Ok, what next. Need a fresh. - Xperia Z3 Compact Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Ok, I've had my Z3C since october 2014 and still have several months on the contract.
Other than the battery running less hours, Its pretty much been running great and don't mind keeping it for a while.
Its rooted with KitKat. Has a unlockable bootloader. And I know LP is out there, I wasn't too keen on the look originally, but seen many people using it as standard. I haven't for the year been following the forums, just busy, so.
My question, with all that's happened. There's a lot to sift through over a year, in a nutshell - is a rooted LP stable/smooth to use everyday with xposed? What are the basic hates of LP different to KK?
Is MM ready or still too early? Would it be better to wait, as KK is like windows 7 to me lol. It works lol.
Has the camera improved at all? What happened to RAW implementation?
it seems that other phones that use the same exmor sensor, in my eyes (as a pro photographer) their images handle contrast/colours better and backlighting.
Btw has anybody changed their battery? Is it possible?
Hope it's not a lot to ask. There's way too much forums to search through of 365 days lol.
Sensible or weird answers please lol. Thx
I wish their was a table or something that showed this or a chart. I'm now asking a lot.

davestuarts said:
Ok, I've had my Z3C since october 2014 and still have several months on the contract.
Other than the battery running less hours, Its pretty much been running great and don't mind keeping it for a while.
Its rooted with KitKat. Has a unlockable bootloader. And I know LP is out there, I wasn't too keen on the look originally, but seen many people using it as standard. I haven't for the year been following the forums, just busy, so.
My question, with all that's happened. There's a lot to sift through over a year, in a nutshell - is a rooted LP stable/smooth to use everyday with xposed? What are the basic hates of LP different to KK?
Is MM ready or still too early? Would it be better to wait, as KK is like windows 7 to me lol. It works lol.
Has the camera improved at all? What happened to RAW implementation?
it seems that other phones that use the same exmor sensor, in my eyes (as a pro photographer) their images handle contrast/colours better and backlighting.
Btw has anybody changed their battery? Is it possible?
Hope it's not a lot to ask. There's way too much forums to search through of 365 days lol.
Sensible or weird answers please lol. Thx
I wish their was a table or something that showed this or a chart. I'm now asking a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. The phone runs butter smooth and super stable with LP + root + xposed. I've been running this configuration for... three months now (since 23.4.A.1.232 FW came out). Everything runs great.
2. I think battery is still worse than on KK. I've never got more than 7,5h OST. I don't know how much I got on KitKat because I've never used it for more than a couple days so no comparison. But I've heard the phone was capable of even more than 10h OST. I don't know Anyways the battery lasts for full 2 days of usage for me. And today I'm really light user, the old days of massive gameplay came to an end for now but I always have WiFi, BT and Mobile data active so I think the battery is OK.
3. MM is not ready, still in works. We have beta program but I'd rather wait for a full release AND even a little bit more... until the bugs are solved because Sony's fresh ROM's are like a freaking bug magnet.
4. Camera - no comparison to KK. I think it sometimes behaves like it was confused. Overall it's good, pictures are great but sometimes I miss my old Xperia T. It did incredible photos (https://goo.gl/photos/sGQGy4mmPu7pSfLi8 - enjoy!)...
5. No RAW... "We're cooked"... for now
6. Battery replacement is possible but it is very complex, you have to remove the whole motherboard to change the batery because it's underneath and there is no way to access it other than removing back panel. I'd suggest sending the phone to warranty claiming that there's something wrong with the battery. Maybe they'll replace it
7. Awesome phone, I'm glad I switched from Xperia T to Z3C
Cheers!

romcio47 said:
1. The phone runs butter smooth and super stable with LP + root + xposed. I've been running this configuration for... three months now (since 23.4.A.1.232 FW came out). Everything runs great.
2. I think battery is still worse than on KK. I've never got more than 7,5h OST. I don't know how much I got on KitKat because I've never used it for more than a couple days so no comparison. But I've heard the phone was capable of even more than 10h OST. I don't know Anyways the battery lasts for full 2 days of usage for me. And today I'm really light user, the old days of massive gameplay came to an end for now but I always have WiFi, BT and Mobile data active so I think the battery is OK.
3. MM is not ready, still in works. We have beta program but I'd rather wait for a full release AND even a little bit more... until the bugs are solved because Sony's fresh ROM's are like a freaking bug magnet.
4. Camera - no comparison to KK. I think it sometimes behaves like it was confused. Overall it's good, pictures are great but sometimes I miss my old Xperia T. It did incredible photos (https://goo.gl/photos/sGQGy4mmPu7pSfLi8 - enjoy!)...
5. No RAW... "We're cooked"... for now
6. Battery replacement is possible but it is very complex, you have to remove the whole motherboard to change the batery because it's underneath and there is no way to access it other than removing back panel. I'd suggest sending the phone to warranty claiming that there's something wrong with the battery. Maybe they'll replace it
7. Awesome phone, I'm glad I switched from Xperia T to Z3C
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow. That's exactly what I wanted know.
So the camera not any better and No Raw, typical Sony. Too bad. I don't know how the other phone makers are doing it, using the same sensor as well.
Yeah, I know we've moved on, but my nokia n95 with zeiss lense took amazing images even if a little noisy.
Yeah, sony is determinately a software bug magnet. I remember the headaches with sonicstage minidisc days lol.
I thought the battery would be difficult to change. I thought If I could it, it will act like a new phone again. I did my HTC One x, so may look into it anyway.
Really appreciate the time you took for the info I needed.
Btw love the beemer 5 series. Classic. Your sony T really took great images.
Update. After your positive reply.
I went ahead and installed 5.1.1 STOCK 23.4.A.1.264 SLiM 4.5.
Runs really well. Xposed functions great. And it has new camera libraries from the Z5 (though I haven't tested/compared yet).
Overall a really good rom for locked AND unlocked bootloader phones.
cheers

Related

[Q] Questions from a potential O2X buyer

Hi guys, I'm definitely thinking about buying an LG Optimus 2X, because over here in NZ it is by far the cheapest dual core phone, yet is similar/on par with many of the latest phones.
