[Q] Too get S5 or not? - AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 5

Currently, I am still using my S2(i777). Even though I know the S5 is a more than worthy upgrade, I am wondering if at this point I should hold out until the Nexus 6 or something else comes out? I currently run CM on my S2 and from I have read I cannot run that on the S5. How does every one else like the Stock based ROMs coming from CM?

I would love to get an S5 (or a Note 3) but won't until the bootloader is unlocked and I can load roms like Cyanogen or Slim. It is a real shame that I have had 4.4.4 for almost two months on my two year old Note 2 and cannot get a new AT&T Samsung phone with it.

I'm there now as well. I have a couple of Skyrockets (i727) that are still going strong. One had to have a power button worked on, but both are still solid. I'm running a build of CM11 with a custom kernel, putting KitKat 4.4.4 on both, and they are running great. However, great is a relative term - music still skips sometimes when I get an email or text message, and a lot of apps are getting pokey on them. I also wonder how much longer root will even be achievable, and I'd like to get some modern hardware before the gate is completely closed.
I'm torn between the Galaxy S5, which has the features I like, but will probably never be bootloader unlocked (and thus stuck on whatever Android kernel is present when Samsung gets tired of it) and the HTC One M8, which can be bootloader unlocked immediately, but which has a low-res camera, non-removable battery, and seems to have questionable quality assurance (despite the snazzy metal case)
I might could live with the locked bootloader, as it appears there are some work-arounds, but cyanogenmod definitely added a significant amount of life to my current phone. The Galaxy SII Skyrocket started with Gingerbread...
I just don't know.

It's a great phone. Unlocked or not. We got root so that's big. Knox is intact as well. It's your call. I'm coming from HTC m7 and this phone is so much better. The camera, waterproof (legit- I have run in a downpour on purpose) beautiful screen, sdcard, and it's fast. I really love it.
I do miss unlocked and cyanogenmod but the best device for that is a Nexus IMO. I'll look for that. But Samsung did well with the s5.

