limitations the Note 4 has compared to a gaming PC, but it's actually astounding how it keeps up with my head movements. Cardboard apps aren't even close, they're a blurred mess by comparison.
-I shouldn't have to bring up microSD card slots of all things as a selling point against the competition, but that's what it's come down to after the S6. They're great for mass media storage and Nandroid backups, since you don't want those backups taking your internal storage space! Too much risk of getting wiped if you're a flashaholic.
-Batteries that can be removed without a heat gun also shouldn't have to be a selling point, but are now. The battery life's plenty for my purposes, but if that's not enough, I can just pop in a second battery or install an extended battery! Phone freezes up or gets wet? Pop that battery! Cells degrade to the point of uselessness after a few years (and they will)? Swap 'em out for some newly-manufactured ones instead of paying some service center to get the dead weight outta your phone!
-Adaptive Fast Charge/Quick Charge 2.0 has spoiled me rotten now. Dead battery to a usable charge in just 30 minutes, near-full charge in an hour? I don't even have to leave the Note 4 on the charger overnight now!
-Sprint doesn't lock the bootloader, so rooting's easy if you don't mind a tripped Knox bit. I don't.
-The camera's good enough, as long as I never have to zoom in.
Thus far, there isn't any other phone on the market I'd rather own, and I'll be more than happy to keep the Note 4 for another two years! All I hope for is that the next two Note generations don't throw out microSD slots and removable batteries like the S6 did, otherwise I might be using that Note 4 longer than anticipated.
I have two things that really make a difference for me and those are the great battery life and finally being able to work from my phone. I get sent contacts and I can edit and sign them on n the phone. There is no need to involve my laptop anymore. This makes commutes by train really productive.
Note 4 on KK is fantastic. Very fast, lots of storage, excellent screen, fabulous battery, glorious smooth glass, the hard metal body feels great, one handed use (just) and it's magnificent S-Pen.
There is just nothing like this phone. I wish Samsung didn't make is users feel second best. I've been messing around with the S6s.... After a while I came running, RUNNING back to my Note 4.
I'm so sorry baby. I'll never let you go again.
*smooch*
Sent from my SM-N910H using XDA Premium HD app
1 - Display
2 - Performance
3 - Sound through earphones
4 - Camera
5 - Build quality
6 - Support (from people here)
7 - Storage
8 - Physical buttons (hate onscreen waste of space)
9 - Removable battery
10 - Its beauty
Forgive me members for I have sinned... It's been far too long since I popped a SIM in my OnePlus One
I've been using my iPhone 6+ exclusively for months now for a few reasons I'm hoping to have answered here by real-world users. I'm no stranger to Android, but I have fallen in a bad groove with iOS and just settling :/
I use the camera a lot. Not for anything super special, but I'm able to take FAST photos when I need it. Hit the button, and it's saved and done in under a second. Sharp, accurate... but tiny at 8mp on a 1080p screen. I've looked at samples of the Note 5 camera, and the quality is good, but how is the speed of the stock camera app? I don't want to have to wait 2-4 seconds before I can regain use of the camera again, nor have to wait 2 seconds for it to take a photo.
Is the built-in email worth using? I have gmail for my personal email, but my company is stuck on a 2003 exchange server and I'm forced to use a generic "email" client on phones I switch to. I need to be able to set priority on outgoing, and flag/star emails. (Everything else I need should be baked into any email client at this point... BCC, attachments, custom sig) Not a huge deal if it's not good... I can use CloudMagic if needed.
It's been a while since I even gave a Samsung phone a glance, but last time I did, screen-burning was a big issue... Is this still a problem anymore with the newer screens? I'm a fan of auto-brightness, but I input text a lot, and rarely change keyboards. I don't want to find out in a year that my screen has been burned beyond repair
Any help with these would be greatly appreciated. If I like what i'm hearing, I'll be going to T-Mobile this weekend to pick this up!
Thanks all
Hers is a camera speed and quality comparison between the 6s plus and the Note 5, I would say the camera is fast, probably not that fast as iphone but you will get better quality photos with the Note 5
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Apple-iPhone-6s-Plus-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-Note5_id4095/page/3
As for emails, you can use the built in email client or download any other from the play store that will do more than you want.