Before I decide to buy it however, I'd just like to ask a few questions to clear things up.
- Based on many reviews, the UI seems occasionally choppy, and I've also heard that many users aren't happy with a large number of bugs and crashes. Is this fixed when the phone is updated from froyo to gingerbread? Ice cream sandwich is also officially coming for the 2X which sounds promising.
- Is the battery life acceptable? Spec sheets say it runs on a 1500 mAh battery which sounds, theoretically, quite awful :/ I'd like to know if you get used to it or not. I'm not a huge traveler, so I'd use it at home most of the time, occasionally when going out.
- Design-wise, the camera protrudes slightly on the back. I'm worried that this might make the lens more susceptible to damage and cracks. Has this affected anyone?
I'd really appreciate answers for these questions. Thanks a lot.
Hi!
1. The stock ui can be choppy because of the crappy software that comes on your phone. This is because the stock LG rom kind of sucks and is really slow. This problem persists on both Froyo and Gingerbread I believe. Therefore my advice is to root your phone and flash a custom rom on it. This will make your phone a lot smoother and better. Also, I wouldn't wait for the official ICS update. Knowing LG, this might take some time, just like when they released Gingerbread. They said that they would release ICS during the 2nd quarter of the year, but I wouldn't be surprised if they would release it somewhere in 2013...
Anyway, CM9 is available to us, and this is ICS, although not stock. You can find a couple of CM9 (and CM7) roms in the dev section.
2. The battery life is pretty good. But only when you use a good custom rom. I've heard many stories from people who got massive battery drains on stock unrooted phones. Sometimes they can't even last a day with normal usage! However, with my current combination. (signature ) I can last for about 2 days with moderate usage. (twitter, Facebook, 9gag, YouTube, XDA App, and about a hour gaming) So, yeah, again, root and flash your phone.
3. Don't worry about the camera. So far, I never heard a story of someone who cracked their lens. The camera quality on stock is actually quite good and on normal CM not really. But, by flashing camera mod you can really improve it and make it close to stock. Also, the piece of glass in front of the lens can be broken. Some users, like me, make better pictures without the back cover on. This is because the piece of glass in front of the lens can be quite dirty and full of fingerprints. That's why I decided to cut it out . Don't worry about the lens, it has its own protection too.
Hope this helped!
SP1996AC said:
Don't worry about the lens, it has its own protection too.
Hope this helped!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What protection is that..?
Sent from my Optimus 2X using Tapatalk 2 Beta-4
Mungulz said:
What protection is that..?
Sent from my Optimus 2X using Tapatalk 2 Beta-4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even when you remove the back cover the camera still has the lens (just like any normal compact camera), The back cover is actually only there to prevent the lens from getting dirty, I believe, and it's easy to clean (every time I take a picture I clean the back cover with my shirt and the results are pretty good )
Now, regarding the OP, I bought it and I don't regret my purchase not one bit. It's true a lot of people complain about bugs and crashes but my experience even with the stock Froyo ROM was actually good. And when I flashed a custom ROM what was already good just got great.
So yeah, I would say there's nothing out there that beats the price/quality on the O2X.
@LarsPT
Uhuh, that's true. The lens has its own piece of glass in front of it which protects it. The extra piece of glass from the backcover is just to make sure that the lens doesn't get dirty. In my case, this extra glass remains dirty even if I try to clean it. Therefore I decided to cut it out...
SP1996AC said:
Hi!
1. The stock ui can be choppy because of the crappy software that comes on your phone. This is because the stock LG rom kind of sucks and is really slow. This problem persists on both Froyo and Gingerbread I believe. Therefore my advice is to root your phone and flash a custom rom on it. This will make your phone a lot smoother and better. Also, I wouldn't wait for the official ICS update. Knowing LG, this might take some time, just like when they released Gingerbread. They said that they would release ICS during the 2nd quarter of the year, but I wouldn't be surprised if they would release it somewhere in 2013...
Anyway, CM9 is available to us, and this is ICS, although not stock. You can find a couple of CM9 (and CM7) roms in the dev section.
2. The battery life is pretty good. But only when you use a good custom rom. I've heard many stories from people who got massive battery drains on stock unrooted phones. Sometimes they can't even last a day with normal usage! However, with my current combination. (signature ) I can last for about 2 days with moderate usage. (twitter, Facebook, 9gag, YouTube, XDA App, and about a hour gaming) So, yeah, again, root and flash your phone.
3. Don't worry about the camera. So far, I never heard a story of someone who cracked their lens. The camera quality on stock is actually quite good and on normal CM not really. But, by flashing camera mod you can really improve it and make it close to stock. Also, the piece of glass in front of the lens can be broken. Some users, like me, make better pictures without the back cover on. This is because the piece of glass in front of the lens can be quite dirty and full of fingerprints. That's why I decided to cut it out . Don't worry about the lens, it has its own protection too.
Hope this helped!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for that detail. I'd like to ask a couple more questions though
I can see that you're using CM7. I've thought about rooting the O2X if I ever got it, but I've heard that the camera and video recording is a bit screwed up if you root the O2x with CM. Is this true? If this is, there are many ways to fix it right?
Once again thanks. The main things I want to use a phone such as the 2X for is web browsing, gaming, mail on the go and cameras.
Beplexor said:
Thanks a lot for that detail. I'd like to ask a couple more questions though
I can see that you're using CM7. I've thought about rooting the O2X if I ever got it, but I've heard that the camera and video recording is a bit screwed up if you root the O2x with CM. Is this true? If this is, there are many ways to fix it right?
Once again thanks. The main things I want to use a phone such as the 2X for is web browsing, gaming, mail on the go and cameras.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NOT AT ALL
In CM, there has been ported a camera app(stock LG) due to which it is just good
Sent from my Optimus 2X using XDA
Beplexor said:
Thanks a lot for that detail. I'd like to ask a couple more questions though
I can see that you're using CM7. I've thought about rooting the O2X if I ever got it, but I've heard that the camera and video recording is a bit screwed up if you root the O2x with CM. Is this true? If this is, there are many ways to fix it right?