Related

[Q] Note 3 / HTC One / Nexus 5

So I happen to have all of these devices right now either in person or on order and am really having trouble deciding which to keep. I use AT&T for all of them. I was wondering, I haven't seen any direct comparisons of these three in particular - so here are the pros of each that I've noted:
Note 3:
Sick screen size
Stylus
Battery life
HTC One:
Best build quality of any phone
Amazing screen
Incredible audio
Nexus 5:
Easiest to mod
Cool feel
Cheap?
Note 3 in particular has massive flaws like all the samsung garbage on it - and I have not yet been able to figure out how to safely mod the stupid AT&T version, which is crap. What are your thoughts on this and which would you stick with?
The Note 3 is easy to remove, so you can get rid of the bloatware. The only thing that sucks is that the bootloader is locked.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Pandawg said:
The Note 3 is easy to remove, so you can get rid of the bloatware. The only thing that sucks is that the bootloader is locked.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been hugely frustrating to me. As much as I like the phone it's a feature that's driving me nuts. I've even though about the Lumia 1520 just to get a sick size/quality screen. If only Windows phone was more competent...
asvalgard said:
This has been hugely frustrating to me. As much as I like the phone it's a feature that's driving me nuts. I've even though about the Lumia 1520 just to get a sick size/quality screen. If only Windows phone was more competent...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The locked bootloader? It's bad, but I've come to like the stock firmware on the phone. There's no law at all, and I just removed the bloatware I don't like with root. J just hope that the bootloader will be unlocked by someone down the road. The battery life and beautiful screen make up for the locked bootloader for me.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
This is exactly what I'm struggling with. If I hadn't gotten to taste 4.4 on my One and Nexus 5 I probably wouldn't care as much but I KitKat. To make things worse, I got my brother a Note 3 from Christmas so if I get rid of mine he'll be constantly reminding me of it and shaming me. Might have to stick with it though and I'm sure eventually someone will unlock the Bootloader anyway.
Note 3 is superior of the three right now. Bloatware is removable with Titanium Backup and root. Have multiview, gorilla glass 3, sd card slot (up to 64gb), and removable battery. Only thing wrong with it is, it doesn't feel natural in the hand, or you have to use two hands. Maybe its just me.
HTC One has great sound, yes but thats about it, but most of it seems like a gimmick because you have to enable the beats audio. I had one and had to be very careful with it because the phone was painted with anodized aluminium. Regardless of how careful i was, the screen had one little scratch and the paint chipped off. Sold it two days after I got it. Also, some application lagged for some reason.
Nexus 5 was my choice, because of stock and kitkat, but looking at the flaws made me decide to get a note 3. Flaws were, battery, camera, no sd card slot, no removable battery.
Besides, i mod my note 3 to look exactly like a Neuxs 5 with KitKat, with launchers, icons, fonts, status bar, etc.
http://i43.tinypic.com/23udks1.png
Note 3/ HTC One owner. It's a matter of preference and there will be trade offs with any device.
The more lag/stutter free experience - HTC One ( Sense and the One is by far and away the better experience as far as this goes)
Unique software features- Note 3, again by far,over the One and any other phone/phablet
Screen- Toss up, both are exceptional
Build- The One obviously feels sturdy, but I replaced a few of them due to the speakers relentlessly blowing. Still, Samsung puts fake chrome trim on the phones which chips, cracks and dents. The One is better here.
Updates- Both stink. They are trying to make money, plain and simple. That said, neither company will rush to update your phone to the latest and greatest.
Dev support/tinker ability- Samsung and at&t = locked bootloader, this alone is why I just signed with at&t when the Note came out, but will be leaving in a few months. It's unacceptable. One crushes here.
Sound- obviously the One but the speakers are such garbage that I prefer the Note. I use headphones when I wanna hear music anyway