I'm not sure about the screen burning but my guess is that it was more of a concern with the unrealistic and inaccurate Amoled popping colors in the previous generations. The first thing I do is that I switch screen mode to basic as it provides accurate colors and I guess will reduce the probability of screen burning.
Hope it helps.
Liskrig said:
Forgive me members for I have sinned... It's been far too long since I popped a SIM in my OnePlus One
I've been using my iPhone 6+ exclusively for months now for a few reasons I'm hoping to have answered here by real-world users. I'm no stranger to Android, but I have fallen in a bad groove with iOS and just settling :/
I use the camera a lot. Not for anything super special, but I'm able to take FAST photos when I need it. Hit the button, and it's saved and done in under a second. Sharp, accurate... but tiny at 8mp on a 1080p screen. I've looked at samples of the Note 5 camera, and the quality is good, but how is the speed of the stock camera app? I don't want to have to wait 2-4 seconds before I can regain use of the camera again, nor have to wait 2 seconds for it to take a photo.
Is the built-in email worth using? I have gmail for my personal email, but my company is stuck on a 2003 exchange server and I'm forced to use a generic "email" client on phones I switch to. I need to be able to set priority on outgoing, and flag/star emails. (Everything else I need should be baked into any email client at this point... BCC, attachments, custom sig) Not a huge deal if it's not good... I can use CloudMagic if needed.
It's been a while since I even gave a Samsung phone a glance, but last time I did, screen-burning was a big issue... Is this still a problem anymore with the newer screens? I'm a fan of auto-brightness, but I input text a lot, and rarely change keyboards. I don't want to find out in a year that my screen has been burned beyond repair
Any help with these would be greatly appreciated. If I like what i'm hearing, I'll be going to T-Mobile this weekend to pick this up!
Thanks all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll be happy with a Note 5 honestly. In terms of the camera, I take rapid photos with mine all the time without issues. There's also a double tap home button function that takes maybe 1.5 seconds to pull the camera up and focus from any screen, even when the screen is turned off. My wife loves using my Note 5 for pictures over her LG G4.
Screen burn in hasn't been a thing for quite some time now. There is however, still the issue of shading that occurs on all AMOLED displays when on dark images, or scrolling a dark Web page. I think the Note 5 and S6 do the best to avoid that issue, but it does happen slightly. It's just not as visible.
Auto brightness is awesome on the Note 5 as well. There's an "over bright" function that kicks in automatically when the sun shines directly on the screen, or when you're in a very bright area (outside). It's awesome, and to me, can be a little overkill even in direct sunlight. Lol. It's a great feature though.
No SD like iPhone, but that's not an issue as we have cloud storage for dayz! Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox.....it goes on.
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
Jammol said:
You'll be happy with a Note 5 honestly. In terms of the camera, I take rapid photos with mine all the time without issues. There's also a double tap home button function that takes maybe 1.5 seconds to pull the camera up and focus from any screen, even when the screen is turned off. My wife loves using my Note 5 for pictures over her LG G4.
Screen burn in hasn't been a thing for quite some time now. There is however, still the issue of shading that occurs on all AMOLED displays when on dark images, or scrolling a dark Web page. I think the Note 5 and S6 do the best to avoid that issue, but it does happen slightly. It's just not as visible.
Auto brightness is awesome on the Note 5 as well. There's an "over bright" function that kicks in automatically when the sun shines directly on the screen, or when you're in a very bright area (outside). It's awesome, and to me, can be a little overkill even in direct sunlight. Lol. It's a great feature though.
No SD like iPhone, but that's not an issue as we have cloud storage for dayz! Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox.....it goes on.
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
I appreciate the detailed reply! As you can see from my phones I currently have, I personally don't care about SD storage, and I haven't had a phone with a removable battery since the Galaxy Nexus so I've learned to deal. I checked out the link that @samitro provided, and the difference of 1.93 to 2.1 seconds is all the change I will be experiencing... So basically, it will be the same as far as I am used to
Liskrig said:
I appreciate the detailed reply! As you can see from my phones I currently have, I personally don't care about SD storage, and I haven't had a phone with a removable battery since the Galaxy Nexus so I've learned to deal. I checked out the link that @samitro provided, and the difference of 1.93 to 2.1 seconds is all the change I will be experiencing... So basically, it will be the same as far as I am used to
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to hear. Glad we were able to help. Will you be rooting it and such when you get one?