Once again thanks. The main things I want to use a phone such as the 2X for is web browsing, gaming, mail on the go and cameras.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you'll be more than happy with the O2X to do all of the above.
If you want to check picture quality you can check it here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150296662400657.555672.662115656&type=3&l=8675ea8903
The first four photos (take a look at the arc de la défense) were taken with it, I like it.
Thanks to everyone who's posted. I've just got one more question for people who have rooted their 2X. The web browsing seems quite laggy when using stock froyo (perhaps gingerbread?). When you root the phone, is this problem solved? Thanks.
Hi Beplexor!
When I'm surfing the web the only time I get a "laggy" experience is when the reception is not so great, like when I'm on the train or bus. If I'm at a fix position with HDSPA it surfs great. I haven't even felt the need to user another browser other than the stock one.
Really, there's nothing I can throw at this phone that it can't handle! I'm not the most demanding of users, but still, I find it great!
I'm glad everyone is so positive about this phone, but I am not.
It has lots of issues and glitches, and although tweaking, rooting and installing custrom roms is certainly nice, there is always this or that 'wrong' with it. It all depends on what you want.
If you like tweaking and messing around and don't mind some rough edges, then yes, it is a nice phone which works well.
If you want a phone that just works, then no, this phone is not a good idea.
Stock firmware has major issues, dependant on some unknown variables - could be hardware revision, could be network, could be xxx.. Fact is, that I cannot use stock firmwares of Gingerbread properly at all. And there are more people with this problem. The cell-radio keeps crashing. CM 7.1/7.2 does not have this problem, so I'm using this.
However, voice quality is poor, I have issues with Wifi not wanting to activate after 2-3 days and I need to reboot every 1-2 days anyway because of performance drops. After 48 hours it is impossible, for example, to watch a Youtube video, use Skype or play any game. After a reboot performance is great again.
So, it all depends on what you want with and expect from a phone. And of course how much money you're willing to spend and a whole lot of other factors
And as for the CM9 builds (ICS): the camera doesn't work properly and things like FM radio don't work (properly). Also, no HW acceleration so some newer ICS apps don't work either. So, I'm eagerly awaing the official LG ICS to see how that fares.
Bottom-line: I'm not saying the phone is bad for everyone or it's a piece of crap, I'm just saying that if it is important to you that the phone 'just works' and 'always works', then this phone is not a good idea.
vrowdy said:
Stock firmware has major issues, dependant on some unknown variables - could be hardware revision, could be network, could be xxx.. Fact is, that I cannot use stock firmwares of Gingerbread properly at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your phone was crap with stock firmware I think you have a faulty equipment and should have asked for a replacement.
My phone worked great with stock and works excellent with custom.
No matter what brand you choose there will always be faulty equipment. Of course, some brands have tighter quality control then others, and that reflects on the price.
For the price of this phone it is normal to expect worse quality control, this just means the probability of getting a faulty equipment are higher, you just have to test it properly and send it back if it doesn't work.
Of course, if this is something you would rather pay more and not have to worry about this, I would advise against LG, but so far this is my second LG phone and I'm a happy customer!
Thanks for your reply. Based on my experiences with the device, I am pretty sure it's not faulty equipment.
The price of the phone was close to 500 euros when I got it, so the argument about the price doens'nt really hold, imho.
Let's just say there are people that are happy with it, and there are also a lot of people that are unhappy. Therefore, I personally cannot recommend this phone if you want one that always/just works.
We might have some semantics problems here.
In your original post you say "Stock firmware has major issues, dependant on some unknown variables - could be hardware revision, could be network, could be xxx.. "
When you say the hardware revision is a factor, for me hardware revisions are there because the older hardware had flaws. For me this qualifies as faulty equipment.
The "current" hardware revision, or at least the one I've got, worked fine out of the box. Maybe that's why you're not as happy a customer as I am, because you got a "hardware revision" from back when the price was still 500 eur. Now I can say it's much better, I've had no issues so far at all.
Hi guys, I'm only 15 years old and any phone I buy will be bought using my own money earned from a part time job. I want a medium-high end phone, but it's my own money and I'm not willing to cash out heaps, therefore I think the O2X will be a great choice. I understand it's not the most stable phone out there, but the fact remains that it IS a very affordable dual core phone.
I know that you guys say root and flash the moment you get it, but like some people say in this thread, the phone doesn't seem to work to its full potential e.g absence of certain applications, shady camera etc. If I get the phone, it's highly likely that I'll just wait until stock ICS comes out, which isn't far away; LG promised it within Q2 of this year.
Yeah, well I wouldn't wait for LG if I were you. It's more likely that they will release ICS during the 2nd quarter of 2013 than this year...
Also, the stock rom doesn't get the full potential out of the phone because the stock software is just really, really bad. The O2X has a great piece of hardware but this crappy stock rom makes the phone so ****ty...
The only way to get the full potential out of this device is to root and flash it with any custom rom and kernel. Trust me, you'll notice an enormous difference in speed, stability and smoothness.
SP1996AC said:
Yeah, well I wouldn't wait for LG if I were you. It's more likely that they will release ICS during the 2nd quarter of 2013 than this year...
Also, the stock rom doesn't get the full potential out of the phone because the stock software is just really, really bad. The O2X has a great piece of hardware but this crappy stock rom makes the phone so ****ty...
The only way to get the full potential out of this device is to root and flash it with any custom rom and kernel. Trust me, you'll notice an enormous difference in speed, stability and smoothness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll definitely give that advice a chance...just wondering, if I were to root it, I'd just go into the Android Development section right? Could you please link me to clear tutorials on how to flash CM (such as the one you have right now) onto the O2X? Thanks.
I think this should pretty much cover everything... :
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/LG_Optimus_2X:_Full_Update_Guide
SP1996AC said:
I think this should pretty much cover everything... :
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/LG_Optimus_2X:_Full_Update_Guide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for that! I've actually decided to get the O2X now, just ordered it! I have just been on the official cyanogenmod site and I've come across the mod for O2X. There is a list of of three downloads: Stable Mod, Experimental Mod and Nightly Builds. Which one is the version that you currently have?