Battery life- The note 3 would win, but there are a lot of people (myself included) that are suffering some sort of wakelock on unrooted notes. Something is crushing my battery and Android OS stays awake 4-5 hours causing my battery to die in 10-11 hours of almost no use. HTC One wins here. It is simply unacceptable to still have apps and bloat causing wakelocks.
Bloat- I was with Sprint on the One so I'll do a combo here. Sprint/One is by far the better choice than Samsung/at&t. Samsung and at&t have forced so much bloat, apps taking up space, things running causing wakelocks..there is just a mess of crap on this phone that does god knows what.
Camera- both are great, both are annoying as well. They take too long to take good pictures. They both have issues focusing at times. When they both work correctly, it's even as far as quality, but Samsung smokes the One in the features category
All that being said. I prefer my Note and sold the HTC One, partly due to the fact that I've rolled with HTC since the Hero but have grown tired of the issues they're having, partly due to the unique software features the Note has. They both have glaring issues. It's a matter of which ones you choose to accept.
Roy073096 said:
Note 3 is superior of the three right now. Bloatware is removable with Titanium Backup and root. Have multiview, gorilla glass 3, sd card slot (up to 64gb), and removable battery. Only thing wrong with it is, it doesn't feel natural in the hand, or you have to use two hands. Maybe its just me.
HTC One has great sound, yes but thats about it, but most of it seems like a gimmick because you have to enable the beats audio. I had one and had to be very careful with it because the phone was painted with anodized aluminium. Regardless of how careful i was, the screen had one little scratch and the paint chipped off. Sold it two days after I got it. Also, some application lagged for some reason.
Nexus 5 was my choice, because of stock and kitkat, but looking at the flaws made me decide to get a note 3. Flaws were, battery, camera, no sd card slot, no removable battery.
Besides, i mod my note 3 to look exactly like a Neuxs 5 with KitKat, with launchers, icons, fonts, status bar, etc.
http://i43.tinypic.com/23udks1.png
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All that being said. It's not just Samsung phones that at&t is locking the bootloader on. The one x had a locked bootloader and I'm pretty sure their htc one does as well as it would follow suite
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
It's funny I should stumble across this thread. I'm looking at my Nexus 5 right now, struggling to find a reason not to send it back. I just switched back to my Note 3 and it has been freezing on me for no reason. And I have seriously been considering buying another HTC One because I really liked that phone and regret selling it.
For me, it's like this:
Note 3
Apps/Accessories/Hardware compatibility is best - My fitbit, all new app updates, cases, etc.
Fast
Camera takes great photos and has great features
S Pen
Multi Window
Awkward to use one-handed
HTC One
Speakers are the bomb
Wonderful screen
Fast and fluid all the time
Love Sense as a skin
Camera is fast and has some great features, though not as robust as the Note 3
Good size for one-handed use
Camera does not produce great detail
Slow to charge
Nexus 5
Kitkat
Unlocked Bootloader
Fast and fluid
Great bargain
Camera is iffy. Camera app his horrendous. And I can't find a replacement app that I like.
Battery life has been disappointing
Screen is slightly washed out, especially compared to AMOLED screens and LCD screens like the G2 and HTC One
Speaker is pathetic
My current obsession is a phone that takes fast pictures. The Nexus 5 takes so long to focus and has such a slow shutter that every single picture I take of my dogs is blurry (they're always moving). The Note 3 doesn't have this issue and the HTC One snaps super fast photos as well. Also, the burst mode on the Note and One is great, second only to the iPhone 5s, in my opinion.
I have pretty much decided to send my Nexus 5 back to Google. I was set on replacing it with my Note 3, but then I started to get the random freezes and can't seem to pinpoint the cause. The One is looking mighty tempting right now, especially since I can land one in like-new condition for $300. I never had any problems with my One. I just wasn't thrilled by the photo quality (detail) and newer phones came out that caught my attention. I'm starting to think that I was hasty selling it.

