NOT DONE YET but here's my pretty long review of the Samsung Focus S and comparing it to the original Samsung Focus. I tried to go over every single thing I could possibly think of and hopefully someone appreciates it! Post any questions you have and I hope others will post their experiences as well.
Still in progress: CPU benchmarks, 4G speed tests, camera review and examples, battery life, some videos.
Performance
CPU - Still working on this!
With the faster processor loading times are definitely shorter on apps and games. You'll notice that XBOX Live and Marketplace both open a second quicker. Also you will see better performance within apps, with less lagging and faster scrolling. Runs great and I'm loving the performance boost.
(Benchmarks coming soon)
GPU
The upgraded GPU is great! I tested Super Mario Bros 3 on an NES emulator and was getting 48-55 fps WITH sound and 60 fps without! Plays near perfectly.
(Video coming soon)
4G - Still working on this!
So far I haven't noticed much of a speed increase. I live in a 4G covered area and I get 5 bars at home. I will do some more studying and speed testing and get back to this.
Internet sharing is listed on the settings page but when attempting to turn it on you get a message about signing up for an appropriate tethering plan. If you reload internet sharing through provision xml it will get rid of the message.
RAM
A few apps report it as having 354MB of RAM. They report the Focus as having 481mb. Both have 512MB and the 'missing' RAM is not useable because it's dedicated to the GPU. You won't even know it's gone though and the GPU's increased performance is worth it. I tried a test where I launched Fruit Ninja, Hydro Thunder GO, Sonic The Hedgehog Episode 1, and Twin Blades and checked the RAM usage. All games were in the middle of gameplay (not at the start screen) and dehydrate on pause was disabled allowing them to all stay where they were at in the game. My peak RAM usage reported as only 31MB.
GPS & WiFi
I tried them and they work just as they should. Still unable to connect to hidden WiFi networks though.
Battery - Still working on this!
I still need to go through a few more power cycles to know what it's like for sure. I'm a heavy user and I'm on my phone all day long so it does not last me the whole day. I'll post more info once I have a better idea.
Keyboard
Right now there is an issue with the keyboard. Many people think the keyboard is lagging. However I think it's just the keyboard tap sounds that are delayed. It makes it really annoying to type because you THINK it's lagging. To me the letters come up just as fast as I type them and when you turn off the sound it doesn't seem delayed in the slightest. It should only take a simple update to fix that.
Hardware
This phone is much thinner and lighter than the Focus. It does not feel too big in hand and I think it's a perfect size. After only using it for the first few hours, my Focus already felt like a brick compared to it. When pictures of the Focus S first came out I didn't like the aesthetics of the textured backplate but it feels nice in hand and adds some much needed grip. I wished the bezel around the around of the phone was less pronounced and it looked more like the original Focus in that aspect. At first it kinda feels cheapish because it is plastic and extremely light but I've gotten over that and no longer feel that way. The device feels solid. The backplate on it is the thinnest piece of plactic ever and it will bend and can easily break. Not extremely difficult to take off and I actually like it better than the Focus' which I thought was a pain to take off because I felt like I was gonna break the phone while doing so. A nice little added touch is that when you tap on a capacitive button it will dim the button's backlight a little bit.
Screen
The bigger screen size is great but my feelings about this SAMOLED+ display are mixed. I have a huge problem with the display and that is a ghosting/blurring issue. Whenever you are scrolling through lists the texts is blurry and once you stop you can see it 'snap' into focus again. It's also noticeable during animations such as launching XBOX Live. This might not bother some but to me I find it highly annoying! I don't experience it on my Focusat all. May be my biggest issue with the phone.
Another issue with the display is the brightness. I guess Samsung wanted to preserve as much battery life as possible and they made the lowest brightness of the screen extremely LOW. But let me explain, the maximum brightness is plenty bright, the problem is just the minimum brightness level. When comparing the Focus and Focus S both on the highest setting; the Focus S is definitely brighter, and on the lowest setting: the Focus S is way dimmer. The issue is what they have set for the lowest screen brightness, it's just too damn low! You will need to keep your phone on atleast medium brightness, low is pretty much unuseable and that's not even talking about during outside use. This also affects the automatic setting as well and it will be way too low most of the time. I don't think the brightness issue is a big deal though because:
1- It can easily be fixed with an update.
2- I put together a file you can deploy to your unlocked phone that will edit the registry to increase the brightness of the low setting. It will make the low setting similar to the brightness of the Focus' low setting. The only issue is it will NOT fix the automatic setting and that will continue to be way too dim.
Also there is another new setting that will mess up your brightness levels. Samsung added a page to settings called Extra Settings that will bring up the option to turn on/off the following:
Auto Display Intensity
Key Vibration Feedback
Echo Cancellation
Auto Display Intensity needs to be turned OFF. With it on you will notice the brightness constantly flickering, especially on a light background. It's extremely annoying. The problem though is you can turn it off but the setting doesn't want to stick! If you soft reset your phone it will turn back on and you'll need to switch it off again. Trust me you'll want to... I find it horrible. The did release an update for Extra Settings in the marketplace but it did not solve this issue. Atleast we know it's a simple app update through the marketplace though.
I think the Super AMOLED Plus' colors look a little fake and more saturated. I don't think it's too terrible though. The Focus' colors may be more true, but during movie playback I like how the Focus S' colors looked. Daylight use is fine as long as your on atleast medium brightness. Viewing angles are pretty good.
One last thing about the display. I did experience some weird flickering on my device the second day I had it. It hasn't happened since then but I don't think it's a good sign. I did get to take a video of it. It's hard to see it in the video because it kinda looks like distortion from filming but look closely, all those dark flickering bands you see are happening on the screen.
I don't know if it will happen again but if anyone else has experienced it let me know!
Camera - Still working on this!
Well this camera is definitely quicker than the Focus' and when holding each phones in the same spot, the Focus S will give you a greater viewing range and you'll be able to see more in the frame. But other than that I don't think the camera is much of an improvement on the Focus'. I'm still working on taking examples on both phones for a comparison. The camera offers no new settings (such as HTC's burst and panorama modes). I tested the LED on both the Focus S and the Focus in the dark and I think the Focus' LED is slightly brighter but it's pretty close and hard to tell. Overall I'm don't think I'm impressed with the camera.
I haven't taken any videos with the camera yet and will get to that later.
Front Facing Camera
It's there and it works! Quality is not great of course... standard poor webcam-type quality. Tango works great though and hopefully Skype will be released soon. Ability to use your phone as a mirror is nice. Pictures taken with the front facing cam are reversed after being taken, which I think is kinda annoying.
Storage
16GB actually meanings 14.07GB total. After a fresh install Zune will show you that 1GB is used with 12.53GB free. If you go into Zune's setting and lower reserved space to 0% it will give you 335.78MB used and 13.20GB free. It was depressing finding out the Focus S would only have 16GB instead of 32GB and no MicroSD slot. I never used the MicroSD slot in my Focus in fear of a random hard reset so 16GB is still an upgrade for me. I kept some music on my Focus (around 2 or 3GB) but no movies (never had space for them). My Focus was filled completely so it's nice to have some breathing room now. Even though it's not ideal I think 16GB is sufficient enough for now.
Speakers
First of all the speaker on the back is at the bottom of the phone. I think this is a poor position for it. While holding the phone your hand will tend to cover it and distort the sound. The loudspeaker is also not as loud as the Focus and doesn't sound as good. The sound with headphones plugged in was disappointing. Compared to the Focus it sounded very flat. The Focus has more bass and music sounds much better on it. Samsung doesn't offer any sort of equalizer app. Headphone volume also doesn't get as loud.
Microphone
I did a test where I recorded myself talking on both the Focus S and the Focus at the same time. The Focus S had a noticeable static in the background while the Focus' recording did not.