Finally, I'd just like to clear things up fully. On the version that you have, what are the main issues (if they exist at all)? For me, cameras, gaming, web browsing and texting are a must; they all work fine right? I'd still like to be aware of any other bugs or non-fully functioning aspects of CM. Thanks!
Beplexor said:
Thanks a lot for that! I've actually decided to get the O2X now, just ordered it! I have just been on the official cyanogenmod site and I've come across the mod for O2X. There is a list of of three downloads: Stable Mod, Experimental Mod and Nightly Builds. Which one is the version that you currently have?
Finally, I'd just like to clear things up fully. On the version that you have, what are the main issues (if they exist at all)? For me, cameras, gaming, web browsing and texting are a must; they all work fine right? I'd still like to be aware of any other bugs or non-fully functioning aspects of CM. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uhmm... I use the Unofficial Build (KANG) from Temasek. Don't worry, it's still CM but then with some extra little goodies baked in (cherry-pickings). With other words, I use a CM7 version compiled by an user, Temasek, instead of a CM7 version compiled by the official CM bot. But if you want an official CM7, then you should use the latest Nightly Build, because they're far more stable than the 'Stable Mod', not to mention that nightlies are even better too. Actually, you can compare Temaseks Unofficial build with the latest nightly, I believe there's not much difference between them. Nevertheless, a lot of people like his Unofficial builds.
There are no issues for CM7 I believe. I'm using it for about four months now (actually three, I also played a month around with CM9 which is a little too buggy for me, but it was awesome anyway ) However you should keep in mind that the camera quality of CM7 is not so good, compared to the stock camera quality. This is because the camera needs special libs from the stock LG rom to work good and those libs don't work on CM7 for some reason. But, there's a solution to that! Go to Temaseks KANG thread (link in signature) and go the third post. There you'll find a whole lot of mods compiled by other users. Download and flash the camera mod by Kostja_V in CWM recovery. This improves the camera a lot.
Hope this helped!

[Q] Is Lollipop update worth it?

I have the notification here to update, but I'm not really sure if I should do it. My phone on KitKat is very stable, VERY smooth, good battery life, you know, I don't have any problem with it. That's why I'm kinda afraid of updating and getting a slower, buggier performance. So, what you guys who already updated think?
pibz said:
I have the notification here to update, but I'm not really sure if I should do it. My phone on KitKat is very stable, VERY smooth, good battery life, you know, I don't have any problem with it. That's why I'm kinda afraid of updating and getting a slower, buggier performance. So, what you guys who already updated think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say, nope.. i have seen people with better battlife, some with terrible. theres more negative than positives.., check before you update. want to get the new notification on lock? new status bar, icons...etc? new dialer, settings..is it really worth the risk? you can flashback to 4.4.4 anytime. but you will have to root everythinf again. wich is a pain in the ass.
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
I'm using lollipop for 2 weeks and I say no....
Everything is nice etc, but the snappyness and reliability of 4.4.4 is unconparable. with this...
I wont be updating either, or not for a very long time. I had to put up with it on my nexus 4 and 7. Which are both now sold and switched out to 4.4.4 devices.
There is nothing it added but it messed up a lot. the z3c is probably the perfect phone for me, amazing battery coupled with decent specs, so I wont be risking it either. especially as I cant find a 4.4.4 UK tft unbranded anywhere to roll back to!
I'm taking a look at the Sony Mobile forums and it seems like a lot of people are having issues with Lollipop too. I think I'll probably stick with KitKat, at least for now, until Sony fix the major bugs. My phone is too snappy to risk it
Here are the + and the - for me. It's yours to decide.
Against :
- you loose xposed. That's quite a huge loss for YouTube adaway and that kind of stuff.
It should be fixed someday.
- I hate paying in freemium game. You won't be able to use cheat app. Lucky thing, thing engine, thingcih and stuff...
- Minor bug.
- even if I enjoy this, quite a pain to install recovery and flash (I also flashed quite early, when recovery was a hard thing to achieve)
- viper4android does not work.
For :
- I actually (despite the other users) experienced an increase in battery life. +25 to +30%.
- Smoother UI and phone.
- prettier UI and better navbar.
- Smoother auto dim
- better quick bar.
- drm restoration works. Better camera, sound (without viper) , screen.
- phone reset. It cleans it.
- some minor stuff
pibz said:
I'm taking a look at the Sony Mobile forums and it seems like a lot of people are having issues with Lollipop too. I think I'll probably stick with KitKat, at least for now, until Sony fix the major bugs. My phone is too snappy to risk it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People won't complain if everything is alright.
This is like the glass breaking topic. People won't write their glass didn't broke by itself during the night.
fenchai said:
I would say, nope.. i have seen people with better battlife, some with terrible. theres more negative than positives.., check before you update. want to get the new notification on lock? new status bar, icons...etc? new dialer, settings..is it really worth the risk? you can flashback to 4.4.4 anytime. but you will have to root everythinf again. wich is a pain in the ass.
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you achieved root in the first time and backed up your ta, you can achieve root anytime with a custom recovery.
DrEzkimo said:
I wont be updating either, or not for a very long time. I had to put up with it on my nexus 4 and 7. Which are both now sold and switched out to 4.4.4 devices.
There is nothing it added but it messed up a lot. the z3c is probably the perfect phone for me, amazing battery coupled with decent specs, so I wont be risking it either. especially as I cant find a 4.4.4 UK tft unbranded anywhere to roll back to!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Create your own ftf to restore. This can be rapidly done. Also double check xperifirm.

Is flashing worth it still?

I started flashing when I was 21, my first Android phone (and first phone I rooted), was an Optimist V. That phone was just okay, until I read about rooting and over clocking. I studied for hours of the proper ways to root and what were the best ROMs, and instantly fell in love. It was like a brand new next gen phone! That phone ran so smooth, and had some of the best developers I had ever seen to this date.