Upgrades and other devices discussion here

Please use this thread for upgrade and or other other devices discussion.
Be respectful of others in doing so. Thanks
Aaa... I didnt saw this one. So I post my post here:
So Samsung made their S5 water resistant. Is Samsung going to release S5 Active?
I hope there will be S5 Active and future Actives toi. I really like hardware buttons and LCD screen. No typical AMOLED burned pixels.
What do you think? Will you move to S5? Me not. I like my S4 Active.
Are ee becomming new ui? I hope so, I saw small improvement s that helps uu and it looks less ugly. I want slow montion live hdr and focus change for oyr S4A.
Wysłane z mojego GT-I9295 przy użyciu Tapatalka
ewa12321 said:
So Samsung made their S5 water resistant. Is Samsung going to release S5 Active?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doubt it, why would they?
ewa12321 said:
What do you think? Will you move to S5? Me not. I like my S4 Active.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, for the following reasons:
My phone's already water resistant and dust resistant.
I already have a 3000mah (zero lemon) battery (200mah larger than S5).
I don't want a finger scanner or heart rate sensor.
While the processing power would be nice, my phone (with CM10.2 and other tweaks) already benches higher on AnTuTu than any other devices average (except phablets). Should last me a while.
While I would really like a better camera, I usually have a DSLR on me anyway, and this wasn't my main concern last time either.
No real design changes?
Is there any other hardware changes at all?
I will miss the updates and wider support that it would achieve though, but I'm willing to wait for a Note 4 for that.
tiskael said:
Doubt it, why would they?
No, for the following reasons:
My phone's already water resistant and dust resistant.
I already have a 3000mah (zero lemon) battery (200mah larger than S5).
I don't want a finger scanner or heart rate sensor.
While the processing power would be nice, my phone (with CM10.2 and other tweaks) already benches higher on AnTuTu than any other devices average (except phablets). Should last me a while.
While I would really like a better camera, I usually have a DSLR on me anyway, and this wasn't my main concern last time either.
No real design changes?
Is there any other hardware changes at all?
I will miss the updates and wider support that it would achieve though, but I'm willing to wait for a Note 4 for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S5 is like an inch upgrade of S4 Active, of course, with all the high end AMOLED, camera MP.. Basically that's it. S4 is cheaper and works well, especially coupled with some nice custom roms. BTW.. the 3000mah battery, the brand name is zero lemon??? Samsung doesn't have a larger capacity battery for S4 active. :crying:
vanyel said:
S5 is like an inch upgrade of S4 Active, of course, with all the high end AMOLED, camera MP.. Basically that's it. S4 is cheaper and works well, especially coupled with some nice custom roms. BTW.. the 3000mah battery, the brand name is zero lemon??? Samsung doesn't have a larger capacity battery for S4 active. :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the brand name is Zerolemon
Maybe?
The lack of development for this phone hampers it. My old SGS3 was better. It still works, but when it fell a year ago, it was cheaper to upgrade then to get the screen replaced.
I like the active, but the recent upgrade has broken more things than it fixed. I miss having changing out roms and being able to customize.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using xda app-developers app
good
is cyanogen mod working for s4?
Ive ported the at&t 4.3 stock rom to the i9295 but 3 things not working :crying:
WIFI and Ril (calls ,messages,etc)
Camera
hope i can upload a test build soon !
I had every top model from top manifacturers.Note 2/3,S 3/4,Mega 6.3,Nexus 4/5,XPZ,Padfone 2,One...and now return to Active for second time.For me its perfect.Top phone with no scare from BBQ,home and care repairs... I can use it with dirty hands and finaly both washed,its so easy!
Not Likely
After the appalling support the S4A has received from Samsung I will be changing to a Google nexus device or HTC. If it weren't for the likes of Spelgelius / Mythi / LeJay I'd be throwing the active in a deep dark river....
I'm lucky in that I get an upgrade every 8 months or so by passing down my phone to my lad, who then passes his to my wife.... Everyone gets a NEW phone... just mines the newest!!
monkeydogger said:
After the appalling support the S4A has received from Samsung I will be changing to a Google nexus device or HTC. If it weren't for the likes of Spelgelius / Mythi / LeJay I'd be throwing the active in a deep dark river....
I'm lucky in that I get an upgrade every 8 months or so by passing down my phone to my lad, who then passes his to my wife.... Everyone gets a NEW phone... just mines the newest!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you talking support accessory-wise? I mean, it shares many things with the s4 like the battery, and the software just upgraded to 4.4.2, so I'm not sure how that is appalling. The only one "official" accessory I wanted to see was a wireless charging back. Le sigh.