MicroUSB
The MicroUSB port is at the bottom now. It seems like it makes more sense to have it at the bottom. No little door covering it but I don't miss it. It's low profile and hassle free. If you keep your phone in a cup holder or so while driving it may be awkward to have it plugged in now. But it is easier to talk on the phone with it plugged in at the bottom. The moved it to the bottom but you know Samsung won't release a dock for this phone, it's a shame.
Buttons
The buttons on the phone feel really good, easy, and very pressable!
Call quality
So far I haven't had any dropped calls. Seems pretty decent in that regard. BUT I've been told there is an obvious decrease in sound quality on the other end since getting my new phone. Multiple times I've been told that the other person couldn't hear me at all. It seems to happen when I have the phone about 4-5 inches from my mouth (for example when I'm laying down and have the phone on pillow). The in-call volume is still too low just like the Focus. I wish I was able to hold the phone more than a few inches away from my head and still hear it. Speakerphone is pretty mediocre and not great. I'm disappointed with the microphone and speakers on this phone.
Homebrew
The current registry editors out there do not work. Only way to edit registry is with using a provisioning xml. I have used this method to enable the instant resume hack and to increase the brightness when on the low setting. I tried to change accent colors using this method but so far have been unsuccessful.
Interop unlock works but doesn't. You are able to install the unlock, removing your sideload limit and getting rid 0x81030120 error when deploying interop apps. BUT the apps you deploy won't work. They will either fail to start or their functions just won't work.
The diagnosis app is installed the same way as before (dialing ##634#). It is version 0923. Not all the codes are the same though! *#77284# (tethering) and *#9908# (GPRS Manager) still work. Some other ones that I tried like Auto SIM Configure do not.
USB tethering is possible! Similar to tethering on the Focus but an extra step is need as discovered by dbrandusa. See instructions here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=19175627&postcount=8
Overall
Pros
New CPU/GPU offers a definite increase in speed and power. App launching, app performance, gaming, HTML5 all benefit from it
Bigger screen size and yet thinner and lighter, perfectly sized device in my opinion
Bigger storage capacity (but no MicroSD)
4G capable (but don't expect a significant speed increase)
Has front facing camera (even though quality is nothing special)
Easy to press buttons
Cons
SAMOLED+ display produces very annoying ghosting/blurring. Also potential flicker issue
Microphone has some static and issues with other people not hearing you during the call
Speakers are not as loud as Focus' and sound flat
Camera is not much of an improvement
Headphone quality is much worse than Focus' (needs more bass)
Headphone cable controls do not work anymore (Unsure if it's an issue with the aux design or a software issue)
Delayed keyboard tap bug *can be fixed with update*
Extremely low brightness when on low or automatic settings. Annoying "auto intensity display" setting that turns itself on after each soft reset *can be fixed with update*
I really want to love this device. Looking at it sitting there I just want to grab it and play with it much more than my Focus. But I think I was happier with it until I starting comparing it side by side with my Focus. At that point I started seeing it's flaws. I love the faster CPU & GPU, dimensions, screen size, storage upgrade, having a front facing camera, but the biggest dealbreakers for me are the ghosting on the display, poor headphone sound quality, and in-call microphone issues. I will definitely be exchanging it for a HTC Titan on the 20th and I'll see how I feel about that device. If I decide it's too big, the pixel density is too low, or some other major issue I will come back to the Focus S. If you have a Focus or other first generation device and debating between upgrading to the Focus S or waiting to see what is coming (from Nokia and such): just ask yourself are you content with your current storage capacity and screen size? Do you really need your apps to load a second earlier? Do you HAVE to have a front facing camera? If you do need those things NOW and the Titan is too big of a device for you than I think it'll be worth the upgrade. If you do get one you'll just have to be patient for the bug fixes though. If it's your first Windows Phone you'll probably be content with it as long as you turn the brightness up.
Does it seem faster?
MartyLK said:
Does it seem faster?
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Click to collapse
Absolutely, in my opinion.
---------- Post added at 07:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:38 PM ----------
On another side note, it's crazy how different the AT&T rep was today compared with last year. Maybe it was just that particular store, but the rep that sold it to me was blown away by it's responsiveness and decided to show it off to 3 other reps before handing it over to me. They only had two in stock (one was on display)...so I got lucky. But, I remember last year...and the rep that sold me the focus had spent some time trying to sell me an Android or iPhone even after he knew I was there for the Focus. So, is it a change in AT&T training for WP7, or that the product speaks for itself?
i went to an at&t store today, and the focus S and focus flash were sitting in a lonely corner the store was packed but not a single other person besides me was looking at it, haha
---------- Post added at 02:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:01 AM ----------
could you take some photo samples? I wonder if its the same lens from the GS2, that has pretty high praise for its camera
does your unit overheat when running graphic intensive games? I also noticed that autocontrast is quite poor
have you experienced this?
How does the quality of both the primary camera and front facing camera seem to other phones you've used in the past?
I picked up a Focus S today - like the OP said, it and the Flash were tucked away in the corner of the store. I use an iPhone, but was looking to upgrade an Android phone on our plan and have been interested in trying W7 Phone. The store had exactly one Focus S in stock.
First impression - really light, almost freakishly so. Fairly thin - a little lip at the bottom makes it easier to hold. Screen changes and app loading is very snappy. Screen is terrific.
One nice touch - bloatware, and there is some, is very easily removed. It's much closer to the iPhone where there is zero bloatware as opposed to an Android phone where you literally have to root the thing to remove the nonsense. (An Motorola Android phone on the ATT network might have upwards of two dozen preinstalled, unremovable apps.)
Can't really comment on anything else given that I'm about six hours into this Windows Phone thing.
I just picked up my first windows phone, focus s, i notice that when you lay it on its back, you can possibly scratch up the camera lense/cover over time....why would they design it to stick out like that?
Focus S vs. Focus
Here's some pics I took of Focus S vs Focus. It's hard to get a true feel of the difference b/w the two in regards to the screen, but I think a few of these pics are able to show it.
Samsung Focus S
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Samsung Focus
Wow, The S-Amoled Plus screen makes a big difference in the Eli Manning Photos
bennyj71 said:
Wow, The S-Amoled Plus screen makes a big difference in the Eli Manning Photos
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Click to collapse
The Focus has a screen protector on it, and that could make a difference.
Seed 2.0 said:
The Focus has a screen protector on it, and that could make a difference.
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Click to collapse
Maybe,but the picture on the Focus is pixalated. Would a screen protector cause that?
bennyj71 said:
Maybe,but the picture on the Focus is pixalated. Would a screen protector cause that?
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Click to collapse
That would be the pen-tile matrix of the Super AMOLED display.. it has fewer sub-pixels than the Super AMOLED Plus display in the Focus S.
Notice how the text is blurrier in the Focus pictures? (look at the marketplace picture in particular)
here's a good comparison (not the focus.. but galaxy S and S II.. which use the same kind of screen as the focus and the focus S respectively)
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Supe...AMOLED-to-the-PenTile-matrix-and-back_id18700
I think thay should made the Focus S a bit more like the original Focus. in my opinion the design of the original Focus is great.
Anyway a good phone
Were there any cases for Focus S in stores? I do not see any listed on AT&T site and I can not buy a phone without a case.
---------- Post added at 08:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:36 AM ----------
suua said:
I think thay should made the Focus S a bit more like the original Focus. in my opinion the design of the original Focus is great.
Anyway a good phone
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Click to collapse
The only thing that irks me is the location of the USB port. While in car I keep my phone docked and having the car charger plugged in on top makes my phone physically unstable.
None of you has used a SGS2? The Focus S is almost a direct external copy of the international/AT&T version. There's a reason Samsung has sold as many as they have in so short a time. Far superior to the Onmia/Focus/Flash.
