Hi guys,
I have the S4 for some 15 months now and now I have the opportunity to grab brand new S5 mini for less than 100 dollars if I give up my S4. But there are (understandably) no comparison videos about S4 vs S5 mini so I am unsure if I should switch.
I don´t mind smaller screen. I like S4´s air gestures but I will happily exchange them for the heart rate sensor and finger print scanner. I also love that S5 is waterproof and dust proof. What I would miss is the 13 mpx camera but I am able to get over that although it is the biggest pain for me.
But I was wondering - is 1.5 gigs of RAM noticable in system and apps performance? Cause I am used to 2 gigs and I am more than happy about how S4 performs.
Also - any other questions I should ask myself about the possible switch or any other tips?
Thanks!
I would never go from S4 to S5mini. You'll loose alot of processing power and ram. If you will notice the decline is a question about how you use your phone. For me 1,5/2gb ram makes a big difference. 1,5gb is just not enough for multitasking.
You'll also loose the haptic feedback for capacitive buttons and system apps (dailer etc). Would not like that.
And the screen of the S5 mini is IMHO crap. The 720p penile matrix is pretty bad and you can forget reading full Web pages without zooming - which is a delight on the S4. The S5 mini is to blurry and pixilated from low res and the pentile matrix.
The heart rate sensor is totally NOT nessaserray since you can have the exact same function with the camera and the led flash. It even gets the same result/exactness (alot of reviews have looks in to this). Just download the heart rate sensor app of your choice from Play Store.
I got my LG G2 over a year ago coming over from an iPhone 5 after falling in love with my nexus 7. I love the flexibility of android but the camera frustrates me.
One of the reason I picked the G2 at the time over the motorola or the HTC one was what I thought was a better camera. I get some good shots out of my g2 and I am running XDABBEB's ROM and camera. But the camera is still just not that fast to shoot and a lot of times I miss shots of my daughter due to slow shutter response or the shots come out blurred.
These problems hardly ever came up on my iPhone. I've tried other ROMs and other camera apps and they were all worse. I've tried turning the ISO up to 1600 and I shoot a 8M but it doesn't seem to get near the performance of my old iPhone. I've tried shooting with XDABBEB's sports mode. What am I missing? Is the G2 just not got great hardware or does android's camera stack just suck compared to apple's?
I remember the stock camera on my G2 was pretty snappy. I'm on Spirit Rom & have switched to a combo of Snap Camera & Perfectly Clear camera. Both seem to work quickly for me, except when I hit the shutter button while it's focusing. I'd say try those out, they're pretty cheap. Good luck
-POB
Focusing on this camera is slow
That's your issue
I wish one day an android oem can figure it out. This camera takes awesome pics but it's slow. The HTC m8 takes super fast pics but the quality stinks.
I'm not really sure how the g3 performs but it has some of the same hiccups as my g2. Such as the screen shutting off immeadiatly when trying to unlock the phone. Thus resulting in 5+ attempts to unlock it. Haha
Sent from my VS980 4G using XDA Free mobile app
Yup. Mine does same thing sometimes. End up letting it sit for a few seconds before trying to unlock it. You know because I really wanted to spend a minute unlocking my phone.
I came from a s6 originallt then to a g4 now back to s6
I wasn't all that impressed with g4 cam lag
S6 photos are way cleaner crisper even zoomed in
Who thinks the s6 cam is superior regardless of the f1.8 vs f1.9 apature and specs .
Sent Via s6
I've been on an S6 since about april after spending years switching between tons of phones like every other month. Something lacks on my S6 camera and it's not just my phone because I've had 2 different S6s. Idk, I can't get good shots of my kids unless they're perfectly still which is almost impossible. Something is almost always blurry. Dim lighting always make a bad shot. I don't remember this being so bad on the G3. Also, and I'm sure this will get hate or a raised eyebrow lol but for whatever reason the pictures I used to take on my Nexus 5 were awesome. On that phone HDR actually seemed like it was being used when I turned it on. Idk why I loved the camera on that phone so much.
I opened the box, slapped on my Tumi wireless chargable battery pack from my Moto Z and the battery is insane. No way I can drain this in one day. Also all the complaints about the camera don't make sense to me (yet). I've taken side by side photos with my s8+ and I prefer the z2's pictures to the s8. The shutter doesn't seem slow at all. I don't get it.
The one thing I am annoyed with however, is the speakerphone. It plays nice and loud for Youtube videos and ringtones/music, but phone calls is way too low. The volte calls sound much better and louder than the standard calls though. Also I took some snapchat videos and the audio is very quiet there as well; like you almost can't hear it. It just seems like there is bugs in the audio currently since Youtube gets loud and other stuff doesn't. If they can fix the audio with updates, then I don't see any problems as of yet.
If you get this phone PUT A GLASS PROTECTOR ON IT RIGHT AWAY. You can scratch the screen with your fricken fingernail. It's not worth it to wait a few weeks and then put a protector over a scratched screen. Have one waiting.
This is the fastest, most responsive phone I have ever seen. Excellent ram management too. I can be playing a game and then go to the home screen and use 5 other apps over the course of an hour, then come back to the game and its still in ram right where I left it. Try that with a Samsung, or even Pixel lol. Phone just flies and does everything right. The forward facing speaker and flash is amazing and should be the standard. I also went on a trip and took a bunch of photos. The black and white wasn't really my thing and the depth field effect didn't do much, but just the standard photos are way better than my s8+. I took them side by side to compare.