I've sent my S4a off to Samsung warranty repair twice now since last June. I purchased the phone the first day it came out at ATT. I also put it on T-Mobile the first day it came out.
Twice now I've had to send mine off to Samsung for the back button that stops working. First they gave me a new replacement phone, and recently they replaced everything but the main circuit board (new screen, bezel, buttons, charge port, etc).
I have less than 2 months left of warranty, so I'm not sure what I'm doing past June. Probably getting an S5 (AKA = S4 Active version 2.0).
I will NOT own this S4 Active without a warranty, it's proven to be a POS.
I have a question, (I'm sort of a noob) but, I upgraded to Stock 4.4.2 TW XXUCUNE5 and I want to get the custom rom Ressurection Remix 4.4.2, will this brick my device?
Sent from my GT-I9295 using XDA Free mobile app
TwoStroker37 said:
I've sent my S4a off to Samsung warranty repair twice now since last June. I purchased the phone the first day it came out at ATT. I also put it on T-Mobile the first day it came out.
Twice now I've had to send mine off to Samsung for the back button that stops working. First they gave me a new replacement phone, and recently they replaced everything but the main circuit board (new screen, bezel, buttons, charge port, etc).
I have less than 2 months left of warranty, so I'm not sure what I'm doing past June. Probably getting an S5 (AKA = S4 Active version 2.0).
I will NOT own this S4 Active without a warranty, it's proven to be a POS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on my 4th Active, had a problem with echoes during calls, and that was on the 1st day. Probably going to the G3 or M8....watching the G3 thread for bootloader unlock.
AlternativeWater said:
I have a question, (I'm sort of a noob) but, I upgraded to Stock 4.4.2 TW XXUCUNE5 and I want to get the custom rom Ressurection Remix 4.4.2, will this brick my device?
Sent from my GT-I9295 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ressurection Remix rom do not officially support S4 Active.
See resurrectionremix.com under list of Devices.
A correct installation of a supported custom rom for your device will not brick your device.
Forcing or installing a custom rom that is not supported for your device can brick your phone.
Since you upgraded to stock 4.4.2 you have now when in download mode Knox flag 0x0.
Any installation of a custom rom on your device will set the Knox flag to 0x1 and is irreversible meaning warranty will be void.
I bought mine off ebay, and tbh, I thought I was getting a regular S4. I'm kind of surprised at the lack of support for this phone too for as much as they hyped it as being super awesome. I do like it, though I'd rather have the regular S4. What I *really* want is to be able to run BeanStalk on it (it runs on the other S4 Active, not sure what the distinction is), but I'm holding on to this phone until it dies, hoping to buy a PhoneBloks style phone next.
Caboose27 said:
I bought mine off ebay, and tbh, I thought I was getting a regular S4. I'm kind of surprised at the lack of support for this phone too for as much as they hyped it as being super awesome. I do like it, though I'd rather have the regular S4. What I *really* want is to be able to run BeanStalk on it (it runs on the other S4 Active, not sure what the distinction is), but I'm holding on to this phone until it dies, hoping to buy a PhoneBloks style phone next.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The i537, which you have has a locked bootloader and the i9295 does not. What this means is that the bootloader with verify the signature of every zip file that you try to flash, the i9295 does not have this restriction. This means that they are able to flash custom kernels and custom recovery while us on the i537's cannot.
The i537 can flash custom ROMs that are based on the TouchWiz kernel through SafeStrap, however BeanStalk uses a custom kernel which means it cannot be installed you can flash it through SafeStrap and the phone will not boot. The ROM will be looking for a custom kernel and when it cannot find it, it will bootloop.
Hello,
I've just rooted my S4 Active i9295 with stock firmware 4.4.2 and managed to delete 27 apps that came preinstalled that I've never used such as ChatOn, Samsung apps etc. Are there any other tweaks that can improve my phone's performance? Is there something that especially needs to be deleted or what else should I do next to improve its performances?
Thank you
Games lag alot like subway surfer, and even sometimes keyboard too. It has 2GB ram, still dnt understand why. I hve very less apps installed. Reply is theres any solutions
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using XDA Free mobile app
Current state of custom ROMs on S4 Active?
Hello,
I have an AT&T S4 Active, SGH-I537. I have been able to root it, but haven't gone on to put on a custom ROM because the last I heard, the jackwagons at AT&T locked the phone down. But it looks like it is possible to do this now, but I am not sure because the forum posts are not clear. Is this possible?
If so, I am looking for something very fast, light and clean and for all the hardware to work. Is this available?
Thanks for any help!