No, there were no cases in stock and none listed in the ATT system.
Thought I was on reddit for a second here, with the AMA =D
Sent from my T7575 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Trust me, this thing is diesel...reception is ridiculous...im loving how fast 4g is..if u liked ur focus, this is for you, as it's a much bigger upgrade than I had anticipated..i mean, those who have wp7 already know how fluid the os was/is with the 1st generation phones...so it was hard to imagine that they could run noticeably faster....well, they can. And, it's noticeable
Sent from my SGH-i937 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Nice!! I took my brother to get a new phone yesterday and after him playing with the iphone, HTC Vivid (which is actually REALLY nice) and the Focus S, he finally settled on the Focus S. He asked a few pointed questions about each and myself and the rep gave him honest answers without much bias (despite both the rep and already owning the HD7 and HD7S). My brother makes up his own mind regardless of input and was really impressed with overall look of the OS and how smooth it was. And the phone was SO thin he said with such a huge screen!! It almost made me switch back to ATT, but figured I'd wait for what I've been waiting on a little longer (the Titan), before I decide. Overall impressions though were it's a really great phone, buttons are perfect in all aspects and it's the lightest and thinnest 4.3 in device out. If you dont want the Titan, get the Focus S for sure.
Related
Hello,
I am having another annoyance with my Tilt. The camera is damn slow. First the on-screen rate is stop-motion like, then the auto focus button takes 2-3 seconds to focus, and finally the photo takes a few seconds more to capture. B that time, the photo opportunity is gone, or I just have a blurry picture.
The 8525 was much faster...
Any ideas? Thanks!
I'm sure it's the new autofocus function that is responsible for the speed. It's not something you find in many cell phone cameras, and gives much better photos for many situations. But yes, the slow speed is a shame.
Well if the picture is blurry, but has great focus....what's the point? lol
Honestly, after spending a few hours tinkering with this phone, the 8125 --> 8525 was a much larger, more needed upgrade. The 8525 did have some caveats, which I was hoping they would fix, but they seemed to just get worse. For example, screen rotation is simply slower on WM6 than it was on WM5. I want a PDA that has Windows capabilities, but without the hiccups that Mobile exhibits. I was hoping the 8925 would be the solution, but I guess I will have to wait another year for a true converged device. Such a shame that a very well made device has to be crippled by a poor operating system. Not saying it's horrific, but definitely could be a lot better.
i've notice the blurry thing...but once you get use to holding it steady the pics come out amazing.
One thing I have found that helps is to use the Camera button to take pictures - You can press the Camera button half way down and let it focus, then press it the rest of the way down to actually take the picture when you want to snap. Doesn't help the whole 'catch it right then' situation, but it does help some...
Thats one of the bugbears with this new phone is the time it takes to snap a pic I know its more a phone than a digital camera but why put a 3mpix camera in there if its not meant to at least equal old digital cameras (casio, olympus, fuji etc etc). I like the extra features of it but not at the expense of it taking 5-6 seconds for people or things to stand perfectly still in order to get that pic
Russ
I have found that the greater the amount of light the quicker it takes pictures.
maryjos said:
I'm sure it's the new autofocus function that is responsible for the speed. It's not something you find in many cell phone cameras, and gives much better photos for many situations. But yes, the slow speed is a shame.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My 2 megapixel SE K750i from YEARS ago (I had it two years ago as an import phone) had no issues with it's autofocus lens. It also took much better photos.
The camera app is pitifully slow. I've tried shooting a lower res or lower quality and that doesn't change the on-screen display, and yeah the autofocus is crazy slow. I guess we should look to HTC for advice, as it's their camera app.
Yah it's a bummer that it's not that fast, but the phone really is a powerhouse of applications. If this thing was running WM2003 on this processor it would be blindingly fast, but with any power loss, the data would be gone. So far speed is the price we pay to have a device that you can pull the battery out of and not lose any data... When I use my HP hx4700 VGA PPC running 2003, it still blows me away how fast they used to be before this new "persistant storage" feature. I don't know if this would help the camera specifically, but I wonder.
Well, it's damn annoying. I would rather the speed and flashlight than an autofocus lens or 3MP.
JBHorne said:
Well, it's damn annoying. I would rather the speed and flashlight than an autofocus lens or 3MP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree completely, I had high hopes, the 3MP autofocus sure looked good on paper, but now I just miss the flashlight
i heard that it's because of the software, i think paul from modacco said that cameraware is much better (and i THINK he said that it was faster to take pictures).
Can anyone test this out?
...nice tip
As mentioned in another post. If you turn off the "shutter sound" it seems to respond faster. I've tested and it seems to work form me.
I have also noticed that when I push the OFF button and then turn it back on the camera is much much better.
..........
I've tried all of the previously suggested options and the pics are still blurry.
I have a Nokia 6300 2MP camera phone and it's pics are sharper and better with no blurriness whatsoever.
Even the old Wizard I have is better
This isn't an issue of me having an unsteady hand either, I've been an amateur photographer for many years and have no probs using my old ancient SLRs or new DSLRs, even when snapping with a camera in each hand.
Aeroadster said:
I've tried all of the previously suggested options and the pics are still blurry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The lens protector on the battery cover may be scratched or worn (mine is). I get much clearer photos when I take the battery cover off. Other posts describe using certain polishes to restore a clear lens protector.
That's what I get for keeping the phone in my pocket.
I remember reading a post about the fps when taking video. I use the fix when taking regular pictures too, because it appears to speed up the viewfinder as well.
fix:
1. Cover the top half of the phone (where the lens is) with your hand, to decrease the light available.
2. Press the power button to put your device into sleep mode, or whatever it is that they call it.
3. Without moving your hand, press the power button again to wake up the device. This appears to cause the camera software to reinitialize with decreased light settings.
Yeah, it sucks, and yeah, I miss my Tytn camera and led light. Hope this helps!
Hi,
Something I've tried to to find the answer to, but so far have been unable to do so - the camera performance has always been terrible on my tytn2. I've tried a range of different roms, but none have made any difference to the camera.
My understanding is that it is important to have a radio that works with the rom you are using, but can I get better camera performance by using a different radio?
Currently I am using "07/10[Super Ram][CHOME][Manilla] Josh's Kaiser Roms+Kitchen "21929 Hybrid Light" - a great rom, and my radio is 1.65.16.25.
I would really appreciate it if anyone can give me any pointers with this or otherwise help me get better camera performance (the tytn2 is an amazing phone, the camera is the only problem I have with it).
Cheers
Moved as not ROM Development...
The camera is just whack anyway unless in ideal light situations.
Typically the camera will either work or not work at all depending on the Radio, unfortunately the Kaiser's camera (and all cellphone cameras in general) is not the greatest in low light so you are pretty much stuck with what you got.
Thanks for the responses. It's not so much the camera performance in terms of picture quality, but the terrible lag when taking pictures - there is a two second or more delay between pressing the camera button and the picture taking. This always results in pictures that are extremely blurred.
Turn off the full press and also the shutter noise...
I tried everything possible with my tytn to improve camera , however it was all pointless since it could not be done.
Well not quite. In my frustration with a few things which aren't perfect in Shifu's latest ROM (hey, it's pretty darn nice for the most part, even M2D is running well for the first time in my experience of over 20 WM6.5 ROM versions, mostly on the Elfin, 3 on this Kaiser), I did some searching for a camera video frame rate solution. Found one. I've already forgotten the link (since reading it this afternoon), but it's so simple there's no need to go looking. Here's the procedure. Works in any lower light situation, as in not broad daylight. Haven't test it it outside in daylight yet, but it might even work there, will find out tomorrow.
1) Open camera application.
2) Put hand over lens to create a black screen.
3) Turn off power. (This part is a bit of a stumbling block for those with slide to unlock or a password active - have to have those turned off for this to work.)