Also to those complaining of the smaller battery, that's what mods are for. They made a compromise between the Moto Z and the Moto Z Force and just turned it into one phone, so its thinner but still has the shatterproof screen. This phone makes my s8+ feel like a tank. A laggy tank with terrible ram management lol
I'd like to second on how great the phone is, I actually gave up my iPhone 7+ for it. The last android I had was an LG G6 which I had only for a couple days, and it's wonderful. It's very fast, and even without any mods, I get great battery life. The one touch navigation is also pretty awesome. It's like everything I loved about my 7+ back in a customizable android interface I love.
I have to agree with the takes of this being a great phone. I left the S8 for it and don't regret it at all. While the S8 camera was a bit better in lower light and fast motion situations, nearly everything else on this phone is an improvement. Fast, responsive, feels light-weight UI, battery life excellent (avg 4-5 hr SOT). Definitely think Moto's take on mods is a great way to do it. Really looking forward to getting the projector and playing around with that as well.
Well add me to the list! 60+ years old and with this phone I feel like a kid in a candy store. Having a lot of fun with this phone and even started listening to music again.
Ordered Z2, also have S8+: the most important factor
Thank you T-Mobile for allowing bootloader unlock of Z2 Force! I ordered the Moto Z2 Force earlier today. My Samsung S8+ is also nice but Samsung largely ruins it by not allowing US Snapdragon S8/S8+/Note 8 bootloader unlock, and by gimmicky crap like Bixby that eats up RAM.
But, why should someone endure the abuse that is disallowing bootloader unlock (e.g., by Samsung in this instance)? Such is why I will never again buy a phone that does not have a bootloader that can be unlocked, and why I ordered a T-Mobile Z2 Force!
i agree as well, first Moto phone and only complaint i have is the speakerphone like the OP noted. hopefully there will be a fix, but other than that, this phone is perfect for me, waiting for my projector mod and plan on getting either the game pad or JBL speaker mod. would love the Hasselblad mod but will have to save up for that one
This phone is awesome, I jumped from a S8+, then like a fool fell for marketing hype and again jumped to the Note 8.
But I am back in with my Z2 Force.
So i have had both the Samsung S8+ and Note 8 but still prefer my Z2 Force
CadillacMike said:
This phone is awesome, I jumped from a S8+, then like a fool fell for marketing hype and again jumped to the Note 8.
But I am back in with my Z2 Force.
So i have had both the Samsung S8+ and Note 8 but still prefer my Z2 Force
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're the perfect person to ask for this. I was hoping to find someone that has had experience with all 3. I have a Z2 and an s8+ (it's for sale). I haven't used the s8 in 3 weeks or more and I switched back to it last night and used it half the day today. It is UNBEARABLE. It is the slowest turd, I just can't believe it. I don't remember it being this bad. I checked for updates and did what I could but it is out insanely slow. Like apps take 3 times as long to launch, horrible ram management and just delays and stutter all the time. It takes twice as long just to go to the home screen for example.
Is the note 8 like that? I haven't played with a note 8 yet, but everything online shows it spanking the s8. Just wondering how it stacks up to the Z2. Thanks for reading.
Note 8 felt sluggish to me. Both the Z2 Force and the Mate 9 are faster.
Z2 is faster than the Mate 9.
I think the S8+, Note 8, and the Z2 Force all have the same 835. The Note 8 just has 6GB of RAM as opposed to 4.
And I am no Samsung hater, I have had the Note 2, 3, 4, 8, Galaxy S3, S5, S7 Edge, and S8+.
I also currently have and use the S3 Frontier, Samsung Level U Bluetooth, and Samsung Level Box Mini.
I also think Samsung's calendar is the best in the business. I also like their dialer and keyboard, although SwiftKey is my favorite.
The Z series is just great. And the Z2 Force takes it to another level. You got full flagship specs and the light skin of Moto.
Just enough cool stuff to not be boring like Stock Android, while still being light enough that it flies.
And absolutely nothing can beat that double chop for flashlight
CadillacMike said:
Note 8 felt sluggish to me. Both the Z2 Force and the Mate 9 are faster.
Z2 is faster than the Mate 9.
I think the S8+, Note 8, and the Z2 Force all have the same 835. The Note 8 just has 6GB of RAM as opposed to 4.
And I am no Samsung hater, I have had the Note 2, 3, 4, 8, Galaxy S3, S5, S7 Edge, and S8+.
I also currently have and use the S3 Frontier, Samsung Level U Bluetooth, and Samsung Level Box Mini.
I also think Samsung's calendar is the best in the business. I also like their dialer and keyboard, although SwiftKey is my favorite.
The Z series is just great. And the Z2 Force takes it to another level. You got full flagship specs and the light skin of Moto.
Just enough cool stuff to not be boring like Stock Android, while still being light enough that it flies.
And absolutely nothing can beat that double chop for flashlight
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep chop chop ftw lol Use it every single day. Thanks for the heads up about the note. I still might check one out sometime, but for now though I'm loving my Z2.