Recommend the Note 3? What's to know before I buy?

Hi all, I've been a fan of the Note 3 since it came out but it was out of my budget (I buy unlocked), now it's very affordable, I'm very aware of the specs and hardware and what draws me to it on paper (the screen size, 1080p, removeable storage, replaceable battery, the S pen, etc.).
However, I'd like to hear from real users, do you like the phone? Do you recommend it? Is this a phone that I "have to" root+ load custom to make it "work right", or does it run ok stock? What's your take and feedback? I'd love to hear it.
What do you like about it? What do you hate about it? What's there to know before I decide to make the purchase?
Building on the root topic, how hard is it? I was on other forums and I remember many complaining about Samsung and their bloatware and how it's "unlockable" (but from what I understand it's not necessary to really have it unlocked while still being very powerful/customizable).
I looked at the LG G pro 2(5.9" screen, microsdxc, replaceable battery etc. great phone, but too expensive right now), Sony Xperia ZU (camera not that great, somewhat dated hardware, can't get it for dirt cheap anymore), Sony Xperia Z2 (smaller, but amazing camera). Any other phones to consider? (I won't consider a phone that doesn't have expandable memory, so no Nexus phones for me).
Any/all feedback welcome, thanks!
The Note 3 is fantastic phone, I had it for a week, It is faster than the Galaxy S4, I love its stock ROM that why I have the Galaxy S4 for almost a year and i did not changed it is ROM.
My Note 3 is an ATT phone and I have it unlock to use it with tmobile, rooting the phone was easy, but the ATT phone has a locked boot loader, so regular recovery does not work like other phone.
My advice is to use the stock ROM and start reas this forum, if you don't like the stock ROM after a while then think about rooting and other things, I broke my phone after one week after installing a custom ROM and have it not fixed yet.
I hope that helps
abofihmi said:
The Note 3 is fantastic phone, I had it for a week, It is faster than the Galaxy S4, I love its stock ROM that why I have the Galaxy S4 for almost a year and i did not changed it is ROM.
My Note 3 is an ATT phone and I have it unlock to use it with tmobile, rooting the phone was easy, but the ATT phone has a locked boot loader, so regular recovery does not work like other phone.
My advice is to use the stock ROM and start reas this forum, if you don't like the stock ROM after a while then think about rooting and other things, I broke my phone after one week after installing a custom ROM and have it not fixed yet.
I hope that helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Appreciate the input! I was doing some reading and found out that the T-Mobile version does not have a locked bootloader and can be rooted and unlocked. I think I might end up trying to get a n900T instead of the n900A (though I may change my mind because I just need a phone to work out of the box for the time being.. I don't know if I'll have much time to screw around with custom roms just yet).
Although... I heard of people not getting full speeds on LTE with the Tmobile version on At&t, even with correct APN settings. I found it to be "inconculsive" for now, I'll keep looking, but I probably do need a phone soooon!
My ATT note 3 gives amazing speed on T-Mobile network, speed test reports 60 mbps.
not sure how tmobile phone works over ATT network.
abofihmi said:
My ATT note 3 gives amazing speed on T-Mobile network, speed test reports 60 mbps.
not sure how tmobile phone works over ATT network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, wow, interesting how the n900a gets good speeds on T-mobile's network.
Btw, you mentioned that you broke your phone, was it a note 3? I soft bricked my Asus TF700, thank God it's working now. Yeah, flashing and reflashing can be cumbersome and risky if you don't read the details and something small goes wrong, I think I got my softbrick from a dirty flash, it was such a headache.
Yes, my note 3 is currently broken and I am waiting for the power button to come, hopefully that will bring it back.
see my post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-3-att/help/note-3-failed-to-charge-phone-off-t2986953
Definitely do not buy an n900a due to a locked bootloader. It's going to be a fast phone with or without root but I rooted it added firekat rom combined with nova launcher,greenify, some personal customization mods and I absolutely love it although I hardly ever use the s pen as much as I thought so I wouldn't let that be a selling point for you no matter how much you think you may use it.