Jammol said:
Good to hear. Glad we were able to help. Will you be rooting it and such when you get one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends... I'm jumping to T-Mobile when I get it, but I have a weird process when I root a phone.
Usually I will go 100% lock & stock UNTIL I find something that I just can't stand (bloat, battery, audio) but if I do root, I look for a stock ROM (or just keep the stock one) and modify it on the phone to remedy the issues I find. I haven't owned a Samsung since the Galaxy Nexus (not really a Samsung phone) and what I am reading about KNOX kinda scares me lol. T-Mobile doesn't really have too much junk on their carrier phones, but it is still there, and it still bugs me. I'm kinda worried about battery life, but I have read a lot here about how to save it sans root access.
Liskrig said:
Depends... I'm jumping to T-Mobile when I get it, but I have a weird process when I root a phone.
Usually I will go 100% lock & stock UNTIL I find something that I just can't stand (bloat, battery, audio) but if I do root, I look for a stock ROM (or just keep the stock one) and modify it on the phone to remedy the issues I find. I haven't owned a Samsung since the Galaxy Nexus (not really a Samsung phone) and what I am reading about KNOX kinda scares me lol. T-Mobile doesn't really have too much junk on their carrier phones, but it is still there, and it still bugs me. I'm kinda worried about battery life, but I have read a lot here about how to save it sans root access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like your system. That's the one I use personally as well. I will say that the one thing that will be annoying really quickly is the T-Mobile system app/process adapt.app. It's what they use to root checking or any kind of custom modification of the device. Even when you're not modified though, it'll sit there and pull root access and constantly scan your device, sucking up battery. It's more invasive now on the newest LP build, and on the MM beta that was leaked.
Don't worry about battery on the Note 5. It is surprisingly really good what they were able to pull off on only 3000mAh. You can pretty much freeze most bloat even without root. There's also a thread here for debloating without root using a script that goes undetected.
As far as knox is concerned. Don't root if you plan on using Samsung Pay. Once you modify the kernel, or root the device, the efuse is blown and your knox counter will forever be tripped. Even though you can go back to pure stock, knox will still be tripped and Samsung Pay will never work. There is NO work around.
I love the Note 5. I was skeptical about it because I had a Note 4, but I am glad I got it. It is an upgrade for me over the Note 4. I'll say the one thing I don't like about the Note 5, is that it's not very hand friendly at night when you're on the phone laying in bed, lol.
Awesome camera, fast, no lag... But, full of bloat, unknown battery drain, less settings about some properties!
worth to upgrade?
From Note 2 - No
From Note 3 - Buy a note 2!
From note 4 - Wait for note 6!
From iphone- At least i can flash custom rom and kernel! but it is not an upgrade huh??!
umudeus said:
Awesome camera, fast, no lag... But, full of bloat, unknown battery drain, less settings about some properties!
worth to upgrade?
From Note 2 - No
From Note 3 - Buy a note 2!
From note 4 - Wait for note 6!
From iphone- At least i can flash custom rom and kernel! but it is not an upgrade huh??!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate the reply, but I don't think I could go back to a 2012 phone for my needs I'm glad you found a device that is working for you though
Liskrig said:
I appreciate the reply, but I don't think I could go back to a 2012 phone for my needs I'm glad you found a device that is working for you though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually i have a note 5 and i am a tired user who wait for marshmallow update. Hi five samsung!!!
Sent from my SM-N920G using Tapatalk
umudeus said:
Actually i have a note 5 and i am a tired user who wait for marshmallow update. Hi five samsung!!!
Sent from my SM-N920G using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Yeah, Marshmallow is nice. I got the OTA from Google for my Nexus 5 and I really enjoyed it. Hopefully Samsung will be open to using a lot of the features already present instead of baking them out.