Fast forward 5 years, and I have had all the Nexuses (not 5x or 6p) since the V. I used to be a flashaholic; loved over clocking, and debloated ROMs. Since the 6, I've flashed a couple ROMs, but I've gone from 2-3 a month to 2-3 the past year. One thing I've noticed is, they aren't that different. I'm not a features guy, I like simple, and that's what 6.0 brought to the table. I don't really see any huge benefits anymore. Flashing new and updated ROMs has started to become a chore. The phone runs great no matter what I'm using, and the truth, stock runs better than most custom ROMs now.
So to conclude, is flashing even worth it anymore? Sure I can run a ROM and have a huge benchmark score, but that ROM will crash on certain apps more often, and doesn't actually run the basic apps I use any smoother. Stock is so fast now, that it is basically why I won't upgrade to 6p, since I don't use the camera at all.
What do you think? Am I alone on this thought process, or am I just getting old and boring?
nikeman513 said:
I started flashing when I was 21, my first Android phone (and first phone I rooted), was an Optimist V. That phone was just okay, until I read about rooting and over clocking. I studied for hours of the proper ways to root and what were the best ROMs, and instantly fell in love. It was like a brand new next gen phone! That phone ran so smooth, and had some of the best developers I had ever seen to this date.
Fast forward 5 years, and I have had all the Nexuses (not 5x or 6p) since the V. I used to be a flashaholic; loved over clocking, and debloated ROMs. Since the 6, I've flashed a couple ROMs, but I've gone from 2-3 a month to 2-3 the past year. One thing I've noticed is, they aren't that different. I'm not a features guy, I like simple, and that's what 6.0 brought to the table. I don't really see any huge benefits anymore. Flashing new and updated ROMs has started to become a chore. The phone runs great no matter what I'm using, and the truth, stock runs better than most custom ROMs now.
So to conclude, is flashing even worth it anymore? Sure I can run a ROM and have a huge benchmark score, but that ROM will crash on certain apps more often, and doesn't actually run the basic apps I use any smoother. Stock is so fast now, that it is basically why I won't upgrade to 6p, since I don't use the camera at all.
What do you think? Am I alone on this thought process, or am I just getting old and boring?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm 44 as of last month, have been with android since day one in 2008, and have owned all the nexus devices up to the n6, yet I still flash. how else am I going to get a kernel to load? custom ROMs I don't flash much, I find what I like then stay with it. but that's all your choice, you don't ever have to flash anything, again its YOUR choice.
Depends on what your intended outcome is. If you want stable stock, Samsung runs android which you can still customize without the need to root, etc.....Android is still much more customization than Apple without having to do the jailbreak etc. I prefer the ability to theme, customize, and have a kernel I choose.
For me personally, there are "never" too many features in a ROM. I like ROMs that have so many features they are coming out of your ears, but I'm very particular about how I have things set up.....for someone else who may just need the basics then I can certainly see that being the case.
nikeman513 said:
I started flashing when I was 21, my first Android phone (and first phone I rooted), was an Optimist V. That phone was just okay, until I read about rooting and over clocking. I studied for hours of the proper ways to root and what were the best ROMs, and instantly fell in love. It was like a brand new next gen phone! That phone ran so smooth, and had some of the best developers I had ever seen to this date.
What do you think? Am I alone on this thought process, or am I just getting old and boring?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are old and boring..
nikeman513 said:
So to conclude, is flashing even worth it anymore? Sure I can run a ROM and have a huge benchmark score, but that ROM will crash on certain apps more often, and doesn't actually run the basic apps I use any smoother. Stock is so fast now, that it is basically why I won't upgrade to 6p, since I don't use the camera at all.
What do you think? Am I alone on this thought process, or am I just getting old and boring?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, as a senior developer (and I'm about one year senior to simms22 ), I can tell you that I'm not interested in flashing again. I've switched from TW to cm, Temasek and some variants on my Note 3, and finally bought a N6 instead of the Note 4, just because of the possibility of development.
So now I have a hobby, I've got my own Android (yay me!), and after merging in the latest security patch I flash the system.img once a month.
If I find something to modify or develop, well then I flash it a lot, but I haven't done anything big since the beginning of January when I've restored the good old CRT effect on shutting off the screen. And about three weeks ago I adapted CMFileManager to work with AOSP based roms, as a root explorer. But that's that so far.
I used to flash a lot when i had the LG G2 but since owning the N6 i tried a few roms but now on the same rom since a few months. Only do a clean flash once a month to install the latest version of it. btw, 44 years old was some time ago for me
TMG1961 said:
I used to flash a lot when i had the LG G2 but since owning the N6 i tried a few roms but now on the same rom since a few months. Only do a clean flash once a month to install the latest version of it. btw, 44 years old was some time ago for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as old and aged as im been feeling the past few years, ive found that on xda there are a hell of a lot of children. BUT, on xda, i am also considered not very old. as there are even more adults that are much older than i am
simms22 said:
as old and aged as im been feeling the past few years, ive found that on xda there are a hell of a lot of children. BUT, on xda, i am also considered not very old. as there are even more adults that are much older than i am
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think i belong to the older generation here on xda, but not sure about that. But 54 is still young, just need to convince my body of that....lol
TMG1961 said:
I think i belong to the older generation here on xda, but not sure about that. But 54 is still young, just need to convince my body of that....lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I gave up on convincing my body that its still young. I found out I'm diabetic just a few years ago, and now my body feels as though I'm in my 60s! but, most importantly, my mind believes that I'm 25. so, I keep on living my "25" year old life, regardless of what my body is telling me :angel:
simms22 said:
I gave up on convincing my body that its still young. I found out I'm diabetic just a few years ago, and now my body feels as though I'm in my 60s! but, most importantly, my mind believes that I'm 25. so, I keep on living my "25" year old life, regardless of what my body is telling me :angel:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even though my body thinks its about 125 I try to be as active as i can. My mind is still in its early twenties. And as far as flashing roms goes, well i find that a lot of them are very similar, so not much sense in changing a lot.
nikeman513 said:
I started flashing when I was 21, my first Android phone (and first phone I rooted), was an Optimist V. That phone was just okay, until I read about rooting and over clocking. I studied for hours of the proper ways to root and what were the best ROMs, and instantly fell in love. It was like a brand new next gen phone! That phone ran so smooth, and had some of the best developers I had ever seen to this date.