Working 6 months with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (910F), 5 Years with Samsung

Working 6 months with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (910F), 5 Years with Samsung
I am not a regular user / buyer. I have many smartphones and when I like a brand, i am buying everything i can from the same brand.
Until 5 years ago, I was working only with HTC. I bought 8 HTC smartphones.
And then I discovered Samsung.
From then, I bought 10 Samsung smartphones, 3 Samsung Smart TVs and more.
But my passion to Samsung started to crack, and all because of my Note 4 issues.
When I received the Note 4, it was amazing - excellent battery life, everything worked perfect.
And then came updates...
After the first update, the Note 4 started to have bluetooth issues - I need to make restart twice a day in order to work with my bluetooth headsets (even with Samsung headsets).
With more updates, the battery life dropped dramatically. After the Lollipop update, the battery is dropping 3-5% per hour, without using it. Android OS and bluetooth dropped the most.
Dont tell me to make hard reset - I made it twice.
Its time to leave Samsung and work with a company that can give me what Samsung gave me until two years ago.
Samsung will need to convince me that it improved before I will return.
using bluetooth everyday with my car audio, and bluetooth headset never had any problem.
battery life never changed for me with any update. 6 hours sot generally.
maybe the Exynos is better.
The exynos is not any better, I had it for nearly a month, but returned it yesterday. Just like the op, I became a fan of samsung since I bought the S3 because of the removeable back and exchangeable battery, memory card support, and of course the tons of roms here on XDA. I was a HTC user (Desire and Desire HD). Now Samsung seems to be going that route, so it is time for me to look for alternatives, but can't find one I like at the moment. Worse comes to worse when there is no manufacturer making removable battery and sd card support, I will not buy samsung. I would rather but a NEXUS phone which will have updates from google. Heck my dauthers' 3 year old Nexus 7 toys are still running 5.1.1 without me doing anything.
I understand what you're saying. I have the Note 4 now, before that a few Nokias, an LG G3, Sony Xperia Z2, and before that, the Note 2 (best phone I had owned). I'm very disappointed in Samsung's issues. If Samsung doesn't fix this issue before I get a new phone in a few months probably, I'll ditch Samsung for good. Battery life is horrible. Camera is good in AWESOME lighting conditions, and in EVERY OTHER condition, it's SOOO grainy and terrible! Focusing isn't good. My 2013 Nokia 1520 took MUCH better pictures than this Note 4, except in good lighting. Also, 4 different roms (all official) and I still have that STUPID multitasking button delay. My Samsung tablet from 2 years ago is MUCH faster at bringing up the multitasking screen! 2GB ram and SD800 processor w/ same resolution!
I really hate to say it, but I am very disappointed in all the money I spent in this phone. I should have returned it when I had the chance ... Xperia Z3, or Z4 now... LG G4... Nexus 6. I know EVERY device has its issues, but I always need 2 things: Battery life and good camera performance. From ALL the reviews, the Note 4 had these... I really can't trust reviewers on youtube... I guess they must praise the Samsung devices or else they won't get review units before release... Meh....
I really hope Samsung can fix these issues....
/rant off.
Updates to the software ruined it for you? Then go back to what it was like when everything was perfect.
MDaveUK said:
Updates to the software ruined it for you? Then go back to what it was like when everything was perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, even before updates ruined it, it was buggy from the get go. For example, I had the GPS tag problem right out of the box. When trying to take a picture, sometimes it wouldn't lock on to the GPS coordinates in time. Other phones will continue to try to find the GPS lock and then add it to the image a few seconds after the image is taken, but not the Note 4! That was a really big issue that was fixed with the update to Lollipop, but it brought along with it a whole slew of other issues. So no, updates didn't ruin it, updates fixed some things and broke others.
Returning back is not always smooth.
Any way - some of the updates are security updates so its a problematic not to update.
Yeah, I guess that will be my first and last samsung phone. Some months back I was unsure to get the nexus 6 or samsung note 4, because I wanted a bigger phone. Wish I had waited for the nexus 6...
Problem was not the hardware, that is really high quality and everything works like it should. Also batterie is fine, in most cases it was something else that kept the phone from sleeping, like google+.
Really awesome is the QI Case from samsung, so I can load wireless and it's protected (great quality!). Also the small window with infos
But the downside is the software and the efuse. I had many phones in my hands till now (it in our company) from mid/high end android, apple, tablets etc.
I NEVER had a software on a phone that pissed me off like samsung did. Compared to my nexus 4 I had before, the performance was abysmal. I knew TW was known to be slow, but I mean the cpu is fast as hell, 3 GB RAM etc. - that should count for something right? There is so much crap preinstalled and badly coded, it hurts.
Never wanted to root my phone, but I really needed to do it. With a custom mod and kernel it was a bit faster, also lolipop was better then 4.4.4 in subjective speed. But when I installed CM on the phone, I saw for the first time WHAT this piece of fine hardware can actually do. I also installed the same apps and no difference in speed. It was nice and fast like my nexus 4. Too bad I had to kick CM because of the bugs still around at that time. So it really is the software, nothing else.
My next phone will be a nexus again or - if good - something from LG, Sony or a Google play edition. If I could I would change it right now for a lg g4 or a nexus 6.
If samsung want's to be a real opponent to apple, they have to keep the changes to android at the lowest possible (like CM) and everything else as app. That would fasten updates by a wide margin. Also a business and private user brand with and without knox. And some kind of software selection system, that disables services or deinstalls them, if not needed like you won't need samsung link without a samsung tv.