4) Keep the hand (or whatever, doesn't matter so long as it blocks light) over the lens for at least a second.
5) Take off the hand.
6) Press the power button again.
7) Start shooting when you like.
8) Enjoy what looks like 30fps video, much improved autofocus and shutter response times, and unfortunately, darker images. So still not a great low-light camera, but indoors in average conditions or even somewhat dim light it's not bad at all for a phone camera. Took me a few tries to nail down the procedure and be able to reproduce the effect every time, but five minute's practice at most.
Apparently the vast improvement in frame rate and general responsiveness globally in the camera's operation and settings dialogues is over-ridden if one points the camera at a light source or brighter reflective objects. I find it stays stable during a session even if I point it directly at a 20W halogen light from 6 feet away, but your mileage may vary.
Another tip would be to avoid the double-take of the autofocus algorithm. Bloody thing focuses on a half-press, then focuses all over again, blurring out then returning to sharpness, on full shutter press. So either go to half-press shooting, or use the D-pad centre button to shoot pictures and videos, as this is a single-stage switch.
In my case, running Shifu's latest ROM from December and his recommended radio, and just this evening flashing Kaiser-HardSPL-3.56, I find the video frame rate to be about 2 to 3 frames per second without this trick, and well above 20fps with the trick. Awesome. A little bit irritating too, having to do this silly little button sequence thing, but it's better than having to go hunting for my 'real' camera when a video opportunity presents itself and the Kaiser will take less than 10 seconds to get ready, and getting the proper camera will take over a minute of walking and digging and powering on... As has so often been said in web discussions of phone cameras, it's not so much the quality of your best camera that's important in everyday use, it's whether you have a working camera with you that counts. And this little trick makes the camera I ALWAYS have with me a whole lot more usable.
Now, if only there were a way to get Resco Audio Recorder to make clear 2-sided recordings of my calls. Worked like a dream on the HTC Touch Elfin. All I hear is remote, static-distorted voices with this Kaiser. Seems from discussions that this is a hardware limitation. Hope not. And it'd be nice too if the device weren't cranky about my 8GB microSD. Seems a tad unstable at times. Same for considerable numbers of other users, so maybe another hardware limitation? Hope it's drivers, and that some genius presents an update.
GerardSamija,
Yeah that's an old trick but not perfect as tends to dim the light and when hit by a large light flips back to the slow fps another one is to remove the plastic cover on case covering lens.
I gave up using camera unless outside & it's the same issue on Touch Pro even with the built in flash "well light really"
2 Side Voice Recording on Kaiser **WORKS**
Thank you very much for that stylez. I'm reading through the pages of that thread, and while so far the latest CAB there hasn't quite made decent quality two-way recording for my Kaiser, it's considerably improved from what it was yesterday. Nice.
Trying the 'old' camera trick (sorry for re-publishing ancient news - I've only had this Kaiser a few days, so just getting caught up. On testing it this morning I found a number of tries didn't work at all. Not sure why. Then just now I tried it again and it worked fine, though delivering only about 15 to 20fps, not quite smooth. I did back to back tests without and then with the trick, and there was about a tripling of framerate from A to B. Guess I'll just have to keep practicing to get it down solid.
And I probably will remove part of the shielding over the camera lens, carefully. The lens in the body itself has a flat glass cover so no real risk of damage there, as it's recessed behind the battery cover. Occasional cleaning of dust is necessary anyway with a pocketable camera, so this just adds the step of slipping off the battery cover to do that. The phone I have was used for a few months, then left in an office drawer for over a year. Not a lot of wear, but obviously some fine scratching of the coating on the camera lens protective filter. Removing it will improve imaging, and the glass lens cover beneath is about the same as on my old HTC Elfin. That one has held up very well.
I hear windex helps.
ChumleyEX said:
I hear windex helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol ya i gave up using the camera really, i know im just caring around a big brick, with the advantage that its touch screen and has a keyboard... otherwise its not used much for anything else, unfortunately there are a million other phones that would meet this basic need, though im not getting burned by HTC again or any other phone maker...
I'm getting better at the timing with tricking the camera into responding quickly for stills, and getting 15fps and better almost all the time. This afternoon was fairly sunny here, and I shot a few videos of my son at the playground. Checking them later on my Asus 901 they look quite good. And contrary to many comments saying pointing at bright light kills the effect, I was able to shoot almost directly into the sun without losing frame rate.
Oddly, VLC gives an audio codec cannot be found error. Guess I'm off for yet another codec hunt. Windows 7 has mostly been pretty solid in supporting things like that, but I guess VLC stands apart from the OS in terms of codecs.
Windex? Nah, bit of a rub with a shirt end is fine. It's not a camera for making museum grade images. It's convenient, when I don't want to carry a bulky HD camera with proper optics around with me.
Hello all. So I LOVE my Samsung Focus S that I purchased shortly after Thanksgiving Day...all except for one problem. My phone seems to dim permanently out of no where and nothing I do will correct it back to it's normal brightness except for restarting the phone. Automatic Brightness is off and the "Auto Display Intensity" in the Extra Settings category is off. Now I don't know if this is something that specific to Windows Phone or Samsung Focus S particularly? I'm going to take a guess and say it's on the Samsung Focus S that exhibits this behavior. I also can't figure out if it's a hardware failure or a software failure. I'm beginning to think it's a specific update that is used to update your "Extra Settings". I don't know at this point. I just want to know if others have this problem.
The 2nd issue is not so much a problem now but a concern. My first Focus S had a VERY HEAVY greenish tint to it that was immediately noticeable at the lightest of viewing angles. To give you an example of how bad it was, my buddy was looking at a picture of oranges he took with his iPhone4, I thought they were lemons from the side. I went to an ATT store near me and noticed the Galaxy S II exhibited this behavior as well but the Focus S on display did not. I quickly concluded it was a defective screen as it was REALLY noticeable. My buddy gave me a call and told me he was at an ATT store across town and noticed it on another Galaxy S II as well. I made the employee take out two brand new Focus S' and chose the best looking one. They both looked identical, although the one on display had an edge over all of them. Thing is, ALL of the ones I've seen have a very slight green/blue tint to them. Is this normal with Super AMOLED Plus? Is this the Gorilla Glass Coating? I love the colors and contrast on this phone but to be honest the brightness and viewing angle leave something to be desired, more-so the viewing angle. Sorry for the long post!
I just looked at some pictures of oranges to test this. They look nice and orange do me. at an angle the entire screen starts to lose its pop. But I would not call it green more so just dimmer. Can't complain with the blacks...if only more sites background was black lol.
at an angle the entire screen starts to lose its pop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you mind doing me a favor and looking at different viewing angles on a predominantly white screen? Every phone loses it's composure a bit as the viewing angle is more and more off but I've never seen them turn a different hue. Dim a bit like you said? Yes. I looked online to see if anyone else notices this bluish/greenish tint and many do but more notice it on the AMOLED screen though a few did complain about the Super AMOLED Plus. Thank you!
interresting
Ive been running the focus s since it came out and never noticed this "tint" issue...till today. a simple image of pure white, when viewed from above is fine, but as you change the view angle so does the white begin fade into the bluish haze.
now youre all probably going to hate me but i have a titan too. when i pull the exact same image, it does not fade into blue haze. my suspicion is one of two thoughts: a) the super amoled screen samsung uses has this side effect. b) the glass samsung uses creates this effect.
personally its not a deal breaker for me as i really enjoy the clarity of images and color the samgsung has to offer. that said, the titans inability to go true black are more noticable than a slightly bluish white. but thats purely personal prefence.
FWIW, ive tested red, green, and blue matching images. the only difference i see between the two is a decreased viewing angle on the thc in all aspects. screen display differences is the likely cause.