Fast forward 5 years, and I have had all the Nexuses (not 5x or 6p) since the V. I used to be a flashaholic; loved over clocking, and debloated ROMs. Since the 6, I've flashed a couple ROMs, but I've gone from 2-3 a month to 2-3 the past year. One thing I've noticed is, they aren't that different. I'm not a features guy, I like simple, and that's what 6.0 brought to the table. I don't really see any huge benefits anymore. Flashing new and updated ROMs has started to become a chore. The phone runs great no matter what I'm using, and the truth, stock runs better than most custom ROMs now.
So to conclude, is flashing even worth it anymore? Sure I can run a ROM and have a huge benchmark score, but that ROM will crash on certain apps more often, and doesn't actually run the basic apps I use any smoother. Stock is so fast now, that it is basically why I won't upgrade to 6p, since I don't use the camera at all.
What do you think? Am I alone on this thought process, or am I just getting old and boring?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly... Roms have never been THAT different. On my last few phones (thunderbolt, S4, moto x, Nexus 6), I have just found a rom that had the features I wanted, was stable and offered updates and stuck with it.
The whole flashing multiple different roms a month doesn't have much point other then people looking to do something with their phone... and it never really has.
You don't want any extra features, so if you had an early nexus you probably wouldn't need to flash either.
But still, if you want to choose what quick tiles you have, if you want to customize what you have in your status bar, if you want additional lock screen options, if....
The easiest way is to flash a rom.
1. You are all spring chickens. I was born before WWII.
2. Flashing roms has gone downhill for me since the ultimate excitement of JellyBean and JBSourcery! But still worth it.
I am finding that with AOSP roms many of my apps FC while they work perfectly with stock based ROMs. That's what I liked about Cataclysm. Now it looks like that is dwindling away. Future is looking bleak if I want to use Android Pay so I pass on that. Looks like stock, rooted with maybe Gravity Box is at the end of the tunnel.
wtherrell said:
1. You are all spring chickens. I was born before WWII.
2. Flashing roms has gone downhill for me since the ultimate excitement of JellyBean and JBSourcery! But still worth it.
I am finding that with AOSP roms many of my apps FC while they work perfectly with stock based ROMs. That's what I liked about Cataclysm. Now it looks like that is dwindling away. Future is looking bleak if I want to use Android Pay so I pass on that. Looks like stock, rooted with maybe Gravity Box is at the end of the tunnel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, gravity box is a no go for me. but, android pay means nothing to me as well. for me its aosp all the way, with root. everything else i need i can do myself with root access and access to the filesystem. anyways, i was going to thank you because of your age, but im outta thanks
I always used the stock based roms and for me they work. I dont use android pay..it isnt even available in The Netherlands, i dont use gravity box. I am now on stock lite rom from Danvdh and it works great for me, no bugs, good battery life and no things in it that i dont use.
Not unless you want to get arrested! Nyuk nyuk nyuk....
Yes! use a custom rom...
But as you see here ppl are different...here is my view and person I am.
You buy a Mustang GT, BMW M3, Dodge Charger SRT, etc... you can leave it as is which is fine. Then there are those guys who will take the best of the best and push a bit more...when the N6 was released this flagship phone was the best of its time.
Again....a WHOLE lot of people will be fine as is but a custom rom (the RIGHT rom) is going to give you that edge the stock N6 is not going to give you...those abilities to do more for the enthusiast! I run Pure Nexus by Beans and the tweaks in the rom are clean and give the N6 added power and edge over the standard N6. If you don't care about the power just to move titles, clock, change button actions, on and on it's all there in the RIGHT rom.
So you have to pick type person you are...as for me my Dodge Charger SRT has the power modifications, the system\cpu flashed, under carriage mods, suspension and engine modifications to give we way more that normal SRT...so the same with the N6 if you are that person.
But again it's a choice and my N6 benchmarks proves the difference since I am a power user...no games, etc just a high-end busy, traveling 43 old corp engineer that ask a lot out of my phone.
nikeman513 said:
I started flashing when I was 21, my first Android phone (and first phone I rooted), was an Optimist V. That phone was just okay, until I read about rooting and over clocking. I studied for hours of the proper ways to root and what were the best ROMs, and instantly fell in love. It was like a brand new next gen phone! That phone ran so smooth, and had some of the best developers I had ever seen to this date.
Fast forward 5 years, and I have had all the Nexuses (not 5x or 6p) since the V. I used to be a flashaholic; loved over clocking, and debloated ROMs. Since the 6, I've flashed a couple ROMs, but I've gone from 2-3 a month to 2-3 the past year. One thing I've noticed is, they aren't that different. I'm not a features guy, I like simple, and that's what 6.0 brought to the table. I don't really see any huge benefits anymore. Flashing new and updated ROMs has started to become a chore. The phone runs great no matter what I'm using, and the truth, stock runs better than most custom ROMs now.
So to conclude, is flashing even worth it anymore? Sure I can run a ROM and have a huge benchmark score, but that ROM will crash on certain apps more often, and doesn't actually run the basic apps I use any smoother. Stock is so fast now, that it is basically why I won't upgrade to 6p, since I don't use the camera at all.
What do you think? Am I alone on this thought process, or am I just getting old and boring?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most "custom roms" are either CM or some-fork-of-CM. That means, generally, adding more problems than you solve.
I agree that AOSP and factory are pretty solid. My use of custom builds was mainly related to the screwball trash factory images and lack of updates that you get with the various non-Nexus phones. With a Nexus, you get a solid experience and frequent updates to the newest Android, which means less need for complete system replacements.
Yet there are a few, relatively small, changes that are useful. Root, and a couple of home-brew adjustments, that really put a power user polish on it.