Is upgrading to MM worth it for note 4?

So I see lots of people regretting the upgrade to 6.0.1 MM and saying they're not able to go back to 5.1.1.... So what's the consensus? Stick with 511 or upgrade to 601mm
Always has people complaint sths when upgrading OS , even with iOS. You know, we can't have a 100% bug free OS, i'm using 6.0 and have no issue
I just bought this phone (N910T) refurb, haven't used a Samsung since the S4 and was out of the loop with rooting and flashing it. I just went ahead and flashed it from 5.1.1 to TWRP & Cyanogen, then 6.0.1 (EPG2), then back to DOK2, then back EPG2. So far no problem.
The only issue I ran into was the GPS was crap and the data signal wasn't working half of the time. Opened up the phone and found the data antenna not connected fully, and bending up the GPS gold contact a bit, now both are working good.
I'm actually using this over my previous Nexus 6P. I was very biased against Samsung, especially for the build quality and Touchwiz. But using this with Knox removed, and all the features built in, I just realize no other phones offer the same features right now. I haven't used a phone that stay connected to T-Mo WiFi so well, maybe because it's a T-Mo branded device. Both my Moto X Pure and Nexus 6P gets cut out from it constantly. I can imagine getting the Note 7 next since it probably will drop in price due to the debacle.
eksasol said:
I just bought this phone (N910T) refurb, haven't used a Samsung since the S4 and was out of the loop with rooting and flashing it. I just went ahead and flashed it from 5.1.1 to TWRP & Cyanogen, then 6.0.1 (EPG2), then back to DOK2, then back EPG2. So far no problem.
The only issue I ran into was the GPS was crap and the data signal wasn't working half of the time. Opened up the phone and found the data antenna not connected fully, and bending up the GPS gold contact a bit, now both are working good.
I'm actually using this over my previous Nexus 6P. I was very biased against Samsung, especially for the build quality and Touchwiz. But using this with Knox removed, and all the features built in, I just realize no other phones offer the same features right now. I haven't used a phone that stay connected to T-Mo WiFi so well, maybe because it's a T-Mo branded device. Both my Moto X Pure and Nexus 6P gets cut out from it constantly. I can imagine getting the Note 7 next since it probably will drop in price due to the debacle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What kind of features does it have that your 6P didn't, aside from the T-Mobile WiFi calling connection being better? The only feature that stands out to me is the S-pen, but that caters to a stylus user.
I've been contemplating going to the 6P since my Note 4 was crippled by the MM update. I have a friend that went to the 6P and doesn't miss his Note 4.
duh-rel said:
What kind of features does it have that your 6P didn't, aside from the T-Mobile WiFi calling connection being better? The only feature that stands out to me is the S-pen, but that caters to a stylus user.
I've been contemplating going to the 6P since my Note 4 was crippled by the MM update. I have a friend that went to the 6P and doesn't miss his Note 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably a good idea to wait till the new Google Pixel is released for the 6P price to go down further.
It's really depended features you're looking for.
On the Nexus 6P side, it's is going to feel a lot snappier. The build quality is somewhat better. The dual speakers are going to sound better. The screen is slightly better too, unfortunately it's too blue. I like the Note ability to adjust the screen temp a bit without custom rom/kernel. The camera is clearly better and more detailed, however the Note 4 does better marco shot. Of course, the finger print scanner is much better. And overall signal quality, especially GPS is superior. It is less wide and will be more comfortable to use. The biggest plus of a Nexus is (reliable) monthly security updates. And of course, much much harder to brick and easier to fiddle with.
On the other side, I think Samsung multitasking is much better than stock Android, which does have dual screen on Android 7. I like the pop up window feature a lot. IR Blaster and MicroSD are a big pro. "Game mode" is important for me because some games lose a lot of frame rates with these 1440p screens. On the Nexus, I could change resolution to the entire system only, which mean texts will be less sharp, and it causes the App drawer button in some launchers to be off center. Use the wrong resolution and the phone can't boot -> factory reset. Also I like the pedometer and heart rate monitor. Mainly I like the fact that these features are well integrated into the OS and don't have to install third party apps to get them, which usually doesn't work as well.
My biggest dislike out of a phone is poor GPS and data performance, because I drive a lot. Unfortunately, the Note 4 have a bit off that, but not bad enough to be a deal breaker. Again T-mo WiFi Calling is one of main decider for me. Nexus 6P does have Project Fi and ability to work with all US carriers in one device, which is a big plus.
Araltd said:
So I see lots of people regretting the upgrade to 6.0.1 MM and saying they're not able to go back to 5.1.1.... So what's the consensus? Stick with 511 or upgrade to 601mm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I honestly felt 6.0.1 ruined my gaming experience and overall was not as "quick" as 5.1.1.
With Samsung's Game Tuner and its related apps, and those apps and settings not being fully supported on the Note 4, that just hurt performance way to much. Source on that info is in the Game Tuner app. Now I should note, the apps do still function but, 5.1.1 without all of that game tuner stuff was much better for me in any game.
It isn't so much about that we can't have a 100% bug free OS, what it came down to was 6.0.1 is not as smooth as 5.1.1 on the Note 4, flat out. Overall tasks were laggy and 6.0.1 did not feel as polished as 5.1.1, noticeably IMO.
I have a 910T and can upgrade/downgrade from 6.0.1 and 5.1.1 as I please, so it is possible depending on your model.
I chose to stick with 5.1.1 for the above reasons.
My device is a original released (2 year old) T910 model.
So you've been able to downgrade 6.0.1 back to 5.1.1? That's great. That gives me an opportunity to test it out without fear of getting stuck.
After using the phone for a few weeks now, I decided the best thing is to downgrade to DOK2 (5.1.1), and use Debloater to turn off Knox and OTA update (com.wssynccmldm), also CleanMaster. Normally, on a stock Android device I would prefer the newest version, but for this device, there are too many bugs and some performance issues with 6.0.1.

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