I can see the blue/green from those angles on white screens
kinda ugly actually
still a few days left to return and get the titan....
now youre all probably going to hate me but i have a titan too. when i pull the exact same image, it does not fade into blue haze. my suspicion is one of two thoughts: a) the super amoled screen samsung uses has this side effect. b) the glass samsung uses creates this effect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's good to see you have a Titan. The Titan is a pretty nice phone. Viewing angles seem quite good and the whites are SUPER bright. It's just the colors and blacks that suffer. Nice to know you can compare them though.
I can see the blue/green from those angles on white screens
kinda ugly actually
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Alright, I'm not crazy. Heh. I'm going to run to a couple of more ATT stores and see what their display units look like. My buddy just got a GSII and he says he doesn't see it, so I'm going to investigate it as well.
BTW, I spoke to someone at Samsung online and he seemed to think it was "normal" and was caused by a Super AMOLED Plus characteristic. Unfortunately I didn't believe a lick he was telling me.
I'm off to find the perfect display! Wish me luck.
i went back to the store
they want to charge me $35 to restock what I have ^^ - and cant seemed to be talked out of it....
the display Focus S had the same exact issues
as does the GSII/SkyRocket from what I could tell
the Titan's whites make the Focus S whites looks blue - but the Focus S blacks look the Titans blacks look grey
and the color palettes are so radically different - for themes the green on the Titan looks like the lime on the Focus S, and the Titan has nothing that can compare to the green on the Focus S - its ridiculous the difference in the saturation and vividness - I can see what people say about the Titan producing more realistic images - but at the end of the day for most things the Focus S is just better looking, who cares if its accurate?
i imagine using the Titan for a while you would get used to it, but side by side it looks paltry in comparison
to be honest the iPhone display looked pretty good! - just too damned small after using a 4"+ sized display - I could never use something that small after using what I have
So I went to ABT Electronics today and looked at their Focus S. It's funny, all of these places, including the Apple store choose the most PERFECT displays they can find in their inventory to show to the public, when in reality your results can vary greatly. For example, the Focus S at ABT had a whiter/bluer screen than mine in terms of whites. It wasn't a huge difference but it was noticeable. Now I want a new whiter screen. My screen seemed buttery compared to the one I saw. We'll see how successful I am. I know I may sound picky but if I'm going to keep this phone for the next 2 years, I want it to look the way I want it.
I also checked out others with the same 4.3" Super AMOLED Plus and I didn't really see much of a green tint to them. In fact one looked yellowish directly and turned whitish on the side. Weird.
OLEd is still a newer technology, compared to LCD - guess there are still some kinks to work out
Yeah, a problem with AMOLED is a slight bluish hint but I don't believe the screen is a PenTile one.
The dimming has been a bit aggressive, I just usually cover the proximity sensor with my hand and let it work again.
Has anyone noticed a flicker (then on) when you unlock the Focus S screen? Sometimes the screen instantly brings up the lock screen sometimes a second after the flicker.
Alright guys. Back to one of the original topics of the Focus S randomly dimming? I think I figured it out. My phone is over heating and the phone is dimming to try and cool it down. No error messages of overheating or anything. I noticed it today when I was playing games on my phone while charging. My phone was pretty warm. Now up until this point, my phone had not dimmed randomly for a week or so, but this morning? BOOM. Dimmed on me. So it hit me. Screen Dimming + Warm Phone = Overheating. I put the phone down on the cold floor to cool down for 10 minutes. Turn the screen back on and guess what? Original Brightness is back.
Either I exchange my phone again or return it all together. I'm in a bind because I can't get the HTC Titan for the same price I got the Focus S for (Free with No Activation).
Has anyone noticed a flicker (then on) when you unlock the Focus S screen? Sometimes the screen instantly brings up the lock screen sometimes a second after the flicker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not noticed this at all.
i am in the same boat
almost potentially worthwhile holding out for a Nokia set (perhaps the 900/850)
i actually think I will keep the Focus S to be honest with you
in a year or a year and a half, call up Att and see what they will work for me if I really want to - I have heard lots of success stories about calling them up and getting very discounted phones deals
after revisiting the store - the titan screen looks like **** (IMO except for the whites) compared to the Focus S - and its just too damned big - the Focus S IMO is the perfect size
and all the Android GUI overlays suck ass - so no way I get a droid - and I will certainly not pay $100 for a year old iPhone.
**this fixed mine** random dimming and tinting
Don't throw anything because I just skimmed over the thread before I am responding. I have the Focus S and had that problem. I corrected it by going to "settings>extra settings" and turning off the "Auto Display Intensity" to make it stop adjusting. Unfortunately, that setting defaults to "On" every time the device is restarted. So you have to remember to turn it off. Maybe everybody thought of this, already, and your device does this, anyway, but mine is perfect with this setting off. So, I hope this helps!
matt
livejazz said:
Don't throw anything because I just skimmed over the thread before I am responding. I have the Focus S and had that problem. I corrected it by going to "settings>extra settings" and turning off the "Auto Display Intensity" to make it stop adjusting. Unfortunately, that setting defaults to "On" every time the device is restarted. So you have to remember to turn it off. Maybe everybody thought of this, already, and your device does this, anyway, but mine is perfect with this setting off. So, I hope this helps!
matt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had to use the option in the "Brightness" page under Settings. The option on the Extra Settings page applies only when it is set to a white background.
Hopefully a future update will address this and improve the auto dimming. For now, though, it's set to bright all the time.
U only need to press the power button to let the phone go to sleep, then press power button again and almost immediately the custom brightness u set will be back.
Sent from my SGH-i937 using Board Express
Well the dimming issue hasn't happened to me in quite a while now. I decided to keep the phone. The fact that the display wasn't perfect wasn't enough to make me want to return the phone, especially since I got it for free with no activation fee on a 2 year contract. In the meanwhile, I'm just enjoying it. Funny though, Now that I've got a 4.3" screen, I want MORE. Bring on the 4.7"!
Jibberish18 said:
Well the dimming issue hasn't happened to me in quite a while now. I decided to keep the phone. The fact that the display wasn't perfect wasn't enough to make me want to return the phone, especially since I got it for free with no activation fee on a 2 year contract. In the meanwhile, I'm just enjoying it. Funny though, Now that I've got a 4.3" screen, I want MORE. Bring on the 4.7"!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After an Inspire and Focus S, I find the 4.7" display of my Titan too large to easily type in.
jeremyshaw said:
After an Inspire and Focus S, I find the 4.7" display of my Titan too large to easily type in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I honestly only find it more difficult in landscape mode. Portrait mode is awesome though. I can't stop hitting the "a" button when trying to turn on caps lock. It's really annoying.
Jibberish18 said:
Well the dimming issue hasn't happened to me in quite a while now. I decided to keep the phone. The fact that the display wasn't perfect wasn't enough to make me want to return the phone, especially since I got it for free with no activation fee on a 2 year contract. In the meanwhile, I'm just enjoying it. Funny though, Now that I've got a 4.3" screen, I want MORE. Bring on the 4.7"!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having had 3 Samsung Amoled phones (Galaxy S2, Skyrocket, Focus S) and a SAMOLED (Galaxy Note) I will say that Samsung doesn't display true whites, it's always blueish. As far as the dimming, Go to "Settings" > Exta Settings > Use Auto Display (Turn it off, however; it seems to enable itself after changing the theme from light to dark or vice versa, as well as after a reboot.)
tahpics said:
Having had 3 Samsung Amoled phones (Galaxy S2, Skyrocket, Focus S) and a SAMOLED (Galaxy Note) I will say that Samsung doesn't display true whites, it's always blueish. As far as the dimming, Go to "Settings" > Exta Settings > Use Auto Display (Turn it off, however; it seems to enable itself after changing the theme from light to dark or vice versa, as well as after a reboot.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe all the phones you had, had a SAMOLED + display no? Also, I checked to see if changing the theme from light to dark turns the Auto Display feature back on and for me it does not. As for my dimming issue, it only seems to happen when the phone is plugged in and the battery is a bit warm.