---------- Post added at 05:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:24 PM ----------
parcou said:
But again it's a choice and my N6 benchmarks proves the difference since I am a power user...no games, etc just a high-end busy, traveling 43 old corp engineer that ask a lot out of my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Benchmarks prove nothing, except that it can get a higher score in benchmarks. This does not translate to real-world benefits. On top of that, just because you can hit a bigger number on benchmarks does not mean that it does so safely, for instance, I've heard of a lot of people disabling thermal throttling in order to get higher benchmarks. That will, in the least, reduce the life of the device and cause stability problems. Worst case, it could fry your SoC.
doitright said:
Benchmarks prove nothing, except that it can get a higher score in benchmarks. This does not translate to real-world benefits. On top of that, just because you can hit a bigger number on benchmarks does not mean that it does so safely, for instance, I've heard of a lot of people disabling thermal throttling in order to get higher benchmarks. That will, in the least, reduce the life of the device and cause stability problems. Worst case, it could fry your SoC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disable thermal throttle every single boot up, every single time. I've had my n6 since Nov 2014 BTW. with thermal throttle off, and pushing it extremely hard, my n6 never ever goes over 75C. and I've tried to hit 100C(thermal shutdown), but just can't. my n5 would hit it in seconds my n6 will not ever hit it. so I see any effect of keeping thermal throttle disabled over the past year and a half? nope. my battery life is still awesome, I lose a percent every hour and a half. my performance is still awesome, as my phone scores highest in benchmarks. and my user experience is still incredible, as I get no lags, nor any other negatives. sure, maybe I'd see something from keeping thermal throttle off, if I used the device for 5+ years or so, but I won't.
doitright said:
Most "custom roms" are either CM or some-fork-of-CM. That means, generally, adding more problems than you solve.
I agree that AOSP and factory are pretty solid. My use of custom builds was mainly related to the screwball trash factory images and lack of updates that you get with the various non-Nexus phones. With a Nexus, you get a solid experience and frequent updates to the newest Android, which means less need for complete system replacements.
Yet there are a few, relatively small, changes that are useful. Root, and a couple of home-brew adjustments, that really put a power user polish on it.
---------- Post added at 05:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:24 PM ----------
Benchmarks prove nothing, except that it can get a higher score in benchmarks. This does not translate to real-world benefits. On top of that, just because you can hit a bigger number on benchmarks does not mean that it does so safely, for instance, I've heard of a lot of people disabling thermal throttling in order to get higher benchmarks. That will, in the least, reduce the life of the device and cause stability problems. Worst case, it could fry your SoC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree and benchmarks not my key focus I could left out only have done once since 2014. I am a power user and side by side with other N6 users they difference is noticeable based on how we do corp work not games. As stated earlier, depends on person if that's their choice but get choice with this fladship phone and with Pure Nexus gives a new feel to phone. Not all developers are like Beans the tweaks make the difference.
simms22 said:
I disable thermal throttle every single boot up, every single time. I've had my n6 since Nov 2014 BTW. with thermal throttle off, and pushing it extremely hard, my n6 never ever goes over 75C. and I've tried to hit 100C(thermal shutdown), but just can't. my n5 would hit it in seconds my n6 will not ever hit it. so I see any effect of keeping thermal throttle disabled over the past year and a half? nope. my battery life is still awesome, I lose a percent every hour and a half. my performance is still awesome, as my phone scores highest in benchmarks. and my user experience is still incredible, as I get no lags, nor any other negatives. sure, maybe I'd see something from keeping thermal throttle off, if I used the device for 5+ years or so, but I won't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On that basis, sounds like it probably wouldn't throttle even if you didn't disable it, so why even bother?
Also, "pushing it" with single-threaded workloads may not get the temperature that far up.
I promise you that a heavy multi-threaded workload WILL make it as hot, fast, regardless of the binning.

Six months since 7.0 and still unsure, Marshmallow or Nougat on N6

I've been very happy with MM on my N6 and still get great battery life and performance. I'm comfortable with ROMs/mods and my phone is pretty much where I want it in terms of functionality and UI. After months of debate, I'm still unsure if it's worth moving to Nougat (and not impressed with O preview either). I'm so unconvinced that I don't even feel like investing the time in testing 7.x particularly after reading posts of battery or compatibility issues. I'm not trying to be "stuck in the past" but just don't see a convincing reason to update.
The last dedicated thread I saw on MM vs N was from Oct 2016, any new opinions since then?
I'm thinking about moving back to MM because of the terrible battery life and performance on nougat.
In the same boat. MM seems to give me better battery life but Nougat seems a little bit more snappier.
I've only been on 7.0 for a couple of weeks, but no complaints.
mclardass said:
I've been very happy with MM on my N6 and still get great battery life and performance. I'm comfortable with ROMs/mods and my phone is pretty much where I want it in terms of functionality and UI. After months of debate, I'm still unsure if it's worth moving to Nougat (and not impressed with O preview either). I'm so unconvinced that I don't even feel like investing the time in testing 7.x particularly after reading posts of battery or compatibility issues. I'm not trying to be "stuck in the past" but just don't see a convincing reason to update.
The last dedicated thread I saw on MM vs N was from Oct 2016, any new opinions since then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey... Flashed Pure Nexus with EX Kernel as soon as its nougat iteration appeared and never looked back. Well I can't really compare about battery life as my phone is now 2 years old. Still it performs very well, nothing to complain about. Screen on time is the same and standby is better on Android 7 i think. Of course stock firmware is not as polished as it should, but custom ROMs are here to change that. I don't need that much mods on my phone anymore except theme, ad blocker, theme ready apps and maybe a few other things.
What kind of incompatibility issues are you talking about?
Well, I understand you don't want to waist your time , but it's just a matter of backup/flash/test. You won't loose anything and if you don't like it, you can always revert back to MM anyway. I think a weekend is more than enough to decide if it's worth it for you or not.
I usually prefer testing things myself and not based on people statements. Because everyone has his tastes and they unlikely match mines...
Cheers...
I'm on 7.1.1 stock with Franco Kernel, encryption disabled and F2FS filesystem.
No problems with stability, lags or battery life. In fact, I usually get around 5h+ of screen on time, which is pretty good for a 2 years old phone.
Usually, battery life and stability are user fault. Of course we can't say everything is related to users... But if you configure correctly your apps permissions, don't install anything out of the play store and don't do things like undervolting... You should be good to go.