Overall, I like this phone but I also don't. The display is quite delicious really. I've had it on half brightness for a few days now just to see how it looks to me and today I finally put it back to full brightness and the colors really are gorgeous. It's not perfect but I've learned to look past it I guess. Thank you for the reply.
Hi, I am a long time Samsung Galaxy user, my last phone was the Galaxy S8+ i have just come to upgrade and thought I’d try the Huawei P30 Pro and seems it uses android as well, i thought it can't be much different. i have 14 days return and I’m really not sure if i am going to keep it or ask can i swap for an S10+
I don't know if i am just being biased because I’ve had Samsung for so long but i just hope someone here can persuade me keeping the P30 won't be too bad and that some of my issues are fixable.
I don't seem to be getting some notifications, mainly games, i seem to get texts but not always others, although if i turn my s8+ on, they still seem to be coming through on there. I have checked most settings i can find but can't see anything obvious, i have added the games to the app assistant.
I didn't know that this Huawei phone didn't have a notification LED, i guess it’s only a small thing but it's amazing how much you miss that flashing light, are there any ways to get any other screen notifications in some way?
The phone doesn't retain the Auto brightness setting when i restart the phone, I’m a bit confused by this as it would seem that Huawei may have this as a feature rather than a bug, I’ve read online that this is how these phones are set but surely you would want the setting to be retained how you leave it? is this a bug or here to stay? i keep turning auto off but every time i restart its back on!
The vibrate is extremely shallow to the point i hardly even feel it.
The optical zoom doesn't function if in 40mp resolution? what’s that all about, i tried it earlier and it says on it that it only works in 10mp resolution? the res you are in shouldn't stop the optics from moving should it? Also when set to 10mp and you can zoom, the zooming isn’t smooth in any way at all, it looks extremely jerky.
even though i have auto brightness off and also smart resolution set to off (which switches between low and high depending on what’s on the screen) - even though these are off i keep seeing my screen kind of flickering when i switch between something like a website to a picture etc, like the phone is still using the smart resolution. if i go to a website the white parts might be bright white for a split second then kind of flicker to a duller white.
I have only had the phone for 2 days but that’s is what is kind of bugging me a bit already if anyone can advise at all on any of them issues?
Thanks
James
About the "zoom", it's not an actual zoom and you are misunderstanding how it works. Having a look at the backside of the phone would explain some to you but i'll give it a go..
You got three lenses which equals three fixed focal lengths. This means you are simply jumping from one camera to the other when you perform a "zoom", which explains the jerkiness. It's expected behavior and is supposed to work like that since there is no gradual zoom with moving lense elements.
Each of these cameras have their own sensor which works at specific megapixels, there is no 40mpix sensor in all these three camera modules on the back of the device. The 5x tele lens has a 8mpix sensor. The ultrawide angle 16mm sensor is 20mpix and the main sensor is 40mpix which normally operates at 10mpix due to pixel binning.
The auto brightness is a long standing bug on Huawei devices, it's annoying and stupid i agree but it's there.
/ Magnus
Samsung has gone a step further on improving there software. Its really fluid and very user friendly. Huawei should focus on that aspect on there flagship.
giwta said:
Samsung has gone a step further on improving there software. Its really fluid and very user friendly. Huawei should focus on that aspect on there flagship.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One little thing I miss from my Galaxy S8+ was the coloured app notification icons on the Always On Display.
Was good for seeing where my notifications were from at-a-glance (blue for Messenger, red for YouTube, green for WhatsApp etc.).
Not having any of those problems with mine. In fact I'm ditching my Galaxy S10+ and keeping the P30 Pro. The fingerprint scanner on the Huawei is faster and more reliable than the one on the Samsung, the camera setup is far more versatile, battery life is better and I immediately stick Nova launcher on anyway so I don't have to put up with EMUI or One UI.
AntonyW999 said:
Not having any of those problems with mine. In fact I'm ditching my Galaxy S10+ and keeping the P30 Pro. The fingerprint scanner on the Huawei is faster and more reliable than the one on the Samsung, the camera setup is far more versatile, battery life is better and I immediately stick Nova launcher on anyway so I don't have to put up with EMUI or One UI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nova is just the launcher. The system UI controls far more aspects than just the launcher. EMUI/One UI is everywhere.
james_lpool said:
Hi, I am a long time Samsung Galaxy user, my last phone was the Galaxy S8+ i have just come to upgrade and thought I’d try the Huawei P30 Pro and seems it uses android as well, i thought it can't be much different. i have 14 days return and I’m really not sure if i am going to keep it or ask can i swap for an S10+
I don't know if i am just being biased because I’ve had Samsung for so long but i just hope someone here can persuade me keeping the P30 won't be too bad and that some of my issues are fixable.
I don't seem to be getting some notifications, mainly games, i seem to get texts but not always others, although if i turn my s8+ on, they still seem to be coming through on there. I have checked most settings i can find but can't see anything obvious, i have added the games to the app assistant.
I didn't know that this Huawei phone didn't have a notification LED, i guess it’s only a small thing but it's amazing how much you miss that flashing light, are there any ways to get any other screen notifications in some way?
The phone doesn't retain the Auto brightness setting when i restart the phone, I’m a bit confused by this as it would seem that Huawei may have this as a feature rather than a bug, I’ve read online that this is how these phones are set but surely you would want the setting to be retained how you leave it? is this a bug or here to stay? i keep turning auto off but every time i restart its back on!
The vibrate is extremely shallow to the point i hardly even feel it.
The optical zoom doesn't function if in 40mp resolution? what’s that all about, i tried it earlier and it says on it that it only works in 10mp resolution? the res you are in shouldn't stop the optics from moving should it? Also when set to 10mp and you can zoom, the zooming isn’t smooth in any way at all, it looks extremely jerky.
even though i have auto brightness off and also smart resolution set to off (which switches between low and high depending on what’s on the screen) - even though these are off i keep seeing my screen kind of flickering when i switch between something like a website to a picture etc, like the phone is still using the smart resolution. if i go to a website the white parts might be bright white for a split second then kind of flicker to a duller white.
I have only had the phone for 2 days but that’s is what is kind of bugging me a bit already if anyone can advise at all on any of them issues?
Thanks
James
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. It's not Samsung
2. I had the S10... this camera is superior in every way except maybe video... (I don't shoot video in 4K for my purposes so it doesn't bother me)
3. Above camera superiority overall, the 5x & 10x zooms brings a whole new world of shooting pictures. I can truly leave a big camera / big lens at home now.
4. More true-tone pictures... people hate to admit this... but the real world is not over-saturated... Apple, Samsung, etc. stop promoting this as the normal for picture taking....
5. Features yet to be turned on but soon in updates... dual video record (maybe), TOF Sensor utilization (next update), etc.
Honestly though, I'm not a complete Samsung hater. I just hate the way Samsung does business... how can they release their "flagship" S10+ then months later add features to the 5G phone they definitely should have been included with the original... like the additional lenses... Am I considering the Samsung S10 5G. Sure I am... Will I maybe wait for the Mate 30 Pro... more than likely. Huawei, for all the talk about what they steal, they also keep trying to innovate... unlike Apple and to some extent Samsung.
At the end of the day, reserve your judgement until you get to use the camera on the phone when you need a zoom... like at a zoo, concert, etc. where you can't be right against the action... take a few pictures then compare to maybe your friends pictures... you'll then realize what the hype is over... :good:
King Mustard said:
Nova is just the launcher. The system UI controls far more aspects than just the launcher. EMUI/One UI is everywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate your point but unless you're an obsessive settings tweaker (which I'm not - once my phone is set to my liking I leave it alone) EMUI/One UI fades in to the background.
AntonyW999 said:
I appreciate your point but unless you're an obsessive settings tweaker (which I'm not - once my phone is set to my liking I leave it alone) EMUI/One UI fades in to the background.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the thing; it doesn't just disappear.
I use Nova Launcher too but here are some EMUI annoyances (for me):
Not being able to open the tray from the lock screen
No quick launch shortcut to launch the camera from anywhere (such as double-pressing the power button)
The Phone app taking over any active app (annoying when navigating with Google Maps)
King Mustard said:
That's the thing; it doesn't just disappear.
I use Nova Launcher too but here are some EMUI annoyances (for me):
Not being able to open the tray from the lock screen
No quick launch shortcut to launch the camera from anywhere (such as double-pressing the power button)
The Phone app taking over any active app (annoying when navigating with Google Maps)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair points. You can launch the camera by double pressing volume down though. Haven't come across the phone/Map problem yet.
How can you not the love when you get shots like this
AntonyW999 said:
Fair points. You can launch the camera by double pressing volume down though. Haven't come across the phone/Map problem yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can only use that shortcut from the lock screen.
King Mustard said:
You can only use that shortcut from the lock screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know. But if you've already got the phone unlocked I've never found shortcuts to the camera to be of much use. As they say, YMMV.
AntonyW999 said:
I know. But if you've already got the phone unlocked I've never found shortcuts to the camera to be of much use. As they say, YMMV.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Saves an Camera icon on the home screen(s).
King Mustard said:
That's the thing; it doesn't just disappear.
I use Nova Launcher too but here are some EMUI annoyances (for me):
Not being able to open the tray from the lock screen
No quick launch shortcut to launch the camera from anywhere (such as double-pressing the power button)
The Phone app taking over any active app (annoying when navigating with Google Maps)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The google maps issue is just a settings tweak with app draw over preferences.
the choices made by Huawei are logical ones... for Instance:
1. Tray not being able to open from lockscreen - this is annoying but the logical Hauwei take on this is that it doesn't allow someone to mess with the phone settings until security is verified... I'll give you the iPhone as an example. I can get into the app drawer from the lockscreen without anything being verified security wise meaning I can harmlessly turn on someone's flashlight if I wanted to as a prank (to let the battery drain faster) all the way up to maliciously turning off all connectivity of the phone... meaning calls, emails, etc. can't get to the phone... can you see the issues this may cause? personally the annoyance is small to my piece of mind that no one can screw with anything on my phone.
2. My theme has quick launch on lockscreen for camera... or press volume down twice so its in there you just can't readily tweak it
I have read online about the setting for app power consumption and to switch manage automatically off so that the phone wont keep alls from receiving notifications and let them run in the background. will have to try it and see.
james_lpool said:
Hi, I am a long time Samsung Galaxy user, my last phone was the Galaxy S8+ i have just come to upgrade and thought I’d try the Huawei P30 Pro and seems it uses android as well, i thought it can't be much different. i have 14 days return and I’m really not sure if i am going to keep it or ask can i swap for an S10+
I don't know if i am just being biased because I’ve had Samsung for so long but i just hope someone here can persuade me keeping the P30 won't be too bad and that some of my issues are fixable.
I don't seem to be getting some notifications, mainly games, i seem to get texts but not always others, although if i turn my s8+ on, they still seem to be coming through on there. I have checked most settings i can find but can't see anything obvious, i have added the games to the app assistant.
I didn't know that this Huawei phone didn't have a notification LED, i guess it’s only a small thing but it's amazing how much you miss that flashing light, are there any ways to get any other screen notifications in some way?
The phone doesn't retain the Auto brightness setting when i restart the phone, I’m a bit confused by this as it would seem that Huawei may have this as a feature rather than a bug, I’ve read online that this is how these phones are set but surely you would want the setting to be retained how you leave it? is this a bug or here to stay? i keep turning auto off but every time i restart its back on!
The vibrate is extremely shallow to the point i hardly even feel it.
The optical zoom doesn't function if in 40mp resolution? what’s that all about, i tried it earlier and it says on it that it only works in 10mp resolution? the res you are in shouldn't stop the optics from moving should it? Also when set to 10mp and you can zoom, the zooming isn’t smooth in any way at all, it looks extremely jerky.
even though i have auto brightness off and also smart resolution set to off (which switches between low and high depending on what’s on the screen) - even though these are off i keep seeing my screen kind of flickering when i switch between something like a website to a picture etc, like the phone is still using the smart resolution. if i go to a website the white parts might be bright white for a split second then kind of flicker to a duller white.
I have only had the phone for 2 days but that’s is what is kind of bugging me a bit already if anyone can advise at all on any of them issues?
Thanks
James
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny enough, I also upgraded from an S8+. There are definitely minor bugs, but nothing deal-breaking for me. As for notifications lagging behind, it's a known Huawei bug. You need to turn off auto-app management for the apps you want to get notifications pushed.
james_lpool said:
Hi, I am a long time Samsung Galaxy user, my last phone was the Galaxy S8+ i have just come to upgrade and thought I’d try the Huawei P30 Pro and seems it uses android as well, i thought it can't be much different. i have 14 days return and I’m really not sure if i am going to keep it or ask can i swap for an S10+
I don't know if i am just being biased because I’ve had Samsung for so long but i just hope someone here can persuade me keeping the P30 won't be too bad and that some of my issues are fixable.
I don't seem to be getting some notifications, mainly games, i seem to get texts but not always others, although if i turn my s8+ on, they still seem to be coming through on there. I have checked most settings i can find but can't see anything obvious, i have added the games to the app assistant.
I didn't know that this Huawei phone didn't have a notification LED, i guess it’s only a small thing but it's amazing how much you miss that flashing light, are there any ways to get any other screen notifications in some way?
The phone doesn't retain the Auto brightness setting when i restart the phone, I’m a bit confused by this as it would seem that Huawei may have this as a feature rather than a bug, I’ve read online that this is how these phones are set but surely you would want the setting to be retained how you leave it? is this a bug or here to stay? i keep turning auto off but every time i restart its back on!
The vibrate is extremely shallow to the point i hardly even feel it.
The optical zoom doesn't function if in 40mp resolution? what’s that all about, i tried it earlier and it says on it that it only works in 10mp resolution? the res you are in shouldn't stop the optics from moving should it? Also when set to 10mp and you can zoom, the zooming isn’t smooth in any way at all, it looks extremely jerky.
even though i have auto brightness off and also smart resolution set to off (which switches between low and high depending on what’s on the screen) - even though these are off i keep seeing my screen kind of flickering when i switch between something like a website to a picture etc, like the phone is still using the smart resolution. if i go to a website the white parts might be bright white for a split second then kind of flicker to a duller white.
I have only had the phone for 2 days but that’s is what is kind of bugging me a bit already if anyone can advise at all on any of them issues?
Thanks
James
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I had every Galaxy S and Note phones that were ever released, every one. Last year, I was interested in the P20 P30, ditched my S9 for my first Huawei phone ever, and I loved every bit of it. Then I skipped on pre-ordering the Note 9, something I have never done before, I waited because I wanted to get the Mate 20 Pro, but that was a bad experience for me and my wife, as we had 6 units replaced in total due to glue gate. After returning it, I went back to Samsung, got the Note 9, and I was then reminded how bad Samsung's cameras have gone when compared to the latest from Huawei, Google, and Apple. Still, I believed that Samsung will definitely deliver with the S10, and the moment it was announced, I pulled the plug and ordered two S10 Plus for myself and my wife. Just 3 weeks were enough for me to get sick of it's subpar low light photography, especially indoors and mainly if you're taking pictures of kids, as Samsung cameras struggle with moving objects. My wife doesn't care that much about cameras, but I do, so I ditched it for the P30 Pro and I couldn't be any happier with it in my pocket.