Regards,
Rafael
5.1 said:
What kind of incompatibility issues are you talking about?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd have to go back and look at the threads I've read, the only thing I recall being a deal-killer was not being able to use net.tethering under Nougat (is that still an issue)? I've been very happy with Pure (MM) with Franco on my other devices but have kept stock on my N6. I agree with testing it out myself, just need to find some time, but generally trust opinions on XDA.
Phone has been solid for years and rooted with Nova, adaway, lightflow, multiwindow, and tethering has met my needs. Maybe I'm just being lazy or in a rut but definitely would like something more revolutionary to encourage the upgrade.
Thanks for the input everyone, gives me a lot to think about.
Slainte!
mclardass said:
I'd have to go back and look at the threads I've read, the only thing I recall being a deal-killer was not being able to use net.tethering under Nougat (is that still an issue)? I've been very happy with Pure (MM) with Franco on my other devices but have kept stock on my N6. I agree with testing it out myself, just need to find some time, but generally trust opinions on XDA.
Phone has been solid for years and rooted with Nova, adaway, lightflow, multiwindow, and tethering has met my needs. Maybe I'm just being lazy or in a rut but definitely would like something more revolutionary to encourage the upgrade.
Thanks for the input everyone, gives me a lot to think about.
Slainte!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly I can't really help you with net.tethering as I don't use it...
Just make a search in Q/A or open a thread if nothing shows up. I'm sure you'll get an answer... :good:
Good luck...
Couple of days with stock 7.1.1 and so far it's fine, nothing that made me thrilled with the update but nothing that makes me want to roll back. Can't say it's snappier than MM or has better battery life, though. Enabled tethering using the usual net.tethering entry as well as 'settings put global tether_dun_required 0' so nothing lost there. Guess if this is the last, full-point update for my beloved N6 I can live with it (until I find an annoyance I can't stand and flash Pure or something else).
Thanks again for everyone's input!
Bought my N6 used back in September. I still have official 7.0 My device has never stuttered or slowed down (outside of extremely low battery and high CPU apps). I have a lot of apps installed, I use it hard, and run some demanding apps (like raw photo conversion) on occasion. And I just clocked 3+ days of battery use with nearly 7 hours of SOT under a variety of uses. I can't imagine not using N on this device.
cameraddict said:
Bought my N6 used back in September. I still have official 7.0 My device has never stuttered or slowed down (outside of extremely low battery and high CPU apps). I have a lot of apps installed, I use it hard, and run some demanding apps (like raw photo conversion) on occasion. And I just clocked 3+ days of battery use with nearly 7 hours of SOT under a variety of uses. I can't imagine not using N on this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats 7.0, 711 is the issue at least for me
adm1jtg said:
Thats 7.0, 711 is the issue at least for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Curious, what problems do you have in 711? Those issues aside, the OP asked about 7.0 as opposed to 711.
terrible battery life? maybe you need a new battery, I get above 6 SOT hours using Nitrogen ROM
buschris said:
terrible battery life? maybe you need a new battery, I get above 6 SOT hours using Nitrogen ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its all about standby battery life when using a bt device like an android watch. Not going to get into arguements here but have tested and 7.0 doesnt have the bad drain on my unit and 711 absolutely does. Thus cannot be an old battery if the only change i made was OS version and drastic difference in battery drain. 711 has about 2x+ the standby drain with bt on. 7.0 and 6.0 have much better drain

I like 5.0.2

I have a completely standard phone - not unlocked etc. Bought it when they first came out - got the 8gb/128gb black model.
I received the 5.0.2 OTA update a couple of days ago and installed it. Since then, I have found:
Battery life seems better. I used it on and off all day yesterday and forgot to put it on charge. This morning it still had 68% left.
I really like face unlock. I don't know how secure it is, but it seems very fast. Open the cover, screen comes on and 'whoof', it's unlocked. I now have to remember NOT to use my fingerprint to unlock as well
It seems (if that's possible), even more responsive. The CPU is really fast anyway, but I'm enjoying the new lease of life.
I don't think I'll be changing it any time soon.
Alan
Alan, thank you for your user expirience!
We are glad, that you like our product. Please, tell us, if something will be going wrong, we will try to help you in shortest time!
Cheers, Fedya!
I'll jump right there with you, this phone has beast specs, but very thankfully OnePlus is also a powerhouse for android cooking, and oh are they making good things in OOS. IMO, OOS 5 was like covering the small corners left in OOS 4, subjective of course, but they made my life easier and the experience waaaaay smoother, this thing is faster than I thought a phone could be. Not mentioning the kernel as well, making the battery last even 8hours screen on time, daily for me, medium to heavy user.
Things left to do, yeah, I'd say their panorama pics are awfully mediocre to say the least, I cannot believe the difference between one of them vs. the modded Gcam. It's night and day, which saddens me because that goes to show the image processing could be better than what we already have now. And they don't share their camera blobs, so points less for that. It's like they have a problem and they don't let others try to fix it (and by others I mean developers that have already proven to know better).
Overall, this phone is awesome and it keeps getting better, the custom ROM cooking business is spectacular. I'm on OmniROM 8.1.
They could update the phones faster IMO as well, I mean...comparing them to developers around here, they're very slow. But they deliver, they aren't the last to update either, and OOS is CAF based to props to them for going that route. They've developed a solid OS.
Has anyone gotten Truecaller to work on Oreo?
We have an existing thread about the 5.0.2 OTA update here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-5/how-to/official-oxygenos-4-5-2-7-1-1-ota-t3627003
Please search before posting and do not duplicate topics in the forum.
THREAD CLOSED
alan sh said:
I have a completely standard phone - not unlocked etc. Bought it when they first came out - got the 8gb/128gb black model.
I received the 5.0.2 OTA update a couple of days ago and installed it. Since then, I have found:
Battery life seems better. I used it on and off all day yesterday and forgot to put it on charge. This morning it still had 68% left.
I really like face unlock. I don't know how secure it is, but it seems very fast. Open the cover, screen comes on and 'whoof', it's unlocked. I now have to remember NOT to use my fingerprint to unlock as well
It seems (if that's possible), even more responsive. The CPU is really fast anyway, but I'm enjoying the new lease of life.
I don't think I'll be changing it any time soon.
Alan
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