The camera is much better than the one on the S10, especially if we are talking about the exynos version, which was the case for me. Videos might not be up to Samsung and Apple's standards, but at 1080 it is close, and even better in low light situations and indoors as well. Battery life is much better, the UI while isn't the prettiest, it feels a bit more zippy than the S10, which isn't a slouch either.
Now fixes for your problems.
For notifications, go to battery settings, and select the apps you don't want the phone to put in sleep, you won't be missing your notifications after that.
Notifications led is also missing on the S10, so on both phones you'll have to rely on AOD, which for some reason, doesn't affect your battery life on the P30 Pro as much as it did for me on the S10.
Fps while it was improved after the latest update, and I can confirm that it got significantly better, it's still no match in terms of accuracy and speed to the one on the P30 Pro.
Accidental touches are a nightmare on the S10 Plus, the curve is smaller, but it sits much closer to your palm. An issue that I don't face on the P30 Pro.
From my 6 months experience with the P20 Pro, the camera on the P30 Pro will improve by at least 20%, with every update, Huawei makes sure they keep on improving their image processing. While on Samsung, and I am sure you know that, Samsung only irons out the camera issues that comes with the software that the phone was released with, so after a month or so, forget about Samsung working on improving your pictures.
Pardon me for the long ass essay, but from my experience with Samsung phones, and the S10 in particular, I would advise you to hold on to your phone. Their is a learning curve for their UI, but once you get it, you'll love your phone.
Thanks for the replies, what themes are people using? I have tried the app management setting and it did seem to have fixed my notification issue.
AntonyW999 said:
Not having any of those problems with mine. In fact I'm ditching my Galaxy S10+ and keeping the P30 Pro. The fingerprint scanner on the Huawei is faster and more reliable than the one on the Samsung, the camera setup is far more versatile, battery life is better and I immediately stick Nova launcher on anyway so I don't have to put up with EMUI or One UI.
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I also use Nova Launcher - Since Galaxy S6 - and haven't looked back!
I'm very surprised (and very pleased) to hear that the finger print scanner on the P30 works faster AND more reliable than the one on S10+ - can you please elaborate more?
I noticed that mine works very well, actually extremely well. Always wondered what the ultrasonic reader must be like if the claim of being more accurate is true!!???
I've just received the phone and I'm noticing a LOT of distortion, specially when holding the phone vertically and close to my face.
There's some kind of distortion fix going, but it looks like it's optimized for landscape front facing pictures, and when you hold the phone at the maximum stretch of your arm.
When I open Instagram front camera (or I switch from the back camera to front), my face looks good for about a second, but then there's some distortion thing going on, some distortion animation like flubber that makes my face look completely distorted. It's like a squishing
Here they talk about it: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/thread/21077564?hl=en
This also happens for videocalls, so I'll always look bad in videocalls because in a videocall you hold the phone vertically and close to your face and this distortion fix makes you look so bad.
Is there any way to disable this distortion fix and enable it just for landscape pictures and from far?
I believe what's happening here is that the distortion fix is optimized for landscape full arm stretch pictures and not for videocalls where it's portrait and zoomed in
That's really interesting... I remember hearing about some real-time perspective fixing with the camera but I take maybe one selfie per decade, so I don't really pay attention to it. But now that I'm looking at it, if I significantly change the camera mode, I can see it making a pincushion adjustment around my eyes. It happens outside of the default camera app as well, so it must be a low level thing affecting it. I can only imagine what it might be doing to your face when not working correctly.
I would imagine that to do perspective fixing like this, it would need to use some sort of method to determine depth. Is this done by a separate sensor? Is it possible you have some sort of screen protector or other thing obscuring the sensor array on the top of the phone? I can't decide if the phone is using only depth data or if it possibly is using face detection and would only happen for certain people where that detection is bad. I also can't decide if this is more hardware or software controlled.
jljtgr said:
That's really interesting... I remember hearing about some real-time perspective fixing with the camera but I take maybe one selfie per decade, so I don't really pay attention to it. But now that I'm looking at it, if I significantly change the camera mode, I can see it making a pincushion adjustment around my eyes. It happens outside of the default camera app as well, so it must be a low level thing affecting it. I can only imagine what it might be doing to your face when not working correctly.
I would imagine that to do perspective fixing like this, it would need to use some sort of method to determine depth. Is this done by a separate sensor? Is it possible you have some sort of screen protector or other thing obscuring the sensor array on the top of the phone? I can't decide if the phone is using only depth data or if it possibly is using face detection and would only happen for certain people where that detection is bad. I also can't decide if this is more hardware or software controlled.
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It's definitely a low level thing
I believe what's happening here is that the distortion fix is optimized for landscape full arm stretch pictures and not for videocalls where it's portrait and zoomed in
When I just physically rotate the phone, I can see it changing the applied adjustments shortly after it stops moving. I wonder if your phone is incapable of properly detecting the orientation in terms of the camera and never applies the portrait adjustments. A faulty accelerometer? Though that would suggest that it has multiple and the camera and OS level ones are different? I assume you don't have issues with the OS not seeing you switch orientation.
Given how rare this issue sounds, it might require replacing the phone if there are no methods of altering the behavior. But it doesn't sound like Google is acknowledging the issue either. Though it would be hard for them to ignore picture/video evidence.
jljtgr said:
When I just physically rotate the phone, I can see it changing the applied adjustments shortly after it stops moving. I wonder if your phone is incapable of properly detecting the orientation in terms of the camera and never applies the portrait adjustments. A faulty accelerometer? Though that would suggest that it has multiple and the camera and OS level ones are different? I assume you don't have issues with the OS not seeing you switch orientation.
Given how rare this issue sounds, it might require replacing the phone if there are no methods of altering the behavior. But it doesn't sound like Google is acknowledging the issue either. Though it would be hard for them to ignore picture/video evidence.
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Mine is doing that too, but I believe whats' happening is that it's physically impossible to optimize it good for portrait just because of how is the lense built.
I don't think it's impossible... I feel like mine does it just fine. If I wasn't paying real good attention, I wouldn't know anything was actually happening. Or are you saying that when it is working properly, it would still be below your standards? Considering how minute the adjustment is for me, I can't imagine it bothering anyone. So my assumption is your specific phone is doing it wrong somehow.
jljtgr said:
I don't think it's impossible... I feel like mine does it just fine. If I wasn't paying real good attention, I wouldn't know anything was actually happening. Or are you saying that when it is working properly, it would still be below your standards? Considering how minute the adjustment is for me, I can't imagine it bothering anyone. So my assumption is your specific phone is doing it wrong somehow.
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It could be maybe because I'm comparing it side by side to my OnePlus 7 Pro?
I'm checking now the pictures on my computer side by side, and when it's vertical selfie, then the distortion compensation doesn't work that much good as when it's horizontal (and arm full stretched, then it's perfect)
Okay, maybe it's a subtle thing that I don't have an eye for. Your post made it sound really pronounced, so maybe I was expecting more.
I tried comparing with my Note5, but I couldn't see much of a difference. Are you supposed to see the difference in viewfinder mode, or only in processed photos?
jljtgr said:
Okay, maybe it's a subtle thing that I don't have an eye for. Your post made it sound really pronounced, so maybe I was expecting more.
I tried comparing with my Note5, but I couldn't see much of a difference. Are you supposed to see the difference in viewfinder mode, or only in processed photos?
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It's so pronounced if you want to take a closeup portrait selfie.
Less pronounced when taking a full stretch arm portrait selfie
And almost no effect when taking a full stretch arm landscape selfie
The issue here is on apps like instagram (it's zoomed in and always vertical) or videocalls.
Both in the viewfinder and final file